Westward Expansion Intro

Westward Expansion

Key Concepts

• Manifest Destiny - U.S. desire to own land from coast to coast; James K. Polk; CAUSES: (1) land = wealth, and (2) population boom

• Oregon Territory - got from Britain in a treaty; U.S. achieved goal of Manifest Destiny (owning land coast to coast)

• Mexican Cession - land U.S. acquired after U.S.-Mexican War as state in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The U.S. population grew, and there was plenty of land west. The idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that Americans should own all land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, started to spread. James K. Polk won the presidential election of 1844 by promising to fulfill the goal of Manifest Destiny. Even though acquiring (gaining) new lands would allow democracy to spread, Americans were mainly interested in Manifest Destiny to increase their wealth.

In 1803, the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France, and it doubled the size of the U.S. Spain was scared of war with the U.S., so the U.S. bought Florida in the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819. With the help of President Polk, the U.S. and Great Britain decided to split the Oregon Territory at the 49 degree North line in 1846. Now the U.S. owned land from coast to coast, achieving its goal of Manifest Destiny.

Texas won their independence from Mexico and was later annexed (added) by the U.S. in 1845. This did not make Mexico happy. Mexico and the U.S. argued about the boundaries between them. Eventually the U.S. went to war with Mexico and won. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the U.S.-Mexican War. This treaty forced Mexico to give the U.S. a large piece called the Mexican Cession, which included California, in exchange for $15 million.

Once lands were claimed, people started settling in the areas. Gold was discovered in California in 1848, and people rushed there in hopes of getting rich in 1849. This earned them the nickname "49ers." Chinese immigrants came to California during the gold rush, but many did not find gold. Joseph Smith and the Mormons suffered religious persecution and moved out west, settling in Utah.

With the addition of the Gadsden Purchase (to build railroads), the U.S. took its shape known today.

Labelling

Drag the territories names to the correct place on the map.

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Mexican Cession

Oregon Territory

Florida

Louisiana Territory

Treaty of Paris 1783

Texas

Gadsden Purchase

Drag and Drop

"...is by the right of...​

Placeholder

to overspread and to possess the whole continent which Providence has given us..."

Which of the following best replaces the question mark?

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Manifest Destiny

urbanization

representative government

free enterprise

Multiple Choice

What was the main cause of the U.S.-Mexican War?

• Annexation of Texas

• Gold discovered in California

• Development of factory systems

• Election of James K. Polk

Multiple Choice

The image shows the primary reason for the immigration of which group to the U.S. in the mid-1800s?

• Mormons

• Chinese

• Irish

• Puritans

Multiple Choice

Which statement is true of both Texas California?

• Both made money through large textile mills.

• Both were former Mexican territories.

• Both relied heavily on slavery.

• Both had large amounts of thin, rocky soil.

Multiple Choice

-Territorial exchange between the U.S. and Mexico.

-Mexico gave up all claims to Texas.

-The U.S. added 525,000 square miles of territory - including all or parts of present-day Utah, California, and New Mexico.

This list shows the results of:

• Oregon Treaty

• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Treaty of Paris 1783

• Adams-Onis Treaty