CHAPTER 12 STUDY GUIDE

Young America Ideal

A positive attitude toward the market economy and

industrial growth, a more aggressive and war like foreign policy and a celebration of America’s unique strengths and virtues (American Exceptionalism)

Identified mainly with young Democrats who wanted to purge the “old fogeys” of the old way of thinking by promoting expansion (geographically and technologically)

Opponents were cautious, tradition minded people who had doubts about where “progress” and expansion would lead

Land Conflicts

Canada –Maine Boundary Dispute over boundary since beginning of the US

1839 Aroostook War (Canadian Lumberjacks vs Maine Militia)

How resolved? Webster- Ashburton Treaty (1842)

Oregon USA and Britain claimed

1818 both agreed to 10 yr joint occupation (renewed 1827)

California Spanish did not allow trade with US

Mexico changed this policy

Americans that went to California and traded brought back word of the “Golden West” and encouraged American interest

Austin Grant

Southern/Western settlers

They wanted new/fresh land to grow cotton and land was less expensive in Mexico vs the US

Friction with Mexican Govt

Status of Slavery

Slavery illegal in Mexico

Anglos (Americans) brought slaves anyway and claimed they were just workers/servants

Authority of Catholic Church

Mexican govt required conversions to Catholicism

Anglos were Baptists/Methodists due to 2nd Great Awakening and did not believe in the spiritual authority of Catholic Church

Faked conversion to Catholicism or ignored the law

Austin’s Attempt to Settle Conflict Austin goes to Mexico City

Presented Anglos grievances

Got ban on American immigration lifted; failed to get Texas separated from Coahuila

Austin Arrested

Before he could return, Mexican govt arrests him for sending letter to Texans to set up a state govt without Mexican govt consent

Texan Revolt - 1835

Texans claimed they were fighting for freedom against Mexican oppression

Main fear was from Santa Anna who had taken over the Mexican govt in 1834; Texans concerned about a new high tariff as well as the possibility that they would be forced out of Texas

Texans took up arms to defend against troops sent to enforce the tariff (1835)

Fighting during Tx Revolution Well trained Mexican troops led by Santa

Anna vs. untrained Texan militia

Texans defeated at Gonzales, Goliad and San Antonio (Alamo)

Texans win a miraculous battle at San Jacinto and capture Santa Anna. Force Santa Anna to sign a treaty giving Texas

independence and placing boundary with Mexico at Rio Grande (traditional border of Texas was well north at the Nueces River)

Alamo: Fact and Fiction

Fact Fiction

187 Texans held off a far larger Mexican force for 13 days

Texans were better armed inside a strong fortress

Davy Crockett and up to 7 others were captured and executed after the battle (De la Peña Diary)

All the defenders fought to the death

Davy Crockett was the last one to be killed in the battle (Susannah Dickinson account)

Santa Fe & Oregon Trails

Santa Fe Trail Oregon Trail

Geography Desert and Mountains

Economic Impact US exchanged

textiles/manufactured goods for mules, furs and silver

Conditions Dangerous (Indian attacks

and terrain)

Geography 2000 miles across Great Plains

and Rocky Mts

Economic Impact Migration west caused St.

Louis to explode in size (jumping off pt)

Conditions Dangerous (Indian Attacks)

Very important to leave at the right time of year or could get stuck in snow in mts.

Mormonism

Joseph Smith was to set up a pure church (Zion)

Book of Mormon

Smith is God’s prophet

Main mission was to convert Indians who they believed were descendants of the 13th tribe of Israel.

Problems for Mormons in East

We covered this in Age of Perfection!

Brigham Young’s Settlement

State of Deseret

Community of cooperation and discipline

Communal system made the “desert bloom”

Orderly expansion of the settlement in a peaceful manner

President Tyler endorses Manifest Destiny

Through pushing for the annexation of Texas

Views on Texas Annexation

South Northern Abolitionists

Excited

Saw as opportunity to expand “King Cotton”

Disappointed

Saw expansion of slavery

James K. Polk

Van Buren came out against expansion; southern Dems were angry and blocked his nomination

Polk (had been governor of TN) was a Jackson man and came out of nowhere to win nomination (dark horse)

Polk was and expansionist (“Young America”)

Polk and Election of 1844

Ran on a platform of Manifest Destiny

“54° 40’ or Fight” (see ID’s)

Annexation of Texas

Purchase of California

Manifest Destiny

God has ordained that America is to expand all the way to the Pacific

Term first used by John O’Sullivan (1845)

The concepts behind this:

the belief that America, and therefore Americans, are a chosen people of God

Expansion of America meant the expansion of freedom

Population growth required expansion

Oregon Question

Polk and Dems called for war with Britain to gain Oregon

Privately Polk was willing to divide Oregon

Sent Sec. of State James Buchanan to negotiate with Brits

Oregon divided @ 49th Parallel; Vancouver Island part of Canada and US gets rights to sail freely in Puget Sound

Events leading to Mex War

US tried to buy California for $15 mil; Mexico said no

Mexico did not agree with Rio Grande as boundary

Polk sent troops into disputed territory between Nueces and Rio Grande knowing that there would be conflict with Mexican troops (there was)

Polk expected/hoped Mexico would negotiate instead of fight….he was wrong.

