Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy 1841-1848

“Manifest Destiny and its Legacy 1841-1848” Chapter 17 class notes A.P. U.S. Mrs. Civitella I. William Henry Harrison to John Tyler A. The election of 1840: 1. Martin Van Buren- (NY-Democrat) 2. William Henry Harrison-(VA-Whig) B. Harrison was the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811 C. The Whigs hoped to have Harrison appeal to those distrustful of Jackson and Van Buren in the West D. Harrison’s running mate was John Tyler a Virginian, anti-Jackson Whig E. The Whigs tried to convince the American people that the they, not the Jackson-Van Buren Democrats, had their origins in the common man F. Harrison defeated Van Buren G. His inaugrial speech was 2 hours long on a cold rainy day H. Harrison died of pneumonia on April 4, 1841 exactly a month after taking office I. John Tyler was now president

II. John Tyler A. The Whigs expected that Tyler would act as a figurehead that could be controlled by Daniel Webster and Henry Clay 1. Webster became Sec. of State 2. Clay remained a leader in the Senate B. John Tyler 1. at 51 youngest president to date 2. legislator, congressmen, Governor of VA 3. States-rights Virginian aristocrat 4. Former Democrat 5. Broke with Jackson on the issue of nullification 6. A member of minority Whigs who supported states rights (mostly Southern gentlemen) 7. believed in states’ rights and strict interpretation of the Constitution 8. Opposed Henry Clays American System at nation expense (would require a tariff) 9. Tyler became increasingly unpopular with the Whigs 10. protests outside of the White House after Bank veto (1841) 11. burned in effigy 12. Whig caucus in Congress formally expelled him from the party 13. Tyler’s entire cabinet resigned except for Webster

C. The Whig Tariff 1. 1842- two bills came out of the Whig controlled congress to delay reductions in the tariff 2. The bills also provided that revenue from Western land sales would be distributed among all states 3. Tyler opposed this provision and the Whigs were forced to revise the bills to escape Tyler’s veto 4. The ill-will between Tyler and the Whigs would prove challenging when it came to foreign policy III. Relations with Great Britain A. fighting in the press 1. British authors of travel books wrote of the lack of social graces of Americans 2. British magazines picked up on the story line and wrote story after story insulting the American lifestyle 3. American magazines began to retaliate 4. Anti-British sentiment increased in the U.S.

B. Economic and military conflicts between the U.S. and G.B. 1. The British were experiencing an economic boom as the U.S. was suffering a depression as a result of the Panic of 1837 2. Many U.S. states had defaulted on their loans to G.B.

1 C. The Caroline Incident 1. 1838- Van Buren received word of an unsuccessful Canadian revolt in 1837 against G.B. 2. The Canadians had attempted to gain more self-government 3. Many Americans hoped that Canada would eventually be annexed by the U.S. sympathized with the Canadians 4. Americans provided supplies to the Canadians in the steamer Caroline to the Canadian rebels at Navy Island just above Niagara Falls 5. In December, 1837 British troops captured the Caroline on the American side of the Niagara River and burned it 6. One American was killed the public condemned the British and the American government demanded an apology and full payment for the Caroline 7. Van Buren warned Americans that the U.S. gov’t could not protect them if they were captured fighting in Canada 8. This warning encouraged Americans to assist the Canadians 9. In 1840 a Canadian named McLeod was arrested for the attack 10. GB let it be known that his execution would be a declaration of war 11. provided an alibi and was released by a NY court

D. The Aroostook War 1. Strained relations between the U.S. and G.B. existed over the boundry dispute between Maine and Canada 2. The dispute dated back to the Treaty of Paris in 1863 3. 12,000 miles of valuable timber country along the Aroostook River in northeastern Maine was at stake 4. When Maine was made a state in 1820 all British land claims were disregarded and Americans began to settle in the region 5. 1838-1839 American and Canadian woodsmen entered the disputed area to conduct lumbering 6. The fight that ensued is refetted to as the Aroostook War 7. No shots were fired but Congress authorized Van Buren to call out 50,000 volunteers and provided ten million dollars for a possible war 8. Van Buren pressed for a diplomatic settlement instead

E. Off the coast of Africa 1. In 1841 British ships patrolling off of the coast of Africa threatened to board and search vessels flying the American flag to see if they held slaves 2. The U.S. government refused to accept British inspection of American ships 3. Later in 1841 the British offered asylum to 130 slaves who had rebelled and captured the American ship Creole

F. Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842: 1. Daniel Webster referred to the negaotiations as “the battle of the maps” 2. Fixed the norther boundary of Maine 3. The U.S. obtained over half of the disputed territory 4. Treaty also included adjustments in the boundary along the northern boarder of Vermont and New York and westward to the Lake of the Woods (valuable iron ore deposits later found in MN) 5. The British received a land route between New Brunswick and Quebec 6. As a concession to the British desire to curb the slave trade each nation agreed to patrol the African coast to ensure that slaves were not being traded 7. The British made unofficial apologies for the Caroline affair 8. The Webster-Asburton Treaty was one of the important achievements in the long career of Daniel Webster 9. After it was ratified, Webster resigned as Sec. of State because of policy disagreements with Tyler

2 IV. Texas 1. annexation of TX was delayed due to fear of war b/w the U.S. & Mexico 2. Texans were not given any military protection against Mexico from the U.S. and turned instead to France, Holland & Belgium 3. The British wanted TX to be independent so as to prevent southern expansion of the U.S. 4. And to allow for lower tariffs on cotton from TX than the U.S. 5. British abolitionists wanted to first free slaves in TX and then try to spread abolitionism into the Southern U.S. 6. The Southern press wrote story after story claiming that the British were going to take over TX and invade the South to free the slaves 7. Annexation became a top issue in the election of 1844: a) Whig candidate Henry Clay came out against annexation in the campaign b) Martin Van Buren, the leading candidate for the Democrats, also denounced annexation c) Van Buren’s stance ran counter to the Manifest Destiny sentiment of the Democratic Party d) Southern democrats blocked Van Buren’s nomination at the convention on the first eight ballots e) On the ninth ballot the Southerners nominated James K. Polk of TN f) Polk was considered a “dark horse” (someone nominated at a convention who was not formally running before the convention)

V. James K. Polk and TX 1. Polk had served as Speaker of the House under Jackson and was a staunch Jacksonian 2. referred to as “Young Hickory” 3. slave owner 4. Polk’s nomination based on TX forced Tyler out of the race 5. Polk’s platform included the annexation of TX as well as Oregon up to the 54°40' line (the Alaskan border) 6. Including Oregon into the platform drew in free states support in the West who supported Polk because Oregon entering as a free state would allow a balance with TX as a slave state 7. Polk also wanted to annex CA and New Mexico 8. Clay felt enough pressure over the TX issue that he eventually stated that he would support annexation if it could be done without starting a war with MX 9. Polk narrowly defeated Clay and saw his victory as a mandate for annexation 10. Polk faced opposition to annexation by the Whigs who believed that it would increase Southern Democratic power 11. Polk bypassed the Whigs by passing a joint resolution in Congress which could pass with only a simple majority (vs. a bill which requires 2/3 vote of both houses & signature of the President) 12. March, 1845 Congress passed the joint resolution to annex TX 13. December, 1845 TX entered the Union as the 15th slave state

V. Polk’s policy initiatives 1. lower the tariff- the 1846 Walker Tariff reduced tariff rates from 32% to 25% 2. restoration of the Independent Treasury a) Independent Treasury Act of 1840 promoted by Van Buren sought to stabilize the economy by preventing state banks from printing unsecured paper currency and establishing an independent treasury based on specie. b) The government would remove its deposits from state banks and deposit it in an independent treasury of the federal government c) The gov’t would also only conduct business in specie (hard money) d) The Whigs repealed the act in 1841 e) 1846- Polk achieved the restoration of the Independent Treasury Act

3. Settlement of Oregon and California

3 VI. “Oregon Fever” A. 1818- Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain had divided the Oregon Country at the 49th parallel pending further settlement B. 1820s- British fur traders had a monopoly on the fur trade C. Both the U.S. and the British encouraged settlement in the shared territory D. The U.S. used the slogan “fifty-four forty or fight” (pg. 381) E. Oregon became a destination for western settlement due to its accessibility to trade with Asia F. 1842- the first significant number of settlers (100) settled in Oregon G. 1843- 1,000 more settlers H. 1843- a provisional government and territorial constitution was written I. By 184, 5,000 Americans had settled in OR south of the Columbia River vs. 700 British north of the river J. By 1947, 8,000 more had journed to OR K. “Oregon Fever” spread throughout the U.S. as an expression of “Manifest Destiny” L. 1846- the Oregon Treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain 1. Designated the 49th parallel as the dividing line between the US portion of Oregon and that belonging to Canada 2. This settlement extended the 49th parallel boundry line to the Pacific 3. Vancouver Island, which was south of the parallel, remained in British hands VII. War with Mexico A. After the annexaxation of TX, American enthusiasm for “manifest destiny” increased B. 1835- Jackson had offered MX $5,000,000 for the San Francisco harbor and the area to the north to OR but MX refused C. Diplomatic relations had been cut off with the US and MX over TX D. The southern boarder of TX was in dispute E. MX believed that the southern border was the Nueces River F. TX believed it to be the Rio Grande River G. Polk kept troops out of the disputed territory H. 1845- Polk sent John Slidell, a congressmen who spoke Spanish to negotiate with the Mexicans I. Slidell was to make the following offer: 1. If MX would recognize the Rio Grande as the southern boundary of TX, the US would assume the 3 million dollars in claimes against the American government for property damage 2. If MX would agree to sell New Mexico, the US would pay 5 million for the territory 3. If MX would agree to sell CA the US would pay 25 million for it

