Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE CREATING A NATION AND A SOCIETY NASH JEFFREY HOWE FREDERICK DAVIS WINKLER MIRES PESTANA 7th Edition Chapter 13: Moving West Pearson Education, Inc, publishing as Longman © 2006 PROBING THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI WEST During 1840s most Americans lived east of the Mississippi By 1860, 4.3 million had moved west of the Mississippi THE INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT FOR AMERICAN EXPANSIONISM In 1815, save for the Louisiana Purchase, Spain held onto most of the trans-Mississippi west – – – Holdings included resent-day Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California and parts of Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma Attempted to keep foreigners out, without a lot of luck Mexican independence in 1821 gave the new country all of Spain’s holdings North of California was the Oregon Territory, disputed between America and England since Spain had withdrawn its claim in 1819 and Russia in 1824 EARLY INTEREST IN THE WEST Some Americans sought beaver skins as early as 1811 in the Oregon backcountry and in the Rockies a decade later – Methodist missionaries established early outposts in Oregon territory In the Southwest the collapse of the Spanish Empire provided Americans for opportunities for trade and settlement A few New Englanders settled in California and exploited the seaotter trade and then moved on to other trade goods when otters became scarce Many Indians relocated from eastern lands to present-day Oklahoma – Often married Native American women and made valuable connections with the tribes Some acted as agents for white civilization Publications increasingly promoted emigration MANIFEST DESTINY Phrase coined in 1845 by John L. O’Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review Expressed conviction that the development of a superior system of government and lifestyle dictated a God-given right of Americans to spread their civilization to the four corners of the continent Territorial expansion was a mandate of Manifest Destiny WINNING THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI WEST Events in Texas triggered the government’s determination to acquire territories west of the Mississippi Sparsely populated and underdeveloped Southwest acted as a buffer zone for Mexico – – Increasingly vulnerable as Spain weakened 1819 Transcontinental Treaty had guaranteed Spain’s possession of the area and included U.S. denial of claims on Texas ANNEXING TEXAS, 1845 Mexico feared a hostile takeover of Texas after repeated attempts by the United States to buy the territory To strengthen border areas, Mexico offered land for reduced costs requiring only that the settlers become Mexican citizens and Catholics – – – Stephen Austin and many other contractors organized parties of settlers into Texas By end of 1820s, 15,000 white Americans and 1000 slaves easily outnumbered the 5000 Tejano inhabitants Few settlers honored their agreement with Mexico Mexico abolished slavery in Texas in 1830 and forbade further emigration from the U.S. yet nothing really changed In October 1835, hostilities started and Sam Houston became commander in chief of the Texas forces – The Alamo and Golidad fell to forces under Santa Ana ANNEXING TEXAS, 1845 On April 21, 1836, American forces surprised the Mexicans while they were at siesta and forced Santa Ana to sign a treaty giving them their independence and a border at the Rio Grande River New republic was financially unstable, unrecognized by Mexico, and the U.S. was unwilling to annex it and upset the balance in the Senate – The renewed question of annexation in 1844 showed deep splits in American society Shortly before President Tyler left office in March 1845 he secured the annexation of Texas through a joint resolution WAR WITH MEXICO, 1846-1848 Mexico severed diplomatic ties with America after its annexation of Texas President Polk failed to appreciate the humiliation of the Mexicans and expected them to agree to demands for a Rio Grande border as well as California and New Mexico Polk sent American troops under Zachary Taylor to forestall a potential Mexican invasion. – Hostilities quickly followed after Taylor took up a position at the disputed Rio Grande border Debate in Washington simmered as U.S. forces swept into Mexico and took the capital city Nicholas Trist negotiated a treaty ending the war and obtaining for the U.S. the Rio Grande border, New Mexico and California CALIFORNIA AND NEW MEXICO Before 1830s, few Americans lived in California but by the 1840s 1500 had crossed overland – – The U.S. was interested in New Mexico due to profitable economic ties dating to the 1820s – – Americans were worried British were also interested in fine harbors and good position for China trade Polk tried to buy the state to no avail Few New Mexicans supported annexation by the United States U.S. troops under Col. Stephen Kearney occupied Santa Fe in 1846 where they were accepted by the elites but not so much by the Mexicans and Pueblo Indians Despite resistance, both California and New Mexico were firmly in American hands by January 1847 THE TREATY OF GUADALUPEHIDALGO, 1848 Negotiated by Nicholas Trist and signed on February 2, 1848 Set the Rio Grande as America’s south border U.S. lost 13,000 American lives but gained 75,000 Spanish speaking inhabitants, 150,000 Native Americans and more than 529,000 square miles Awarded Mexico $15 million and set terms for Gadsden Purchase (1853) of southern Arizona and parts of New Mexico for an additional $10 million THE OREGON QUESTION, 18441846 Although Oregon