Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy

1841 - 1848

Harrison & Tyler

Harrison contracted pneumonia & died after serving only 4 weeks (Curse of Tecumseh) Shortest administration

John Tyler – “Accidental President” Closet Democrat At odds with the Whig party his

whole administration

Whig’s Plan for Gov’t

Whig’s “secret platform” – strongly nationalistic Financial reform - wanted to end the

independent treasury system (Tyler signed it) & create a “Fiscal Bank” (Tyler vetoed it)

Proposed a “Fiscal Corporation” (vetoed by Tyler)

Whig Tariff

Tyler’s view on the tariff Tyler agreed that money needed to be collected for the

national treasury. However, he did not agree that the money made off the

sale of western land should be split among the states.

Whigs response Remove the dollar-distribution & reduce tariff

Tyler signs tariff

Whigs Respond to Tyler

Whigs formally expelled Tyler from the party Some attempts to impeach him in the House Entire cabinet, except Sec of State Webster, resigned Death threats were common

Problems with England

Bitter feelings between US & Britain 2 wars & Jacksonian Democracy British travelers looked down on Americans

“Third War with England” Fought in the papers & with ink

Money Americans borrow lots of money from Britain and

defaulted on their loans

Problems Continue

Canadian Insurrection (1837) Americans furnished military supplies & volunteered Never had a lot of support

Caroline Incident (1837) American steamer carrying supplies to the insurgents across

the Niagara River Attacked on the NY shore by British & set on fire

McLeod claimed to have taken part/ later found to be untrue

Creole (1841) British officials in Bahamas offered asylum to 130 Virginia

slaves who had rebelled & captured the American ship

Land Disputes in Maine

British want to build a road from Halifax to Quebec Road would go through disputed territory

Land claimed by both Maine & Britain

Disputed land – Aroostook River Valley “Aroostook War”

1842 – London sent Lord Ashburton to meet with Sec. Webster to work out a compromise

Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842)

Map p. 374 British got less land but did receive land for

Halifax-Quebec route British actually surrendered 6,500 square miles

Caroline affair was also worked out with “an exchange of diplomatic notes”

The Lone Star Republic

Viewed as a province in revolt by Mexico Plans were made to reconquer Texas in the future

Texas began negotiations with England & France Hoping to become a protectorate of either

Britain was very interested Check expansion of America / challenge Monroe Doctrine British abolitionists wanted to end slavery in Texas Free-trade area Cotton-producing area – help relieve British dependence

on South

Texas Becomes a State

Texas became a major issue in the presidential election of 1844 Polk (D) & Clay (W)/ Polk wins

Lame-duck President Tyler interprets Democratic victory as a “mandate” to acquire Texas

Joint resolution (only a simple majority of Congress required for approval)/ approved 3 days before Tyler leaves office

Texas becomes 28th state in 1845

Oregon Country

Sprawled west of the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean, and north of California to the line of 54°40’ (present southern tip of Alaska panhandle)

Claimed at one time or another by: Spain, Russia, Britain, and the US Spain dropped out – Florida Treaty of 1819 Russia retreated because of treaties with US & Britain

British Claims to Oregon

Strong claims especially portion north of the Columbia River

Claims based on Prior discovery Exploration Treaty rights Actual occupation Hudson’s Bay Company – trading profitably with the

Indians for furs

American Claims to Oregon

Claims based on Exploration – Lewis & Clark / Capt. Robert Gray Occupation Presence of missionaries & other settlers

Scattered American & British pioneers live peacefully side by side

America & Britain

Treaty of 1818 – joint occupation of Oregon US wanted to divide domain at the 49th parallel Britain wanted the Columbia River

Oregon Fever – hundreds of pioneers came to Oregon (Oregon Trail) By 1846 – 5000 Americans had settled south of the

Columbia River British – 700 settlers north of the Columbia River

Actually only a small segment was disputed territory

Election of 1844

Henry Clay (W) Probably most popular

man in US 105 electoral votes 1,300,097 pop. votes

James K. Polk (D) Speaker of the House Gov. of Tennessee 170 electoral votes 1,338,464 pop. votes

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Almighty God had “manifestly” destined the American people for a hemispheric career.