J. December, 1845-When Slidell arrived in Mexico City, he was not ever permitted to see Mexican officials K. Mexican nationalists had received word of the offer and opposed it and the MX government was once again in a state of upheaval L. Mexican nationalists began to claim that the US was planning to invade and take over MX territory by force M. Newspapers in MX demanded war with the US N. January 13, 1846- Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor “Old Rough and Ready” to advance 4,000 troops from the Nueces River to the Rio Grande O. Polk’s reason was the defense of TX against an anticipated MX attack P. Taylor ended up camping in the disputed territory for months Q. April 25, 1946- MX forces crossed the Rio Grande attacked Taylor killing 16 Americans R. Although news of the attack had not yet reached Polk S. May 9, 1846 Polk asked Congress for a declaration of war against MX because 1. Unpaid claims against American property 2. Slidell’s rejection to negotiate 3. Mexico attacked first (was an exaggeration at that time) T. Abraham Lincoln was one congressmen who demanded to know exactly where the attack had occurred

4 U. Led to the nickname “spotty Lincoln” V. Americans were sharply divide about the war: 1) Some favored it because they felt that MX had provoked the war 2) Others favored the war because of “Manifest Destiny” and our ability to spread American freedoms and liberties to the people living under MX rule 3) Whigs opposed the war and claimed that Polk provoked it 4) Abolitionists looked at the war as a Southern conspiracy to gain more slave territory The declaration of war was not truly based on a Mexican attack but on Polk’s desire for CA and other territory

VIII. Fighting the War A. Polk’s three prong plan for war 1. Advance through NM and into CA: a) August 16, 1846- Colonel Stephen W. Kearny easily secured New Mexico b) Moving on to CA, American settlers aided by an Army exploring party led by John C. Fremont had already revolted against Mexico’s weak rule in what was called the Bear Flag Revolt

2. US naval forces to seize Monterey and declare CA for the US a) Commander John D. Sloat seized Monterey and declared CA to be part of the US b) January, 1847- Commodore Robert Stockton joined with Kearny’s troops to defeat the Mexicans at the Battle of San Gabriel c) This completed the conquest of CA

3. Two part advance into MX Part I: a) December 25-28, 1846 Colonel Alexander W. Doniphan defeated Mexicans at El Brazito to take El Paso, then proceeded southward b) February 28, 1847- the Battle of Sacramento took the city of Chihuahua which was the capital of the Mexican province Part II: a) May 7-8, 1846- General Zachary Taylor badly defeated a larger Mexican army at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma b) September 20-24, 1846- Taylor defeated an even larger MX amy at the Battle of Monterey c) Many of Taylor’s troops were then dispersed to other sectors of the war d) February 22-23, 1847- a significantly outnumbered Taylor withstood an attack by Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista

B. Mexico still refused to negotiate 1. Polk ordered General Winfield Scott to land on the east coast of MX, march inland, and take Mexico City 2. March 9, 1847- Scott landed at Veracruz and by March 27 had captured the city with the loss of only 20 Americans 3. April 18, 1847- Battle of Cerro Cord Scott outflanked and defeated a superior enemy force 4. August 19-20- Scott defeated another MX army at Churubusco 5. Scott paused outside Mexico City to offer the Mexicans another opportunity to negotiate 6. Mexico again declined 7. September 13, 1847- Scott entered and took Mexico City 8. Mexico continued to participate in guerilla warfare

C. End to the war 1. February 2, 1848- Nicholas P. Trist, a clerk of the State Department, negotiated and signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo without actual authority to do so

5 2. Terms of the treaty: a) Mexico ceded the territory called the Mexican Cession for $15 million dollars b) the assumption by the US of the $3,250,000 claims against MX by American citizens 3. Polk thought that the treaty was too generous but submitted it to the Senate due to the instablility in the Mexican government 4. Anti-slavery Whigs in Congress viahmently opposed the war and the treaty 5. Henry David Thoreau displayed his protest of the war by refusing to pay his taxes and going to live on Waldon Pond 6. While in jail for failing to pay his taxes, Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” 7. Eventually the treaty did pass

D. Effects of the war 1. the United States increased its geographic size by 1/3 2. considered to be a military training ground for the Civil War a) generals who gained experience in the Mexican War: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant b) