The Oregon Country and Texas Independence

Chapter 12 Section 1 & 2Pp. 358-371The Oregon Country and Texas IndependenceOregon CountryLocated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains north of CaliforniaPresent-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming

By 1818, U.S. and Britain had joint occupation of the areaPeople from both countries could settle there

Mountain MenTough, indepedent men who spent most of their time in the Rocky MountainsFur TradersMany had Native American wives and adopted Native American waysBuffalo skin lodges, buckskin pants, moccasins, and beadsWould later serve as guides for people moving westThe Oregon TrailEarly 1840sOregon Fever The Panic of 1837 caused many people to migrate westwardTens of thousands made the trip

Emigrants: A person who leaves a country or region to live elsewhereOregon Trail

The Oregon Trail2,000 mile journeyPrairie Schooners: Canvas-covered wagonsTrail began in Independence, MissouriEnded in Champoeg, OregonManifest DestinyJohn O Sullivan (New York newspaper editor) coined the termBeliefs of Manifest Destiny:America is specialAmerica should serve as a model of freedom and democracyAmerica should spread freedom by occupying the entire continentAmericas destiny to overspread and to possess the whole continentJ.Q. Adams: It is inevitable that America will spread to the Pacific

Manifest Destiny

Land GrantsTexas belonged to Mexico

Few people lived in Texas (about 3,000 people)

Spain offered vast tracts of land to people who agreed to bring their familiesIn return, settlers agreed to learn Spanish, become Mexican citizens, convert to Catholicism, and obey Mexican lawGrowing Tension1830Americans outnumber MexicansDid not adopt Mexican waysMexican government orders a stop to immigration from the U.S.Tariffs were also used to stop trade between Texas and U.S.The Struggle for Independence1835Unrest in Texas over their lack of rights

Santa Anna (Dictator of Mexico) sent an army to punish the rebels

The Battle of the AlamoSan Antonio- 1836Small Texan force barricaded inside a mission (church)180 Texan soldiers vs several thousand Mexican troopsTexans held off for 12 days before Mexican soldiers killed all of the defendersIncluding:Davy Crockett, William Travis, and Jim BowieThe Alamo

Texas Declares IndependenceMarch 2, 1836- Texas Declaration of IndependenceMay 14, 1836Santa Anna recognizes Texas independence

September, 1836Andrew Jackson refused to annex, take control of, TexasUpset the balance of free and slave states

The Road to StatehoodTexasMounting debtCongress and Presidents avoided annexing Texas in order to keep the balance between the North and the SouthThis changed with Manifest Destiny and the Oregon TerritoryJames K. Polk annexed Texas in 1845Oregon would balance out the North and the SouthQuiz1. Who were the Mountain Men?2. What caused tens of thousands of people to journey on the Oregon Trail?3. Who coined the term Manifest Destiny? What was his job?4. What are the basic beliefs of Manifest Destiny?5. What happened at the Alamo?6. Why did so many presidents hesitate to annex Texas?