Download Westward Expansion Before the Civil War

Westward Expansion Before the
Civil War
Mrs. Maimone
The country grew by expanding
westward. Early Americans believed it
was our country’s Manifest Destiny to
spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific
(East Coast all the way to the West Coast).
Manifest Destiny & Westward
Expansion
• Manifest Destiny was the belief that the
United States was blessed with liberty and,
therefore, had a right and duty to expand
from sea to sea. Americans traveled west to
spread this idea of liberty and for:
• Opportunities (jobs, land, & a fresh start)
• Adventure
• Wealth
• Religious Freedom
Who am I?
• I loved adventure!
• I was adopted
• I traveled across the Appalachian Mountains,
found a trail, cleared the path, and returned
home safely, two years later.
• Because I returned safely, others were
encouraged to venture west into the
unknown wilderness.
Yes, I am Daniel Boone.
Who am I?
• I was a member of the Shoshone tribe.
• I was captured as a child by the Hidatsa tribe, our
enemies.
• I married a French fur trapper named Charbonneau
when I was 15.
• I guided Lewis and Clark through the wilderness,
showing them the paths and which plants were edible
and non-edible.
• I acted as a translator for them when we met other
Native Americans.
• I brought my newborn son on the expedition with
me.
Yes, I am Sacajawea.
Who am I?
• I was the main author of the Declaration of
Independence.
• I was America’s third president.
• They nicknamed me “The Red Fox.”
• I sent Lewis and Clark on their expedition to
map the Louisiana Territory and to keep
journals about what they found.
Yes, I am Thomas Jefferson.
Who am I?
• I led an expedition into the wilderness to
explore the Louisiana Territory.
• This territory was purchased, from France, in
1803.
• William Clark, a soldier, came with me.
• We also brought along Sacajawea and others.
• We left from St. Louis, Missouri.
• We made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
I am Meriwether Lewis and, as you can see, we
began our journey in St. Louis, Missouri, where the
Missouri River branches off from the Mississippi
River, and headed west over the Rocky Mountains
and the Continental Divide, going all the way to the
Pacific Ocean.
Here is a picture of me, Meriwether
Lewis, with William Clark. I am on the
left, and Clark is on the right.
Indian Removal Acts
• There were lots of treaties between the U.S
Government and Native Americans.
• However, some of those treaties were not
honored.
• Some of those treaties were dissolved when
Congress authorized the Indian Removal Acts,
forcing Indians off of their land and onto
reservations.
Who am I?
•
•
•
•
I was a Shawnee chief.
I visited the other tribes.
I tried to convince them to unite.
That was the only way we would be strong
enough to fight against the American settlers.
• My brother, Tenskwatawa , thought he was a
prophet. He did something very foolish, telling
my people that bullets would not hurt them.
• My people were killed at the Battle of
Tippecanoe, near the Ohio River.
Yes, I am Tecumseh, and I tried to
get the other tribes to unite and
fight together.
Who am I?
• I was from a Cherokee tribe.
• I wrote an alphabet, or writing system, for
my people, using symbols to represent the 85
syllables that we spoke.
• My people even wrote a constitution.
I am Sequoyah.
Who am I?
•
•
•
•
I was an Indian fighter.
I was the seventh president of the U.S.A.
Some people called me a hero.
The U.S. Supreme Court told me I needed to honor
the 1791 land treaty with the Cherokee Indians.
• I ignored the Supreme Court and forced those
Cherokee to move west-to a reservation in Oklahoma.
• You might know that event as the “Trail of Tears.”
Thousands of Cherokee died on that march westward
to Oklahoma.
Yes, I am Andrew Jackson.
Who am I?
• I brought lots of settlers with me to Texas.
• We made three promises to the Mexican
government:
• a. We would become Catholic.
• b. We would become Mexican citizens.
• c. We would free our slaves.
• We broke those promises and talked about
making Texas independent from Mexico.
I am Stephen Austin and I am known
as the “Father of Texas.”
Who am I?
• I fought against the Mexican president,
Antonio Lopez de’ Santa Anna, and won the
war against Mexico. I did it by very careful
planning and we surprised Santa Anna at San
Jacinto.
• After capturing Santa Anna, we made him
sign a statement that gave Texas to the
United States.
• Later, Texas elected me to be their president.
I am Sam Houston, and Houston,
Texas, is named for me!
Who am I?
• I was a Seminole leader.
• I tried to hide in Florida, but when Florida
became part of the United States, my people
were told to move west, onto reservations. I did
not think we should leave Florida, and so I was a
leader in the Seminole Wars against the U.S.
• I was captured by U.S. Government officials,
even though I waved a white flag of peace, and
they put me in prison.
• I died in St. Augustine, Florida, where I was
imprisoned at the Castillo de San Marcos.
Yes, I am Osceola, a Seminole leader.
Who am I?
• I fought against Tecumseh when I was a
young man.
• I was the governor of the Indiana Territory
where I fought against the Native Americans.
• I became the ninth U.S President, but I died
from pneumonia after only one month as
president.
Yes, I am William Harrison.
Who are we?
• We took our stand in an abandoned mission
church in Texas known as the Alamo.
• We fought bravely, even though we were
badly outnumbered.
• We had fewer than two hundred men on our
side.
• Our soldiers killed 1,500 Mexican soldiers at
the Alamo.
We are Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie, and
William Travis (our commander)
Who am I?
• As a child in North Carolina, I was very ill until I had
my gall bladder removed.
• I was the eleventh president of the U.S.A.
• I believed in America’s Manifest Destiny, and was
determined to make California, with its vast coastline,
part of the United States.
• In order to avoid another war, I made a compromise
with Great Britain to divide Oregon Country at the 54
degrees, 40’ latitude line.
• I lied to the American people about American soldiers
getting shot on American soil, but I firmly believed
the disputed territory should belong to the United
States.
I am James Polk.
What am I?
• I was a good road, and my owner
could charge a fee for you to travel
on me.
• I am a turnpike.
What am I?
• Governor DeWitt Clinton thought I would be a
good idea and that I would help transport
people and goods across the state of New York.
• I am 363 miles long and connected Albany to
Buffalo.
• I helped improve New York State’s economy. So,
other states began to build their own canals.
• I am the Erie Canal.
What am I?
• I could go upstream!!!
• I am a steamboat.
What am I?
• You could use me to travel over
and around mountains, even
during the wintertime, and I
could be used to travel across
places where there is no water.
• I am a railroad.
Why was it hard for Americans to
travel during the 1700s?
• The roads were bad and there
were not many forms of
transportation.
Why did the Native Americans resent
the American settlers?
• The Native Americans were being
forced off of their land and onto
reservations.
What did Oregon have that was so
valuable?
• Oregon had lots of furry animals and traders
wanted to sell the fur to people in Europeans.
Why wasn’t Texas allowed to become a
state right away, when they asked?
• Texas allowed slavery and the U.S.
Government was nervous about allowing
another slave state into the union.
What land areas did President Polk
hope to gain by going to war with
Mexico?
• He hoped to gain California for its coasts and
ports, and New Mexico for its important
trading center of Santa Fe.
Why did the Mormons go West?
• They traveled west for religious
freedom and to avoid religious
persecution.
What happened during the California
Gold Rush of 1849?
• More than 80,000 people went to California.
• Few miners got rich off of prospecting for
gold.
• Many merchants, like Levi Strauss, became
wealthy selling their goods to the miners.
• Many people gave up mining because it was
too hard.