was disputed by both America and England, President Polk claimed that the American title was “clear and unquestionable” The British government did not agree but were powerless to stop thousands of settlers migrating to Oregon – By 1843, Americans had written a constitution and elected a legislature even as British interest was declining due to the industrial revolution and opportunities elsewhere Despite slogans (54o40’ or fight ) and diatribe, Polk was unwilling to fight and by June 1846 had worked out an agreement with Britain that set the border at the forty-ninth-parallel and gave the British Vancouver Island Americans justified expansion with their belief in Manifest Destiny GOING WEST AND EAST Between the 1840s and 1860s, thousands of Americans moved West – – 380,000 went to California Thousands of Chinese headed south and east to escape Opium Wars, internal unrest and poor economic conditions with 63,000 coming to the U.S., mostly California American migrants had a choice of going west by sea (faster but more expensive) or over land THE EMIGRANTS Most emigrants to the far West were white and American by birth, coming from the Midwest and Upper South – – Some free blacks also make the six-month overland trip Emigrants from the Deep South went with their slaves to Texas and Arkansas Most emigrants traveled with family and relatives – Only during the Gold Rush years did large numbers of unmarried men travel West independently MIGRANTS’ MOTIVES Most emigrants sought wealth in the form of gold and silver Other sought to set up businesses as merchants or land speculators Most dreamed of bettering their lives by cultivating land whose acquisition was made easier by federal and state land policies Some traveled to the warmer climate to restore their health Others followed the direction of church leaders for religious or cultural missions Moving to the Far West was considerably expensive with the sea route costing $600 per person while four could travel by land for $220 Chinese emigrants, mostly married men, also came in search of bettering their fortunes THE OVERLAND TRAILS Overland travelers started in late spring in Iowa and Missouri – – – – Made 15 miles a day on a trip that usually took six months Until 1850s conflict with Native Americans was rare As trip progressed, disease often struck and the terrain became more difficult Gender divisions of labor collapsed under the strain LIVING IN THE WEST FARMING IN THE WEST New arrivals in the West had to stake a claim, clear the land of obstructions and build a shelter before they could start farming As they began their farming, the emigrants unconsciously harmed the land by introducing foreign weeds and poor farming techniques Gender boundaries were less clear during the struggle to survive – Political institutions took precedence over schools and churches which were often hampered by a lack of funding and interest – Within a few years, as new emigrants arrived, settlers established schools, churches and other organizations that helped define acceptable behavior Newspapers, journals and books circulated freely and reinforced familiar norms Western society rapidly acquired a social and economic structure similar to that of the East MINING WESTERN RESOURCES The 1848 California gold discovery swept the country and led to a population increase from 14,000 to 100,000 – – – Other strikes followed: – – – – By 1852, figure had more than doubled Gold seekers were young, mostly unmarried males (only five percent were women and children) and heterogeneous Eighty percent came from the U.S., eight percent from Mexico and five percent from South America with the rest from Europe and Asia British Columbia in 1858 Colorado in 1859 Pacific Northwest early in the decade and Montana a few years later. Black Hills of North Dakota in the mid-1870s Discovery spurred rapid, if short-lived growth with half the residents working the mines and the other half working the miners Mining life was often disorderly MINING WESTERN RESOURCES Few struck it rich and most simply made enough to keep going – – Extraction of remaining deposits required cooperative efforts, capital, technological experience and expensive machinery – Mining became corporate enterprise and miners became wage workers Women’s services—cooking, nursing, laundry and hotel services—were in high demand and priced accordingly – Easily mined deposits soon ran out Chinese miners were adept at finding what others overlooked Prostitutes also hoped to make money and were as much as twenty percent of the female population in California in 1850 Minority contributions were high but so was racial discrimination For Native American tribes, mining rushes were a disaster with the population in California declining from 150,000 in 1849 to less than 30,000 by 1869 At a high ecological cost, California mines provided two-thirds of the country’s gold between 1848 and 1883 and fostered western economic development ESTABLISHING GOD’S KINGDOM Salt Lake City served as the heart of the Mormon state of Deseret – Society was familiar with its well planned cities and tidy houses and yet unfamiliar with its practice of polygamy Mormons had come to area after 1844 murder of Joseph Smith and 1846 need to flee Nauvoo, Illinois – – – – – Brigham Young used Mexican-American War to raise needed capital to finance great migration west Having reached the area with an exploratory party in July 1847, Young announced that settlers would receive virtually free land based on family size and ability to cultivate it Expeditionary group built irrigation ditches and planted crops while Young returned for rest of