They would irresistibly spread their uplifting & ennobling democratic institutions over at least the entire continent, and possibly over South America as well.

Polk as President

Methodical & hardworking Unwilling to delegate authority Four-Point Program

1. Lower tariff

2. Restoration of the independent treasury

3. Acquisition of California

4. Settlement of Oregon

Success for Polk?

Lower tariff Sec of Treasury – Robert J. Walker proposed to reduce the

Tariff of 1842 (32% to 25%) Supported by southerners/ Complaints from New England

& Middle States Walker Tariff of 1846 – passed and raised a lot of revenue

Polk’s Points 2-3

Restoration of the independent treasury Restored in 1846 ( dropped by the Whigs in 1841)

Oregon Proposed compromise of 49° instead of 54° 40’ 1846 – Britain proposed same compromise Polk gave issue to Senate & Senate approved the

compromise “Fifty-four forty or fight” did not happen

Mexico & California

Why California? Bay & harbor/ Manifest Destiny

Population – Mixed Indians, Spanish-Mexicans, & foreigners- mostly American

Polk wanted to buy CA Diplomatic relations had been severed Issue over boundary – Nueces River or Rio Grande Texas in general

Let’s Make a Deal

Polk sends John Slidell to Mexico City in 1845 Instructed to offer $25 million for CA & territory to the

east Mexicans would not permit Slidell to present his offer

American Blood on American(?) Soil

Jan. 13, 1846 – Polk ordered 4000 men, under General Zachary Taylor, to march from the Nueces River to the Rio Grande Polk expected Mexicans to attack

May 9, 1846 –Polk asked Congress for war Reasons:

Unpaid claims ($3 million) Slidell’s rejection

Polk really wanted Mexican troops to fire first

“Jimmy Polk’s War”

April 25, 1846 – Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande & attacked General Taylor’s command 16 Americans killed or wounded

Polk goes before Congress “American blood on the American soil” Congress voted for war Congressman – Lincoln// “spot” where American blood had

been shed

Mexicans wanted to humiliate the “Bullies of the North”

War with Mexico

Polk’s goal – capture California Fight on a limited scale & then pull out

when we captured California

Santa Anna – made deal with US Let him slip back into Mexico, he would sell his country Polk agreed & Santa Anna betrayed him

Mexican – American War

1846 – General Stephen W. Kearny Led his troops to Santa Fe Easily captured & then headed for California

Captain John C. Frèmont – explorer Collaborated with naval officers & with local Americans to

take California California Bear Flag Republic

General Zachary Taylor

Taylor - fought his way across the Rio Grande into Mexico Feb. 22-23, 1847 -- Victorious over the Mexican forces

at Buena Vista Became a war hero immediately

General Winfield Scott

Scott – suffered several disadvantages Inadequate # of troops, expiring enlistments, more

numerous enemy, mountainous terrain, disease, & political backing at home

Sept. 1847 – Mexico City Most distinguished general in the country

Talks of Peace

Polk – anxious to end war with territorial gains sent chief clerk of the State Dept. Nicholas P. Trist with

Scott’s invading army Scott & Trist arranged an armistice with Santa Anna at a

cost of $10,000 Santa Anna pocketed money & continued with plans

Polk recalls Trist Trist refuses to return Works out treaty

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Feb. 2, 1848 Terms of Treaty

American title to Texas Yielded the area stretching westward to Oregon

& the ocean & embracing all of California US paid $15 million & assume debt of $3.25

million Treaty was approved by Senate

Results of the War

13,000 American lives lost/ mostly from disease US increased by 1/3

Even greater than Louisiana Purchase

Stimulus to Manifest Destiny Provided field experience for the Civil War

Robert E. Lee & Ulysses S. Grant Justified existence of West Point

US viewed by Mexico as the “Colossus of the North Check out page 388 and the great metaphor

Slavery Issue

David Wilmot (PA) feared southern “slavocracy” Proposed the Wilmot Proviso

slavery should not exist in any territory that was captured from Mexico

Wilmot Proviso Passed twice in the House, but not

the Senate Symbolized the burning issue of slavery

in the territories

John C. Calhoun

“Mexico is to us the forbidden fruit . . . the

penalty of eating it would be to subject our institutions

to political death.”