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Conflicts over Texas, Maine, and Oregon
U.s Interest in pushing its borders southward into Texas and westward into the Oregon Territory was largly a result of American pioneers migrating into these lands during the 1820's-1830's. -
Period: to
Territorial and Economic Expansion
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Texas
After having won its national independence from Spain, Meixco hoped to attract settlers. Moses Austin had obtained a large grant in Texas but died before he could carry out his plan to recruit american settlers into the vast frontier territory. -
Texas
Friction Devloped between Americans and the Mexicans when, in 1829 Mexico outlawed slavery and required all immigrants to convert to Roman Cathlicism. When Settlers refused to obey the laws Mexico closed Texas to additional Americans. Land-hungry Americans from the southern states ignored the Mexican prohibition and streamed into Texas by the thousands -
Texas
Americans outnumbered the Mexicans in Texas by three to one. -
Revolt and Independence.
General Antonio Lopez de santa Anna made himself dictator of Mexico and abolished that nation's federal system of government. When Santa Anna insisted on enforcing Mexico's laws in Texas, A group of American settlers led by Sam Houton revolted and declared Texas to be an Independent Republic. -
Revolt
A mexican army captured the town of Goliad and attacked the Alamo in San Antonio killing every one of its American defenders. -
San Jacinto River
At The Battle of San Jacinto River an army under Sam Houston caught the Mexicans by surprise and captured their general Santa Anna. Under the threat of death, The Mexican leader was forced to sign a treaty that reconized Texas' independence and granted the new republic all territory north of the Rio Grande. When the news of Jacinto reached Mexico City the Mexican legislater rejected the treaty of insisted that Texas was a part of Mexico -
Annexation Denied
As the first president of the Republic of Texas Houston applied to the U.s government for his country to be annexed or added to the United States as a new state. Both presidents Jackson and Van Buren put off Texas' request for annexation primarily because of political opposition among northerners to the expansion of slaver and the potential addition of up to five new slave states created out of Texas territories. -
Battle of the maps
A conflict between rival groups of lumbermen on the Maine-Canadian bored erupted into open fighting. Known as the Aroostook War the conflict was soon resolved in a treaty negotiated by U.s Secretary of State Daniel Webster and the Birtish ambassador, Lord Alexander Ashburton. In the Weatern-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 the disputed territory was split between Maine and British Canada. The treaty also settled the boundary of the Minnesota territory leaving what proved to be the iron-rich Mesabi range -
Annexation Denied
The threat of a costly war with Mexixo also dampened expansionist zeal. The nest president John Tyler who was worried about the growing influence of British in texas. He worked to annex Texas but the U.s Senate Rejected his traty of annexation in 1844 -
Election
President Martin Van Buren opposed immediate annexation. Challenging him for the Democratic nomination in 1844 was the proslavery proannexation southerner John C. Calhoun. The dispute caused the Democratic convention to deadlock and after hours of wrangling the democrats nominated a lesser known candidate. -
Election
James K Polk had been a protege of Andrew Jackson. Pold favored the annexation of Texas. Henry Clay attempted to strandle the controversial issue of Texas annexation ( at first against it but now all for it). The stradegy alienated a group of votes in New York who abondoned the whig party to support the anti slavery liberty party. -
Election
The "Whigs" loss of New York's electoral votes proved decisive and polk the democratic dark horse was the victor. The Democrats interupted the election as a mandate to add Texas to the Union -
War with Mexico
President Polk dispatched dispatched John Slidell as his special envoy to the government in Mexico City. Polk wanted Slidell to persuade Mexico to sell the California and New Mexico Territories to the Untied States and settle a dispute concerning the Mexico-Texas boreder. Slidell's Misson failed twice. The Mexican governmentrefused to sell California. -
Immediate Causes of the War
A mexican army crossed the Rio grande crossed the Rio Grande and captured an American army patrol, killing 11. Polk used the incident to send his war message to congress. Northern Whigs opposed going to war over the incident and doubted that American blood had shed on American soil as the president claimed. Whig protest were in vain a large majority in both houses approved the war resolution. -
Military Campaigns
John C. Fremont quickly overthrew Mexican rule in northern California and procliamed California to be an independent republic with a bear on its flag (the Bear flag republic) -
Wilmot Proviso
Pennsylvania Congressman DavidWilmot proposed that an approporiations bill be amended to forbid slavery in any of the new territories aquired from Mexico. Wilmot Proviso passed the House twice but was defeated by the senate. -
Military Campaighns
Zacharyu Taylor's forced of 6,000 men drove the Mexican army from texas crossed the Rio Grande into northern Mexico and won a major victory at Buena Vista. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty negotiated in Mexico by Amercian diplomat Nicholas Trist provided for the following:
1.Mexico would reconized the Rio Grande as the southern border of Texas.
2.The United States would take possession of the former Mexican provices of California and New Mexico. United states payed 15 million and assumed all claims of Amercian citizens against Mexico -
Manifest Destiny to the South
Southerners hoped to aquired new territories especially in the areas of Latin America where plantations worked by slaves were thought to be economically feasible. The most tempting eagerly sought possibility in the eyes of southern expansionist was the aquisition of Cuba -
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty
Great Britain and the United Sates agreed to a treaty in 1850. It provided that neither nation would attempt to take exclusive control of any future canal route in Central America. The treaty continued in force until the end of the century -
Ostend Manifesto
Franklin Pierce adopted prosouthern policies and dispatched three Amercican diplomats to Ostend Belgium where they secretly negotiated to buy Cuba from Spain -
Gadsden Purchase
Mexico agreed to sell thousands of land to the American Southwest for the railroadto the United states for 10 million. Jbiwb as the Gadsden Purchase the land forms the southern sections of present-day New Mexico and Arizona
