NAME: PER:
CRASH COURSE US HISTORY
Episode #17: War and Expansion
Length: 12:46”
NOTES:
-Sea to shining sea west – Manifest Destiny - we want to take over all the land form Atlantic and Pacific regardless who happened to be living there. Our expansion had to do with economics. Jefferson’s ideas about the empire of liberty.
-By 1860 300,000 have made the trip. Oregon trail is inaccurate that a family of 6 as that many people died of dysentery and cholrea. Oregon was controlled by the US and Britain. Mexico Included many states in the US.
-30K Mexicans lived in New Mexico and 3500 in California and in both places they were outnumbered by Native Americans. To encourage economic development they granted a huge grant of land to Austin and Steve sold off smaller parcels until there were 7k Americans. This made Mexico nervous they annulled land contract and banned further immigration to Texas. They allowed Americans to bring slaves and Austin demanded greater autonomy and the right to use slaves. General Santa Anna and decided to demand these people obey. On march 13, 1836 he defeated the defenders of the Alamo, 187 people died including Davey Crocket. They would remember the Alamo as General Santa Ana would be defeated. Texas became the Lone Star republic. They thought it would be better to join the US in 1837.
-Texas wanted to be a slave state in this would imbalance the states. So they ignored Texas. Democratic Southerners through their support Polk. Polk just managed to get a victory. Congress annexed Texas and Congress divided Oregon with Britain which restored the balance in the senate.
-The land hungry James K Polk as he wanted to acquire California from Mexico. He decided to send troops to disputed border region. Fighting broke out between American and Mexico forces. He said that Mexicans shed blood on American soil. Majority of Americans supported the war.
-At first, this was the first war fought mostly on foreign soil. A Massachusetts Transcendentalist for refusing to pay taxes in protest of the war. He civil disobedience. Some people thought the president had too much power. As he would attack whenever he wanted. Lincoln said the previous quote.
-Santa Anna’s army was defeated in 1847 as Mexico would not give up as Winfield Scott would capture Mexico City. Guadalupe Hildalgo as 1848 as this confirmed Texas, California. In return they paid them 15 million dollars and they freed them from the shackles of Texas.
-Our dream of expanding from the Atlantic to the Pacific was complete. It happens when dreams come true trouble started.
-75k – 100k Spanish speaking Mexicans and 150 k native Americans were under the jurisdiction of the US. The Mexicans were seen as inferior to whites. The fact that they were Catholic this did not help. Anti-Catholic and Anti-Immigrant known as Nativism- there was also a new political party called the American party. They were called the know nothings. When you would ask them about there politics they knew nothing. They won an unexpected number of local offices.
-In California there was not enough whites there as gold being discovered this would be easily fixed. By 1852 non-Indian population went from 15k to 200,000. It was 360,000 on the eve of the Civil War. Many were young men seeking their fortunes. 25k Chinese migrated as contract workers working for mining and Railroad companies. There were women that worked as cooks and prostitutes. The ratio of men to women was 3 to 1.
-California constitution of 1850 limited civil participation to whites. No native Americans, Indians were kicked off their land and 1000’s of orphan children were sold as slaves. The population of Indian population dropped from 150k to 30k 1848-1860. It was not clear as it was the kind of place that would be admitted as a slave or free state. The Missouri compromise did not help make this any better. A new party called for limited party 1848 called for limiting of slavery in the west for white people to live and work. Most of these people nominated van Buren for presidency. They split the northern vote Zachary Taylor won, in 1850 as a free state. Southerners freaked out as it was the beginning of the end of slavery. Henry Clay we can kick this problem down the road once more. He brokered a 4 part place as the Compromise of 1850. 1. California was admitted as free state. 2. Salve trade would be outlawed in DC. 3. A new super harsh fugitive slave law. 4. Popular Sovereignty- the inhabitants could decide for themselves if they wanted to be slave or free. Nothing protects the right of minority like the tyranny of the majority.
-William Seward argued against the compromise as it was wrong. It passed and averted a greater crisis for 10 years.
-Ralph Walden Emerson said that if we acquired parts of Mexico that if we did that it was like swallowing Arsenic. Was Manifest Destiny inevitable? We see in the story the underlining problem. We did not govern according to our won ideals. We did not extend our ideals to the other people involved in the story.
QUIZ QUESTIONS
1. What is Manifest Destiny?
2. Why were Americans allowed to settle in Texas?
3. Who defeated the Americans at the Alamo?Who won?
4. What did Polk do?
5. What was the name of the treaty that was signed after the Mexican War? What did we pay?
6. What is Nativism?
7. What were 2 of the main points of the Missouri Compromise?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Explain Manifest Destiny and how it was justified? Should we do anything about it today?
2. Was the War with Mexico fair?
3. What was the problem with California becoming a free state?