Mormons By 1850, more than 11,000 settlers had arrived with more coming all the time thanks to Church missionary activities, emigration society and loan fund By the end of the decade, more than 30,000 Mormons lived in the area ESTABLISHING GOD’S KINGDOM Most Mormons were farmers from New England or the Midwest but the heart of society was not the individual farmer but the cooperative village There was no separation between Church and state with Church leaders occupying all important political posts – When Utah became a territory, Church leaders drew up a constitution that divided religious and political power but the reality was different After initial expeditions against Native Americans, Mormons concentrated on converting them rather than killing them Polygamy was both a “celestial” form of marriage and a way to deal with single women converts who had made migration on their own – Only 10-20 percent of Mormon families were polygamous in part due to the expense and the emotional strains involved CITIES IN THE WEST Some emigrants went west for the express purpose of living in a fast-growing city such as San Francisco or Denver – – Bustling commercial life offered a wide range of occupations and services Young, single men made up an overwhelming majority of these urban centers’ populations with 18 of the 24 largest western cities having a gender imbalance as late as 1880 Opportunities were always greatest for those who brought significant assets with them from the East CULTURES IN CONFLICT Chinese men from southern China came to U.S. with the plan to work for a few years and then return home to their families – Initially California welcomed them though as more arrived hostility and violence increased CONFRONTING THE PLAINS TRIBES Americans moving west were continually shocked by the cultural differences between them and the native tribes along the trails and often believed they were doomed to extinction In the 1840s, Americans encountered the powerful Plains Indian tribes – – – – The “border” tribes lived in villages and raised crops which they supplemented in the summer with buffalo meat On the central plains lived aggressive buffalo-horse culture tribes who often raided the border tribes In the Southwest were a combination of aggressive nomadic tribes like the Comanche and Apache and tribes who had adopted aspects of Spanish culture and European domestic animals Most tribes had adopted a nomadic, horse based, buffalo hunting society with a seasonal mobility of 500 miles CONFRONTING THE PLAINS TRIBES Increased Indian mobility increased tribal contact and conflict – – Males were not men until they had proven themselves in battle, mostly by stealing horses and proving individual prowess. Chiefs had limited authority Conflict with whites arose as stock grazed on grasses needed by buffalo and Indian ponies and as settlers hunted buffalo in larger and larger numbers, often for sport – – – – As buffalo herds shrank, inter-tribal warfare rose The Sioux tried to get compensation and, when that was refused, attempted to impose taxes on passing wagon trains The gold rush only made matters worse Government decided on a two pronged approach: build forts and treat with the tribes to convince them to end tribal warfare and limit their movements THE FORT LARAMIE COUNCIL, 1851 1851 a tribal council of some 10,000 Indians convened at Fort Laramie – – Border tribes refused to participate for fear of the Sioux. The Comanche, Kiowa and Apache also refused to attend The Government promised compensation for the destruction of the grass, timber and buffalo and annual payments of goods and services In return, the Indians had to give up their rights of free movement and stay within boundaries drawn by the government The Sioux refused to give up newly conquered lands south of the Platte OVERWHELMING THE MEXICAN SETTLERS In the Southwest, Texas and California, American encountered a Spanish-speaking population and Hispanic culture – – Americans saw Mexicans as lazy, ignorant and cunning Few Americans abided by the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo designed to protect the rights of Mexicans in the newly acquired territory In New Mexico, light-skinned, upper-class landowners fared better, often arranging marriages and business alliances with Anglo-Americans In Texas, the Hispanic population dropped from 10 percent in 1840 to 6 percent by 1860 and the upper class lost most of their power In California, the discovery of gold quickly made Hispanics a minority subject to increasing racism and loss of land Many Hispanics resisted Anglo incursions and attacks on their culture DISCOVERING U.S. HISTORY ONLINE Fort Scott National Historic Site http://www.nps.gov/fosc/mandest.htm The Mexican-American War www.sunsite.unam.mx/revistas/1847 Alamo History http://www.drtl.org/History/ The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/ghtreaty/ The Oregon Trail http://www.kancoll.org/ http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html The Donner Party http://www.members.aol.com/danmrosen/donner/index.htm DISCOVERING U.S. HISTORY ONLINE James Knox Polk http://www.potus.com/jkpolk.html American Mountain Men http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/amm.html California in the Gold Rush Decade http://www.huntington.org/Education/GoldRush/ http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/ The National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution and The George Gustav Heye Center http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=exhibitions&second=onli ne Native American Women www.gowest.coalliance.org/exhib/gallery4/leadin.htm