From Ocean to Ocean

The Westward Movement

Leading the Way West

Explorers of the West in the early 1800s include: Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, Zebulon Pike, Stephen Long, and various fur trappers and traders.
The Great Plains: The area was explored by Zebulon Pike in 1806 and Stephen Long in 1819.
Fur Trappers and Traders: Include Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith .
Manifest Destiny
A magazine editor first used the term "manifest destiny" in 1845.
Expansionists wanted to expand the land area of the United States.
When Americans used the term "manifest destiny" in the 1840s they meant that the United States was certain to expand the country to the Pacific Ocean.
The idea was a United States that stretched from ocean to ocean.
U.S. citizens wanted access to Pacific coast ports, trade with Asia, and fertile land in Oregon and California.

On to Oregon

Early Claims

Countries that had early claims to Oregon were Great Britain, Russia, Spain, and the United States.
In 1819, the Adams-Onis Treaty set the boundary between Spain and the United States after the Louisiana Purchase.
After the Monroe Doctrine was issued in 1823, Russia gave up their claim to Oregon.
British claims to Oregon were established by James Cook in 1788, and Dr. John McLoughlin who ran the Hudson's Bay Company.
United States claims to Oregon were through Lewis and Clark, and John Jacob Astor who founded Fort Astoria and ran the Pacific Fur Company.

The Canadian Boundary

The United States jointly occupied Oregon with Great Britain.
Increased American settlement of Oregon Territory forced America and Great Britain to establish the 49th parallel as the boundary between the United States and Canada.
Oregon was divided along the 49th parallel at the Convention of 1818.

Oregon Fever

In the 1830s, missionaries like the Reverend Jason Lee settled on the Columbia River in the Willamette Valley. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman founded the Walla Walla mission in

Oregon Territory.

The Oregon Trail: stretched from Independence, Missouri to Oregon Country (2000 miles).
Francis Parkman's Travels: Parkman wrote a book The Oregon Trail in 1849 and described his journeys throughout the West.
The Journey to Oregon: The trip took 4-6 months. Indians were not a major danger to the settlers; however, snakes, heat, thirst, hunger, injury, illness, and just plain lack of knowledge and the necessary skills killed many settlers.
By 1843, 5,000 Americans lived in Oregon.
On June 15, 1846, the United States gained control of the area below the 49th parallel.
Americans moved west of the Mississippi River for cheap and plentiful land.

California and the Southwest

Americans in Early California

Originally, the Spanish established Catholic missions in California to convert the Native Americans to Christianity.
In the 1840s, John Sutter established a fort at Sacramento.
The California Trail stretched from Ft. Bridger, Wyoming to California.
Indians in California were affected by the large number of Americans moving there as many died from disease and lack of food.
During the same time, the Mexican government broke up the missions, which the Indians had come to depend on for employment and food, which led to a drop in the Indian population (from 100,000 to 50,000).

Early Contacts in New Mexico

Early contacts in New Mexico were made by trappers and traders like Zebulon Pike.
In 1822, William Becknell led a group from Missouri to Santa Fe, and established the Santa Fe Trail.
William Becknell started the trade between Americans and the people of New Mexico.
Americans in Early Texas
In the early 1800s, southern cotton growers moved to Texas.
In the 1820s, Stephen Austin set up the first American settlement in Texas.
People who organized and risked business deals in Texas were known as empresarios.
By 1825, Mexico accepted settlers who swore loyalty to Mexico and practiced the Catholic religion.
By the 1830s, 30,000 Americans were living in Texas.

The Republic of Texas

Texas Rebels: In 1835, Texas rebelled against Mexico when Mexico ended slavery and Texans wanted to keep slaves. Also, Texans wanted more freedom in local affairs and Mexico wanted the government to control the entire country, including Texas.
Mexican President Santa Anna led military forces into Texas to put down the rebellion. The Alamo and Goliad were Mexican victories.
Independence: On March 2, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
Sam Houston led the Texan military forces and defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto.
On April 21, 1836, Texas became a republic with Sam Houston as its President.
On February 28, 1845, Texas was annexed to the United States, and by December 29, 1845, Texas became a state.

The Mexican War

The war between Mexico and the United States was mostly the result of disagreements over the borders and the annexation of Texas.
Advance to the Rio Grande: President Polk sent U.S. troops to the border.
The War Begins: The Mexicans felt their border had been invaded by the U.S. troops and attacked. When President Polk received word of this event he declared Mexico had invaded the United States.
On May 13, 1846, Congress declared war on Mexico.
General Zachary Taylor led U.S. forces across the Rio Grande.
The Conquest of New Mexico and California: Stephen Kearny took New Mexico, and John C. Fremont assisted California rebels in declaring independence from Mexico in the "Bear Flag Revolt." For a few days California existed as the Bear Flag Republic.
General Winfield Scott captured Mexico City on September 14, 1847 which ended the war.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: The treaty stated that the U.S. would pay Mexico
$15 million for all land north of the Rio Grande and Gila Rivers. This includes present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.

The California Boom

Immigration to California boomed when gold was discovered.
In 1848, James Marshall found gold at Sutter's Mill in California.
The 1849 Gold Rush brought 80,000 people to California.
There were also silver booms in Nevada, Colorado, and Montana.
California received statehood in 1850.

Gadsden Purchase

This included a strip of land south of the Gila River which is the southern part of present-day Arizona and New Mexico.
The Gadsden Purchase was land added to the U.S. because it was the best southern route for a railroad to the Far West through Arizona and New Mexico.
The U.S. paid $10 million to Mexico for the land.
In the end, the United States gained over 1 million square miles of land during this time period.

Indians and the Westward Movement

Changes in Indian Life

The introduction of the horse, by the Spaniards, was an important change brought to Indians in the West.
The introduction of guns changed the way Native Americans hunted and waged war.
Indians Loss of Land
The factor that brought about the greatest change in Indian life was loss of land.
At first, the United States government established forts along the Oregon Trail.
In the 1851 Fort Laramie Treaty, Plains Indians allowed passage across their land in return for payment.
The significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 was it set the boundaries of Indian land, leading to reservations.
As more and more settlers entered western lands, the government pushed the Indians into even smaller areas. As land was taken by settlers, many of those Indians who had already been sent from the East to areas of the West were made to move again.

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