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Section 1

Trails WestThousands of settlers follow trails through the West to gain land and a chance to make a fortune.

Mountain Men and the Rendezvous

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Trails West

• Mountain men like Jim Beckwourth become famous as rugged loners

• William Henry Ashley creates trading method called rendezvous system

• Mountain men trap small animals between the Mississippi, Pacific Ocean

• Mountain men trade furs for supplies at prearranged site

• Rendezvous occurs every summer from 1825-1840, then fur trade dies out

Mountain Men Open the West

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• Mountain men explore West while searching for beaver

• Jedediah Smith finds South Pass, later used by pioneers as wagon trail

• Provide knowledge of West, helps later pioneers move west

The Lure of the West

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• Many use West to make money, take land from Native Americans

• If value goes up, speculators divide land into smaller sections

• Land speculators buy huge areas of land, hope value will increase

• Manufacturers, merchants soon follow the settlers west

• Make great profits selling sections to thousands of settlers

• Hope to earn money, making, selling items farmers need

The Trail to Santa Fe

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• Mexico gains independence (1821), opens borders to American traders

• Makes profit trading, news spreads, traders can get rich in New Mexico

• William Becknell goes to Santa Fe, New Mexico, opens Santa Fe Trail

• Becknell makes another trip to Santa Fe, uses a shortcut

• Soon hundreds of traders use same route from Missouri to New Mexico

The Santa Fe Trail in the Fra Cristobal Mountains. Lithograph (1845–1847).

Oregon Fever

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• Hundreds of settlers begin migrating west on the Oregon Trail

• U.S., Britain argue over ownership of Oregon

• First whites to cross to Oregon are missionaries

• Missionaries report about Oregon’s rich land, attract many settlers

• In 1843, nearly 1,000 people travel from Missouri to Oregon

One Family Heads West

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• In 1844, Henry Sager, wife, 6 children leave Missouri for Oregon

• Wagon train sets up rules, elects leaders to enforce them

• Join wagon train, survival depends on cooperation

• Life on the trail has hardships, Sager, wife die, orphans adopted

Wagon train party, traveling westward over the plains with oxen. Art (about 1846).

The Mormon Trail

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• Mormons—members of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

• Mob kills Mormon leader Joseph Smith, Mormons decide to leave U.S.

• Many people do not like Mormons because:- practice of polygamy- object to their holding of property in common

• Next leader, Brigham Young, leads 1,600 Mormons to Utah (1847)

• Build settlement by the Great Salt Lake Brigham Young leading an expedition to Salt Lake, Utah. Engraving (about 1880).

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Section 2

The Texas RevolutionAmerican and Tejano citizens lead Texas to independence from Mexico.

Spanish Texas

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• Spanish land called Tejas borders the U.S. territory, Louisiana

• Tejanos—people of Spanish heritage who consider Texas their home

• Rich land, home to Plain, Pueblo Native Americans, few Spanish

• Comanche, Apache fight against Spanish settlement of Texas

• Spanish officials fail to attract Spanish settlers

The Texas Revolution

• Give permission for American Moses Austin to start colony in Texas

Mexican Independence Changes Texas

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• Mexico gains independence from Spain (1821)

• New settlers must become Mexican citizens, members of Catholic Church

• Austin’s son, Stephen Austin, gets another land grant

• Makes Spanish land grant to Moses Austin worthless

• 297 American families move to Texas, known as the “Old Three Hundred”

• Colony attracts more Americans, outnumber Tejanos 6 to 1 (1830)

Rising Tensions in Texas

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• Americans resent following Mexican laws

• Mexican government afraid tensions could lead to revolt

• Tejanos think Americans view themselves as superior

• Mexico outlaws slavery, allows slave owners in Texas to keep slaves

• Closes Texas to further immigration, requires Texans to pay taxes

• Sends more troops to enforce the new laws

Texans Revolt Against Mexico

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• Some Texans want to break from Mexico, Stephen Austin loyal to Mexico

• Santa Anna, afraid that Austin supports rebellion, jails him for year

• Mexican president, General Antonio López de Santa Anna meets Austin

• Goes to Mexico City with a petition listing reforms (1833)

• Santa Anna and 6,000 troops head for Mexico

• Texans furious, drive Mexican troops out of old mission, the Alamo

Portrait of General Antonio López de Santa Anna, Mexican statesman. Lithograph (1849).

The Fight for the Alamo

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• Texans declare Texas a free and independent state (1836)

• William Travis heads 183 Texan volunteers at the Alamo, includes:- Davy Crockett- Jim Bowie- Juan Seguín, leader of 25 Tejanos

• Sam Houston placed in command of small Texan army

Continued . . .

William Barret Travis mustering his men, among them Davy Crockett, during Siege of the Alamo,1836.

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• Santa Anna’s troops attack Alamo, Texans hold off attack for 12 days

• A few women, children survive, tell story of Alamo, shock other Texans

• Mexicans kill 183 Texan defenders, win the Battle of the Alamo

Continued The Fight for the Alamo

Aerial depiction of the Alamo

Victory of San Jacinto

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• Mexican troops capture Texan army at Goliad, execute over 300

• Texan army defeats Mexican troops at San Jacinto

• Texan army increases to 800 angry men, includes:- American settlers- Tejanos- volunteers from the United States- free and enslaved African Americans

• Santa Anna forced to sign treaty giving Texas its freedom

Interactive

Lone Star Republic

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• Texas becomes independent nation called the Lone Star Republic

• If Texas joins Union, slave states would outnumber free states

• Many Northerners object, argue Texas would be a slave state

• Sam Houston elected president, Texas asks to be annexed to the U.S.

• Congress votes against annexation

• Others fear annexing Texas would lead to war with Mexico

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Section 3

The War with MexicoThe United States expands its territory westward to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast.

Americans Support Manifest Destiny

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• West occupied by Native Americans, Mexicans

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• Americans view West as unoccupied, many want to settle in region

• Manifest Destiny—U.S. expansion from Atlantic, Pacific sure to happen

• Manifest destiny becomes U.S. policy under President James K. Polk

The War with Mexico

• U.S., Britain divide Oregon territory at 49th parallel (1846)

Troubles with Mexico

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• U.S. Congress admits Texas as slave state (1846), angers Mexico

• General Zachary Taylor stations U.S. troops in disputed region

• Texas, Mexico do not agree on official border, U.S. diplomacy fails

• Action viewed by Mexico as an act of war, Mexico attacks U.S. patrol

• Congress declares war on Mexico, some Americans are against war

• Southerners want to extend slavery into Texas, Northerners do not

Capturing New Mexico and California

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• U.S. General Stephen Kearny, troops enter New Mexico

• Kearny, small force head to California, remaining troops go to Mexico

• Using persuasion, Kearny occupies New Mexico without firing a shot

• In California, Americans led by John C. Fremont rebel against Mexico

• Rebellion known as Bear Flag Revolt, California declares independence

• U.S. troops help rebels gain control of California

John C. Fremont, American explorer, Army officer, and politician. Lithograph (1856) printed

for his presidential campaign.

The Invasion of Mexico

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• General Zachary Taylor leads U.S. troops into Mexico from Texas

• General Winfield Scott, U.S. troops land in Veracruz, Mexico

• Fights Santa Anna, Mexican troops at Buena Vista, Mexican troops retreat

• Head inland to Mexico City, fight Mexican troops, capture Mexico City

Interactive

The Mexican Cession

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• War ends with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)

• Mexico gives up vast region known as the Mexican Cession:- amounts to almost one-half of Mexico- U.S. pays Mexico $15 million for region

• Mexico recognizes Texas as U.S., Rio Grande as Mexican/U.S. border

• Mexicans in U.S. become a minority, contribute to American culture

“From Sea to Shining Sea”

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• Mexico sells land to U.S., the Gadsden Purchase (1853):- costs U.S. $10 million- includes southern New Mexico, Arizona

• President Polk learns gold found in California

• In 1848, the U.S. extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific

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Section 4

The California Gold RushGold is found in California, and thousands rush to that territory. California quickly becomes a state.

California Before the Rush

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• Before gold rush, California populated, Native Americans, Californios

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• Californios—California settlers of Spanish or Mexican descent

The California Gold Rush

• Most live on huge cattle ranches • Californio Mariano Vallejo leader of California

when owned by Mexico • Swiss man John Sutter granted land by

Mexico in Sacramento Valley• Sutter’s carpenter, James Marshall, finds gold

on Sutter’s land (1848)

Rush for Gold

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• News of gold discovery spreads rapidly, starts California gold rush

• Thousands of gold seekers set out to California using one of 3 routes:- sail around South America, up Pacific coast- sail to Isthmus of Panama, crossover, then

sail to California- travel overland across North America

• Gold rush occurs when many people move to where gold has been found

Life in the Mining Camps

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• Forty-niners—people who go to California to find gold, starting 1849

• Camp life dangerous, mining hard work, few find much gold

• Often live in camps with colorful names like Coyote Diggings, Hangtown

• Miners pay high prices for supplies, con artists swindle miners

Miners from Around the World

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• Two-thirds of miners are Americans, mostly white men

• Many miners come from Mexico, Europe, South America, Australia, China

• Also include Native Americans, free blacks, enslaved African Americans

• Chinese miners, mostly peasant farmers who flee region when crops fail

• Chinese are patient miners, make “played-out” sites yield profits

• American miners resent successful Chinese miners

Placer miners of California gold rush. Daguerreotype (early 1850s).

Conflicts Among Miners

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• Some miners cheat others

• California becomes U.S. state, passes Foreign Miners Tax (1850): - imposes $20 monthly tax on foreign miners- causes miners from other countries leave to

their mines

• Some American miners force Native American, foreign miners to leave

• Chinese open shops, restaurants, laundries, settle in San Francisco

Chinese laundry in California. Engraving (1855).

The Impact of the Gold Rush

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• During gold rush 250,000 people flood California, over by 1852

• Gold rush ruins many Californios, Americans seize their property

• San Francisco becomes center for banking, shipping, trade

• Thousands of Native Americans die from diseases brought by miners

• Anglo-Americans kill thousands of Native Americans

Continued . . .

View of San Francisco, California, around the time of the gold rush (1849).

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• Due to gold rush, California has enough people to apply for statehood

• Outlaws slavery, does not grant African Americans right to vote

• California is admitted as free state in 1850

• Southerners fear California upsets balance between slave, free states

• Conflict over issue threatens survival of the Union

Continued The Impact of the Gold Rush