Download HW Lesson 3.3

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Elkharbotly, Laura
Period 3, U.S. History
13 August 2013
Lesson 3.3: Manifest Destiny
(p. 141 # 1-4)
Main Idea
Why it matters now
Through settlement and war, the
The actions Americans took during this period established the
United States greatly expanded its current borders of the 48 contiguous states.
boundaries during the mid 1800s.
1. Terms & Names
manifest destiny-
The American’s belief that the Unites States was ordained to
expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican and Native
American territory. They believed that it was obvious and
inevitable.
Santa Fe Trail-
One of the busiest routes that went 780 miles from
Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. American
traders loaded their wagons with goods and headed towards
Santa Fe on this route each spring between 1821 and 1848.
Oregon Trail-
A route from Independence, Missouri, to Portland, Oregon,
used by pioneers traveling to the Oregon Territory. It was
blazed in 1836 by two Methodist missionaries named Marcus
and Narcissa Whitman.
Stephen F. Austin-
The most successful empresario, an agent who attracted
Americans to buy cheap land in return for huge land grants
from Mexico, who established a colony in Texas between the
Brazos and Colorado rivers. He had issued 297 land grants to
a group known as Texas’s Old Three Hundred.
Texas Revolution-
A rebellion in which Texas gained its independence from
Mexico. Stephen F. Austin traveled to Mexico in 1833 to
present petitions for Texas’s self-government to Mexican
president Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Austin was
imprisoned for inciting revolution, and several rebellions
erupted after Santa Anna suspended local powers in Texas
and other Mexican states.
The Alamo-
A mission and a fort that Lieutenant Colonel William Travis
moved his men into. He believed that maintaining control of
the Alamo would prevent President Santa Anna from moving
farther north, but Santa Anna attacked the Alamo in 1863 and
sieged it for 12 days.
Sam Houston-
The commander in chief of the rebels. Him and his 900 men
launched a surprise attack on Mexicans near the San Jacinto
River and captured Santa Anna. They set him free only after
he signed the Treaty of Velasco, which granted independence
to Texas.
James K. Polk-
The winner of the 1844 U.S. presidential campaign. Polk was
a slaveholder and favored the annexation of Texas. He
thought that war with Mexico would bring Texas, New
Mexico, and California into the Union.
Bear Flag Republic-
The nation proclaimed by American settlers in California
when they declared their independence from Mexico in 1846.
They held up a flag that featured a grizzly bear.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo-
2. Draw a chart showing how the
boundaries of the U.S. mainland
were formed from 1845 to 1853.
A treaty that was signed by the United Stated and Mexico
signed. Mexico agreed to the Rio Grande border for Texas
and ceded the New Mexico and California territories to the
United States. The United Stated agreed to pay $15 million
for the Mexican cession.
Year
1845
1845
1846
1853
Boundary Change
Texas was annexed.
Rio Grande was approved as
the Mexican border.
Great Britain and Canada
extended the mainland
boundary along the 49th
parallel westwards from the
Rocky Mountains to Puget
Sound.
The Gadsden Purchase
established the current
borders of the lower 48
states.
In 1845, Texas was annexed and Americans saw thought that it was predestined by God that they
move westward. They immediately starting using the phrase “manifest destiny”, which was the
belief the United States was destined to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican and
Native American territory. The editor of The United Stated Magazine and Democratic Review
described the annexation of Texas in 1845 as, “the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to
overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly
multiplying millions” (John L. O’Sullivan, 1845). In 1846, Great Britain and Canada extended
mainland boundary along the 49th parallel westwards from the Rocky Mountains to Puget Sound.
In 1853, James Gadsden paid an additional $10 million to Mexico for a piece of territory south
of the Gila River. This was called the Gadsden Purchase and established the current borders of
the lower 48 states. In 1845, James K. Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico to offer $25 million to
purchase California and New Mexico and the Rio Grande was approved as the Mexican border.
3. What were the benefits and drawback of Americans’ belief in manifest destiny? Use specific
references to the section to support your response.
The benefits of American’s belief in manifest destiny were that the abundance of land attracted
them to move westward and there were more manufacturers and merchants in the west. Owning
land was the factor that attracted Americans the most because, “land ownership was an
important step towards prosperity” (Danzer et al., 1999, p.134). The Native Americans promised
not to attack settlers as they moved west and agreed to allow the construction of government
forts and roads. Many of them tried to keep their cultural traditions, although some tried to shift
into American culture. The drawbacks of manifest destiny were that a few Native Americans
tried to keep whites out of Native American lands and the U.S. government called a conference
near Laramie, Wyoming in response to the settlers’ fears of attack. The Oregon Trail, which they
used to head west, was blazed in 1836 by two Methodist missionaries.
4. Would you have supported the war with Mexico? Why or why not? Explain your answer,
including details from this chapter.
I would not have supported the war with Mexico because the Southerners, who supported the
war, wanted to expand slavery and increase Southern power in Congress and were in favor of
the annexation of Texas. However, Northerners opposed the war and saw the war as a plot to
expand slavery and cause the Southern region to dominate the Union. I agree with the
Northerners because I do not think it would be favorable to have one region with more power
than the other and cause war for no good reason. Before this, Mexican president Santa Anna
suspended local powers in Texas and other Mexican states, and a few rebellions erupted
including the Texas Revolution. The Mexican government was furious over the annexation of
Texas while the President Polk in the U.S. felt that the war with Mexico would bring Texas, New
Mexico, and California to the Union. Which side to take was a hard decision for most people as
Charles W. Carey Jr. stated, “Although most Americans believed in Manifest Destiny, few could
agree on exactly which lands the United States was supposed to govern” (Charles W. Carey Jr.,
1847). The United States and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, in which Mexico
agreed on Rio Grande being Texas’s border and surrendered the New Mexico and California
territories to the United States.