Westward Expansion
How did the expansion of the United States affect people inside and outside the country?
What changes did settlers bring to the West in the early 1800s?
What might these people already living in the West be thinking about the changes?
Remember, the US consisted of the 13 states and the land east of the Mississippi River.
Soon after the war ended, settlers began moving west in to this new territory where only American Indians lived before. Population was quickly growing because more people from other countries were moving to the US.
Settlers wanted:
-land to live on and farm on
-work
-to build homes
-resources of the land like wood and minerals
-new places to sell their goods
Americans were proud of their new country and felt it was their natural right to spread their religion, government and way of life westward across America to the Pacific Ocean. This is called manifest destiny.
Louisiana Purchase
-the first land added to the nation was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. It’s the land between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains. Us bought it from France.
Importance:
-Miss River was used for shipping via New Orleans (port). Shipping was easier and cheaper than moving goods by land.
-New Orleans was controlled by France so Thomas Jefferson (TJ) wanted to buy this important port city
-French needed $ for a possible war with GB. Were willing to give up land in US.
-French offered $15million when TJ only expected $10million.
**-Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the nation**
How did the Louisiana Purchase impact the American Indians?
-settlers pushed Indians off their land as they pushed westward
-tribes were forced from homelands onto reservations.
A reservation is an area of land set aside by the US govt for Indians to live on. Conditions were poor. Many starved, froze or died from diseases on the brutal trip west.
Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806)
TJ made plans for an expedition to explore the huge Louisiana Purchase territory.
Expedition – a group of people sent to explore unknown places
Lewis and Clark led this expedition. They mapped the territory and looked for a Northwest Passage to the Pacific. They took notes on the soil, plants, animals, Indian tribes they encountered, terrain, etc. They also scouted out locations for trading posts and settlements. Along this trip, they met Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman. She helped them speak to Indian tribes along the journey. They made it to the Pacific and then back. Were considered heroes because now settlers knew the way to travel further west.
Florida Acquisition (1819)
Florida was under Spanish rule. Many slaves in Georgia were escaping to Fla. Runaways hid with Seminoles and even became members of the tribe. Slave owners were angry. Seminoles raided these Georgia settlers in fear they’d be attacked to get their slaves back. In 1817, Andrew Jackson marched his army into Fla and ended the attacks.
-Spain couldn’t defend the land
-US agreed to give $5 to settlers for slaves lost and damaged property
-Settlers began moving to Fla. Chased away or killed remaining Seminoles.
Texas Annexation (1845)
Most of the Southwest was controlled by Mexico. Much of this land was Texas. Many of the people in Texas were Apache or Comanche Indians. Mexican govt wanted more settlers in Texas who would raise crops and animals, pay taxes and follow Catholic religion. Mexico offered free land in Texas to settlers who would follow Mexican laws and become Catholic.
-By 1830, white Americans outnumbered Mexicans in Texas. Tensions grew between the 2 groups.
-Mexico outlawed slavery but many Americans in Texas owned slaves. Slaveowners feared Mexico might one day free their slaves.
-Settlers wanted Texas to join the US.
-Mexico got nervous and passed a law to stop more Americans from setting in Texas.
-1833-Stephen Austin, a loyal Mexican citizen and settler, asked Mexico to allow Texas to have its own govt. Mexico angrily refused.
-1835 – Texans and Mexicans were fighting. Texas declares independence.
-General Santa Anna leads his army into Texas planning to punish settlers trying to break away from Mexico.
-Santa Anna reaches San Antonio with fewer than 200 Texans waiting. Men took a stand at The Alamo, Santa Anna demands they give up. Texans refuse saying “victory or death!”
-They fought of Mexican army for 10 days until Santa Anna’s men climbed the walls of Alamo and took over. Nearly all the Americans were killed, including Davy Crockett.
-a temporary govt was established during this time in Texas and Sam Houston was appointed leader.
-6 weeks later, Sam Houston leads his army to surprise attack on Santa Anna shouting “Remember the Alamo” to inspire his troops. They won the battle and captured Santa Anna. He was let go when he promised to give Texas independence.
-Texas approved a new state constitution. Flew a flag with one star on a red, white blue background—known as Lone Star Republic.
-As time went on, many of the remaining Mexicans lost their land, jobs and moved away.
-Texans wanted US to annex them. (add land). Texas became 228th state in 1845.
Acquisition of Oregon Country (1846)
-this land was still controlled by GB.
-President Polk promised to gain control of the land from northern California border to Alaska. The northern boundry was deep in British controlled territory. Supported “Fifty four forty or fight” to encourage them to keep pushing to gain control of this land.
-There were many settlers there now who were fur trappers and traders.
-After Us acquired the land, life for Indians once again changed for the worse.
-Congress was giving away tribal land to settlers.
-Settlers turned hunting lands into farms and ranches.
-Wars between settlers, soldiers and Indians
-Tribes were forced onto reservations – again!
Mexican Cession (1848) and Gadsden Purchase (1853)
-Mexican govt wanted Texas back
-Arguments over Texas boundary
-army led by Zachary Taylor to protect Rio Grande, got in scuffle with Mexican soldiers which was an excuse to declare war on Mexico
-Most Americans were against the war, saying America was just trying to get more land
-Mexican War lasted 2 years
-Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo – Mexico ceded (give up territory) a huge amount of territory to US, called Mexican Cession.
-Mexican Cession included: California, New Mexico, Utah and Nevada
-Gadsden Purchase: land in Arizona and New Mexico that included a pass through the mountains to be used for railroad construction.
-After the Mexican War, farmers, ranchers and miners poured into new lands
-Indians and Mexicans were offered the worst, poorest jobs
-Fought many wars with Apaches and other Indians before forcing them onto reservations
Can you summarize what happened as a result of westward expansion?
Summary: Although ranchers, miners and farmers created new settlements and opportunities, their westward expansion also forced American Indians from their homelands and onto reservations. They took land from Mexican citizens too.
How did the arrival of these new settlers affect the lives of American Indians in the West?
How were American Indians treated?
What happened to their way of life?
Cherokee Trail of Tears
Cherokee fought to hold their land but settlers were hard to defeat. Cherokees were forced to leave their land they loved. Forced to make a harsh journey called “Trail of Tears” to a new home.
If you were a Cherokee child and given just a few minutes to choose from your belongings, what would you bring with you?
What would you choose to leave behind?
Pets? Treasured personal belongings?
-Cherokee were one of last tribes to leave their land
Ways the US govt tried to get American Indians to leave their land:
-bought their land and gave them new western homes
-harassed them and took their land illegally
-waged war against them
Cherokees Tried To Live Among Americans
-they knew other tribes who fought back hard suffered many losses
-Cherokee tried to fit in with American settlers
-some lived on farms
-some sent their kids to American-style schools
-learned to read and write
-But , despite all this, Cherokee were not accepted by white settlers
*-Once gold was found on Cherokee land, there was more reason than ever to kick the Cherokee off their land
-Journey west for the Cherokee tribe was brutal because of bad weather, disease, etc
-Along the way it was observed “Children cry, men cry and all look sad when friends die but say nothing, just keep their heads down”. Trail of Tears