Manifest Destiny

MANIFEST DESTINY

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Appalachian Mts.

Pacific

Atlantic

Rocky Mts.

Great Lakes

Canada

Mexico

Imagine picking up and moving to a new place. What would it be like? What would your hopes be for this new land?

That’s exactly what Americans were doing by the thousands in the 1800s because of their belief in Manifest Destiny.

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Headin' Out

The founding fathers created a brand new nation under the U.S. Constitution. It's a nation based on freedom, where citizens control the government and are free to make the best of life. It's obviously the greatest nation on earth, even though it's young. And small.

 But just think: If this great nation grew, more people would get to live this way. It could be a giant land of freedom!! No doubt about it... This nation was meant to get a lot bigger. 

 Welcome to the concept of manifest destiny-the idea that America was meant to grow so democracy and freedom could spread.

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Headin' Out

The term "Manifest Destiny" means that it was obvious (or "manifest") that the U.S. was meant to stretch from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west.

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It's Our Destiny

Americans moved during Manifest Destiny for several reasons:
Land and Opportunity: Many people were seeking land to farm and build a better life. The promise of fertile land in the West attracted farmers and families looking for new opportunities.
Religious Freedom: Certain groups, like the Mormons, moved west to escape persecution and establish communities where they could practice their faith freely.
Belief in Progress: Many believed that moving west was a way to spread democracy, technology, and civilization.

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It's Our Destiny

​This painting, American Progress, is a representation of the modernization of the new west. A personification of the United States, is shown leading civilization westward with the American settlers. She is shown bringing light from the East into the West, stringing telegraph wire, holding a school textbook that will instill knowledge, and highlights evolving forms of transportation.

Multiple Choice

What does the term "Manifest Destiny" mean?

• The idea that America should remain small

• The belief that it was America’s destiny to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific

• A treaty signed with Mexico
  

• movement to promote peace between countries

When the US signed the peace treaty with Great Britain in 1783, the US borders were the Mississippi River to the west, Canada to the north, and Florida to the south.

As the original 13 Colonies began to grow, the US acquired new land through purchases, wars, and treaties.
The idea of Manifest Destiny led to the U.S. acquiring new territories

The U.S. Grows

One of the largest areas of new territory came from the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. 

In 1803, France offered to sell its land from west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains for $15 million.

The US bought the land and the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the US.

Louisiana Purchase

Impact: The Louisiana Purchase allowed for westward expansion, opening up new land for farming, settlement, and exploration.

Exploration: After the purchase, President Thomas Jefferson commissioned (hired) Lewis and Clark to explore the new territory. Their journey helped Americans learn about the land, plants, animals, and Native American tribes in the area.

Impact

When Congress approved the Louisiana purchase in 1803, the new nation had doubled in size practically overnight, but no one knew precisely what the
territory contained.
In June 1803, Jefferson instructed Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark to explore and report what they found

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Hotspot

Correctly identify the area purchased by Thomas Jefferson known as the Louisiana Purchase.

The US continued its expansion with the purchase of Florida from Spain for $5 million. This purchase helped the U.S. grow and secured its southern borders and helped fulfill the idea of Manifest Destiny,

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​Florida - 1819

The Oregon Country was a huge area located north of California, between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It included all of what are now Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, plus parts of Montana and Wyoming.

The Oregon Territory was also claimed by Britain, leading to tensions between the two countries.

The US and Britain had agreed to split the territory rather than go to war. 

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​Oregon Territory

Many Americans believed the Oregon Territory was a great place to settle because it offered fertile land for farming, forests for timber, and opportunities for trade. The idea of moving west was exciting, and many families were eager to start fresh.
The belief in Manifest Destiny—that it was America's destiny to expand across the continent—played a big role in encouraging people to move to the Oregon Territory. Many Americans felt it was their right to settle this land and spread their way of life.

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​Oregon Territory

To reach the Oregon Territory, thousands of settlers traveled the Oregon Trail, a challenging route that stretched over 2,000 miles. They traveled in covered wagons, facing hardships like rough weather, difficult terrain, and diseases. For most groups it took around five months to make it the whole way.

Travelers used a covered wagon pulled by oxen, horses, or mules. Everything they owned would be inside the wagon, and most people walked next to the wagon or rode a horse because the wagon ride was bumpy and uncomfortable.

​Oregon Trail

Between bad weather, trying to get the heavy wagons over the hills and mountains, and the common disease of cholera, many of the settlers didn’t make it to the final point of their journey.

Along the way more than 20,000 people died, but many others fulfilled their own personal manifest destinies.

​Oregon Trail

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Multiple Select

Select THREE reasons why people wanted to move out west in the mid-1800s?

• 
  to take advantage of cheap or free land

• to find jobs

• their belief in Manifest Destiny

• they were running away from the police

Multiple Choice

The Oregon Trail was ________ miles long.

• 2000

• 1800
• 3000
• 1500

In 1821 Mexico won its independence from Spain. The land that is now the state of Texas was part of Mexico.

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Texas

Wishing to increase settlement, Mexico offered vast tracts of land to people who would agree to bring families to settle there—as citizens of Mexico. 

Stephen F. Austin brought 300 American families to settle in Texas. Austin's success made him a leader among the American settlers.

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Texas

Tensions with Mexico developed when Americans refused to follow Mexico's rules.

 These included learning Spanish and becoming Catholic. Many Americans also had enslaved African Americans, which Mexico threatened to ban.

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Texas

1. Be loyal to the Mexican government

2. Learn the Spanish language

3. Convert to Roman Catholicism

War broke out in Texas between the Americans and the Mexican government. 

The Americans won and Texas won its independence.

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Texas

Lesson: Manifest Destiny

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Texas wanted to be a part of the United States. Manifest Destiny was a popular idea at the time. 

President Polk asked Congress to annex Texas. In 1845 Texas joined the United States.

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Mexican-American War

To bring pressure, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to lead U.S. forces into the disputed area on the Rio Grande. 

To Mexican leaders, Taylor's action was an invasion of their country. On April 25, 1846, Mexican troops attacked Taylor's forces. 

President Polk told Congress that Mexico had "invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil." 

On May 13, Congress passed a declaration of war against Mexico

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Mexican-American War

President James K. Polk was determined to get the California and New Mexico territories from Mexico.

Polk sent a lawyer, John Slidell, to Mexico to offer $30 million for California and New Mexico. 

Mexico refused the offer.

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Mexican-American War

Mexico disputed Texas/Mexico borders. 

Mexico insisted the border was at the Nueces River, while Texas insisted it was the Rio Grande.

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Mexican-American War

Mexico was defeated and forced to give up California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico.

In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the  US agreed to pay Mexico $15 million for these areas, known as the Mexican Cession.

Mexican-American War

Dropdown

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Select answer

ended the U.S. Mexican War.

Multiple Choice

What was the outcome of the Mexican-American War?

• Mexico gained more territory

• The U.S. lost Texas

• The U.S. acquired a large amount of land, including California and New Mexico

• The war ended in a tie

The US completed its expansion in the Southwest with the Gadsden Purchase.

The territory was a small piece of land purchased from Mexico for $10 million.

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GADSDEN PURCHASE

Lesson: Manifest Destiny

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