Westward Expansion

Native Americans vs. Settlers

• Native Americans in the South usually got along with white settlers.
• Native Americans in the North did not.
• This was mostly because of the discovery of gold.
• After gold was discovered a large number of white and Chinese settlers moved into the area

Conflicts

Texas Independence

• War broke out between Natives and settlers in 1855
• Miners (settlers) killed several dozen Native American men
• Three months later miners miners killed dozens of native American women, children, and old men
• The Chinese retaliated by killing white and Chinese miners
• The war ended when the U.S. got involved and the Native Americans were forced to accept peace treaties

• Americans settlers were upset about the lack of representation they had in the Mexican Government and the Dictator.
• In 1836 Texans revolted and declared their independence from Mexico.
• The dictator responded by laying Siege (Surrounding a fort and letting nothing in or out) to the Alamo.
• Mexican forces killed all of the Texans in the Alamo ofter 12 days.
• Texans responded with a surprise attack and captured the Mexican dictator.
• They forced him to sign a treaty stating that Texas was independent from Mexico.

Conflict with Mexico

• Americans flooded into Texas (still controlled by Mexico)
• Settlers and the Mexican government had issues over...
• Religion (Protestant vs. Catholic)
• Slavery
• In 1830 Mexico banned American settlement
• Americans kept coming, Mexico fouth back by banning slavery and forcing Americans to worship in the Catholic Church

Westward Expansion

Life in the West

Republic of Texas

The Santa Fe Trail

• Established by William Becknell that led a wagon train from Missouri to Santa Fe New Mexico
• After he made the trip the Santa Fe Trail became a busy international trade route between Mexico and the U.S.

Trails to the West

Women in the West

• Sam Houston became the president of the new Repic of Texas.
• He hoped that the U.S. would annex (add on) Texas as a state.
• That did not happen...
• Northerners and Southerns were fighting over slavery in Texas.
• Leaders in the U.S. were afraid that adding Texas would start a fight between the North and the South.

• The first people to move to the West were traders.
• They moved West looking for new markets to sell their goods.
• These traders set trails for people to follow later.

• Pioneer life was filled with hardships.
• Limited tools
• Working on farms
• Building shelters
• Disease
• Accidents
• Natural disasters
• Because of these problems many settlers moved back East.

Oregon Fur Trade

• In the Northern United States Fur traders were traveling to the Northwestern corner of the U.S. from the Midwest to trap animals and sell their fur.
• Fur trappers could become very wealthy if successful.

• Most women in the West worked alongside the men.
• They had to if they wanted a successful farm.
• This reliance on Women raised their status and they were more respected in the West than women in the East.
• This level of respect gained them rights that women in the East did not have.
• The Wyoming Territory became the first area of the United States to grant women the right to vote.

The Oregon Trail

• The first people from the East to settle in Oregon were Missionaries.
• They were trying to spread their religion to Native Americans.
• Most settlers traveled the 2,000 mile Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon.
• Conditions on the Oregon Trail were tough.
• Harsh weather
• Disease
• Accidents
• The trip alone killed about 10% of travelers.
• Despite the hardships more than 50,000 people reached Oregon between 1840 and 1860

The West

• Most Americans considered the West to be the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
• Populations in this area grew and Americans started looking to move further West.

The Great Plains

• Area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.
• Settlers were not attracted to this region because there was too much grass to be suitable for agriculture.
• It was simply a route to the far west.

The Southwest

The Northwest

• Settlers were attracted to the fertile land.
• Now Oregon and Washington

• Another major destination for settlers moving West.
• Controlled by Spain
• Present day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, & Texas.

Manifest Destiny

• John L. O'Sullivan
• Stated that the U.S. was destined or meant to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific.