Chapter 13

Oregon CountryChapter 13, Section 1

Settlers and Trappers Were Attracted to OregonOregon Country—a huge region west of the Rocky Mountains that included present-day Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming, Montana, and western Canada.Good farmland along the Pacific coast attracted farmers.Fertile soilMild temperatures year roundPlentiful rainfallForests further inland and in the Rocky Mountains

attracted fur trappers.Beavers and other fur-bearing animals

At first, four countries claimed Oregon—United States, Great Britain, Spain, and Russia. Later, Spain and Russia dropped their claims.

Mountain Men in the Far West The China trade: New England merchants stopped along the

Oregon coast to buy furs to sell in China. The mountain men: These rugged individualists—people who

follow their own independent course in life—led dangerous lives. They faced long, cold winters, wild animals, and hunger. Often they learned trapping and hunting skills from Indians.

The fur trade: During fall and spring, mountain men tended their traps. Then in July, many mountain men headed for a rendezvous—a French word meaning “get-together”—at a place chosen the year before. There they met with traders, who bought the furs.

Famous mountain men: In their search for furs, mountain men explored parts of the West, then showed settlers the way. Jedediah Smith, Manuel Lisa, and James Beckwourth were some well-known mountain men.

Missionaries in OregonThe first white Americans to settle permanently in Oregon

Country were missionaries, including Marcus and Narcissa Whitman.

The Whitmans built a mission near the Columbia River. They worked with the Cayuse Indians. Soon other missionaries and settlers joined them.

Missionaries attracted more settlers when they sent glowing reports about Oregon to friends and family in the East.

Some settlers carried diseases that struck the Indians. A measles outbreak killed many Cayuses.

Indians, angry over the spread of disease attacked the Whitman’s mission and killed the Whitmans and 12 others.

Life On the Oregon TrailBeginning in 1843, wagon trains left an area near Independence, Missouri, every spring and followed trails 2,000 miles west to Oregon. The route became known as the Oregon Trail. People met there and formed themselves into wagon trains. Each group elected leaders. On the trail, people awoke at dawn. Everyone had a job to do. Often people discarded belongings along the way to lighten

their wagons. Wagon trains faced many dangers—rain-swollen rivers in the

spring, blistering heat in the summer, early snows in the fall. The biggest threat was sickness.

Pioneers often traded with Native Americans for food.

The Republic of TexasChapter 13, Section 2

1821 • Spain granted an American, Moses Austin, the right to set up a colony in Texas.

• Mexico gained independence from Spain.• Moses Austin’s son Stephen obtained Mexico’s permission to carry

out his father’s grant.• Austin gathered about 300 families, who began settling in Texas.

These settlers agreed to become Mexican citizens and worship in the Roman Catholic Church.

1830 • About 20,000 Americans were living in Texas. By this time, few kept the agreement with Mexico. Most felt little loyalty to Mexico. Most were Protestant.

• Mexico barred any more American settlers. It was feared that Americans would try to make Texas a part of the United States. The Mexican government began to enforce the old law that required Texans to worship in the Catholic Church as well as laws banning slavery.

1833 General Antonio López de Santa Anna came to power in Mexico. Two years later he became dictator, a ruler with absolute power and authority. Americans in Texas felt that Santa Anna would drive them from Mexico and that they must do something.

1835 Americans in Mexico had the support of many Tejanos, Mexicans who lived in Texas. The Tejanos wanted Santa Anna out of power. Texans in the town of Gonzales clashed with Mexican troops, forcing the Mexicans to withdraw. Two months later, Texans occupied San Antonio. Santa Anna marched north with a large army.

1836 A group of Texans declared independence for the Republic of Texas and made Sam Houston commander of the army.

The Siege of the Alamo By the time Santa Anna reached San Antonio with 6,000 troops,

about 150 Texans had taken up positions in an old Spanish mission called the Alamo. The Texans had little ammunition, food, water, or medicine.

On February 23, 1836, Mexican troops began a siege—enemy forces try to capture a position by surrounding and bombarding it.

The American commander, William Travis, sent a message asking for aid. He sent scouts to find volunteers and food. About 40 men joined the fighters in the Alamo.

The siege continued for 12 days. Finally, on March 6, a Mexican cannon shattered the mission walls. Thousands of Mexican soldiers poured over the walls, shouting “Viva Santa Anna!” About 180 Texans and almost 1,500 Mexicans lay dead.

The fall of the Alamo ignited cries for revenge. “Remember the Alamo!” became a rallying cry as Texans fought for independence.

Chapter 13, Section 2

Texan IndependenceA few weeks after the Alamo, Mexican troops killed several

hundred Texas soldiers after they had surrendered at Goliad. This action made Texans furious.

Sam Houston worked to turn the volunteers into an effective army.

On April 21, 1836, Texans surprised Santa Anna and his army near the San Jacinto River. In the Battle of San Jacinto, the outnumbered Texans defeated the Mexicans. The next day, the Texans captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign a treaty granting Texas independence.

Texans nicknamed their new nation the Lone Star Republic. They wrote a constitution modeled after the United States Constitution. Sam Houston was elected president of the Republic of Texas.

The Lone Star Republic Faced Challenges The government of Mexico refused to accept the treaty Santa

Anna had signed. For Mexicans, Texas was still part of their country.

Texas was nearly bankrupt. Comanches and other Indian groups threatened to attack Texan

communities. To face these challenges, most Texans thought Texas should

become part of the United States. In the United States, people were divided over whether to annex, or add on, Texas.

White southerners generally favored the idea. Antislavery northerners opposed it. Andrew Jackson thought annexation would cause war with

Mexico; therefore, Congress refused to annex Texas.

California and the SouthwestChapter 13, Section 3

American Interest in the New Mexico TerritoryNew Mexico TerritoryRuled by Mexico in the early 1840s. Included all of present-day California, Nevada and Utah, most

of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado.

What attracted Americans to parts of the New Mexico Territory?Reading books about the Southwest, like Richard Henry

Dana’s descriptions of California life in Two Years Before the Mast.

Trade—William Becknell led traders from Franklin, Missouri, to Santa Fe in present-day New Mexico. The route they followed became known as the Santa Fe Trail.

Native-Americans on California’s Missions and RanchesMissions Spanish missionaries built 21

missions along the California coast.

Each mission included a church and the surrounding land.

Each mission produced enough for its own needs. Missions also supplied meat, grain, and other foods to the forts nearby.

Native Americans herded sheep and cattle and raised crops for the missions. Mission life was hard.

Native Americans lived at the missions and learned about the Roman Catholic faith.

Ranches To encourage economic growth,

the Mexican government took land from the missions and gave it to wealthy people.

These people set up huge cattle ranches, where Native Americans tended the cattle and other animals.

The Indian and Mexican cowhands who worked on the ranches were called vaqueros. They were excellent riders and ropers. Their traditions influenced later cowhands.

American Support for Westward ExpansionEvery year, more Americans moved west. The United States

government offered to buy California from Mexico.Some Americans wanted control of the ports at San

Francisco and San Diego.Many people believed that Americans had a right and duty to

spread their culture and its democratic government all the way to the Pacific Ocean. This belief was called Manifest Destiny. Manifest means clear or obvious. Destiny means something that is sure to happen.

Many Americans believed that expansion would open new opportunities for the United States economy.

Some people believed that white Americans were superior to Native Americans and Mexicans and deserved to take the land from those people.

The Mexican WarChapter 13, Section 4

The United States Gains Oregon and TexasOregonThe United States and Britain agreed to a compromise. The

two countries divided Oregon at latitude 49°N latitude.Later, the Oregon Territory became the states of Oregon,

Washington, and Idaho.

Texas In 1844, Texan president Sam Houston signed a treaty of

annexation with the United States.Fearing war with Mexico, the United States Senate refused

to ratify the treaty.Houston pretended that Texas might ally itself with Britain.

This move prompted Congress to pass a joint resolution admitting Texas to the Union.