Mexican War (military)

Mexico had a better equipped/trained army then US

Ultimately, US won a couple of battles in northern Mexico early in the war and got the momentum

Capture of Mexico City was the key to victory so US Navy/Army capture Vera Cruz and take Cortez’s route from there to Mexico City

Santa Anna brought back by Mexican govt to save the day, but he was unable to.

Mexico City captured and war ends with……

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildalgo

Mexico agrees to let the US have California/New Mexico and recognizes the Rio Grande as the southern border of the US/TX

US pays Mexico $15 mil (remember the amount offered the first time) and promises to pay the claims American citizens had against Mexico

US gains 500,000 square miles of new territory

Political Dissention

American public divided over Mex War

Majority of Whigs opposed the war

Some Northerners claimed that the war was designed to expand slavery and increase political power of the south

Wilmot Proviso – would have prohibited expansion of slavery into newly acquired lands from Mexico; did not pass but showed extent of concern of anti-slavery forces

Post war Expansionist Impulse concerns about slavery and race put a

damper on expansion into Latin America and Caribbean

The Young America/Manifest Destiny impulse was channeled into internal developments

Change in Transportation

Railroads became increasingly important

Canals were still the most used method of transporting goods (could ship higher volume at less cost)

Development of RR had a enormous impact on the economy Example: Domestic steel production takes off to

provide rails

Evolving Factory System

Factory system spread from textiles (Lowell) to other areas like iron production, clock making, firearms and sewing machines

Essential features: Gather workforce in central location

Pay cash wages

Use interchangeable parts

Manufacture by continuous process

Bulk of manufacturing still done in small workshops

Regional Character of Industrial Development Industries in each region were based upon

what raw materials were found there

Examples:

Iron (eventually steel) production in western PA. There were major sources of coal and iron ore in the area that could easily be brought to Pittsburg.

Steel Plow/Mechanical Reaper were produced in Chicago. Materials could be shipped to Chicago by rail, assembled and then were easy to ship to wheat/corn farmers in the midwest.

Push/Pull Elements on Immigration Irish

Germans

Push factor

Great Potato Famine

Pull factor Opportunity

Low fares on ships because Irish were used as ballast

Family or friends already here

Push factor Change in grain prices caused

German peasants to go bankrupt

Little opportunity to own land

Pull factor Opportunity to own and farm

land

Immigrant Experience

Irish Germans

Negative

Irish were seen as dirty, slovenly and dumb

They were Catholic, too

Most Irish were stuck in the cities doing menial jobs

Irish became very important part of Democratic Party Politics (especially in NYC, Boston and Philadelphia)

Positive

Germans were seen as industrious, frugal and hard working

They were Protestant (Lutheran)

Most Germans bought farms but some stayed in cities and worked in the artisan trades

Changes in Labor

Becoming dominated by immigrants

More factory jobs

Workers were beginning to speak out against the abuses of the factory system (unions were being formed)

ID’s

Stephen F. Austin Santa Anna

Leader of first Americans to emmigrate to Mexico

Dictator of Mexico

Defeated by Texans @ San Jacinto

Recalled by Mexican Govt to lead the military against American Forces

ID’s

San Jacinto Sam Houston

Battle in which the Texans defeated Santa Anna resulting in his capture

Santa Anna signed an agreement to give Texas independence

Leader of Texan army that defeated Santa Anna at San Jacinto

Will be first President of the new Republic of Texas

Big statue in Huntsville*

*This will not be tested

ID’s

Lone Star Republic Joseph Smith

One of the nicknames for the new nation of Texas

Founder of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

First Prophet

Book of Mormon

ID’s

Brigham Young Liberty Party

Took over leadership of Mormons after J. Smith’s death

Lead Mormons to Utah and was their prophet

Negotiated deal with US so Utah could become a state (proclaimed polygamy against God’s will)

3rd party that advocated abolition

Ran James Birney as prez candidate in 1840 & 1844

ID’s

54° 40’ or Fight John Slidell

Slogan adopted by Dems and James K. Polk in 1844

Reference to willingness of “Young American” movement to fight Brits if US did not receive ALL of Oregon

Sent to Mexico to negotiate the purchase of New Mexico and California Territories

Offered $15 Million

Mexico declined the offer

ID’s

Samuel F. Morse

Invented the telegraph and the code that bears his name (Morse Code NOT Morris Code)

The telegraph and its “instant” communication capabilities enabled RR’s to run more efficiently

Led to trans-Atlantic cable enabling the US and Europe to exchange information/news in minutes instead of weeks (1860’s)