Causes Mexico did not accept Texan independence and was outraged by the United States annexation of Texas.Americans resented Mexico’s rejection of President Polk’s offer to buy California and New Mexico.A border dispute sparked war. Both nations claimed land between the Rio Grande and the Nueces River and sent troops into the area. President Polk claimed Mexico had invaded American soil and asked Congress to declare war

Results During the war, Americans in northern California revolted against Mexican rule and declared California an independent republic, the Bear Flag Republic. In the fighting, the United States won control of all of New Mexico and California. Despite the heroic stand of young Mexican soldiers in a battle at Chapultepec near Mexico City, American forces took over the Mexican capital.The Mexican government moved to make peace. In 1848, it signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, ending the war.

The United States Acquires New Lands

In the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico had to cede, or give up, some of its lands. Mexico ceded all of California and New Mexico to the

United States. These lands were called the Mexican Cession.

In return, the United States paid Mexico $15 million. The United States agreed to respect the rights of Spanish-

speaking people in the Mexican Cession.In 1853, the United States bought the Gadsden Purchase. The United States wanted to build a railroad across an area

that is now the southern part of Arizona and New Mexico. The United States paid Mexico $10 million for the strip of

land, known as the Gadsden Purchase.

A Mix of Cultures in California and the SouthwestAfter 1848, English-speaking settlers flocked to the Southwest. They brought their culture and ideas about democracy.Ideas and practices that Americans adopted from the Mexican Americans who lived in the Southwest. Silver mining techniques.Methods of irrigation.Spanish and Native American words, for example,

stampede, buffalo, tortilla, soda, and tornado.Some Mexican laws, for example, one law that said that

a husband and wife owned property jointly and another law that said landowners could not cut off water to their neighbors.

Americans Rush WestChapter 13, Section 5

The Mormons Settle Utah Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day

Saints in 1830 in upstate New York. Members of the church were called Mormons.

Neighbors were angered by Mormon beliefs that property should be owned in common and that a man could have more than one wife.

The Mormons moved west to Ohio, where they faced opposition. The Mormons moved to Missouri, and then to Illinois. In the

1840s, they built a community called Nauvoo on the banks of the Mississippi River. They again clashed with neighbors. An angry mob killed Joseph Smith.

A new leader, Brigham Young, realized Mormons needed a refuge, a place where they would be safe from persecution. In 1847, he led an advance party to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, in present-day Utah. Thousands of Mormons followed.

The California Gold Rush In 1848, James Marshall was supervising the building of a

sawmill for John Sutter, when he discovered a lump of gold.Sutter tried to keep the news a secret, but within days

people from San Francisco and other California towns were rushing to Sutter’s Mill to look for gold.

Soon, thousands of Americans, as well as people from around the world, were rushing to California to search for gold. They became known as forty-niners.

Early miners found gold easily. Some miners found a way to get the gold out of riverbeds. Yet, very few miners struck it rich. Many went broke trying to find gold. Still, although many miners left the gold fields, they stayed in California to farm or work at other jobs.

The California Gold RushSan Francisco grew from a sleepy town to a bustling city. When crime grew in the mining camps, miners and city-

dwellers formed vigilance committees. Vigilantes, or self-appointed law enforcers, dealt out punishments. Sometimes, a person accused of a crime was lynched—hanged without a trial.

Californians realized they needed a strong government. In 1849, they wrote a state constitution and asked to be admitted to the Union.

California’s Diverse PopulationOriginally, many Native American tribes made

California their home.Before the gold rush, California’s population

included large numbers of Mexicans.The gold rush brought in people from all over the

world, including large numbers of Chinese. Many stayed on when the gold rush ended.

Escaped slaves and free blacks joined the gold rush. Many African Americans also remained in California.

Eff

ect

s T

od

ay

• United States stretches from sea to sea

• California and Texas are the most populous states

• Mexican American culture enriches the United States

Cau

ses

• Oregon has fertile land

• Texas is ideal for raising cattle and growing cotton

• Many Americans believe in Manifest Destiny

• Mormons seek a safe home

• Gold is discovered in California

Wes

twar

d M

ove

men

t

Eff

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• Texas wins war for independence

• United States annexes Texas

• Britain and United States divide Oregon

• United States defeats Mexico in war

• Cotton Kingdom spreads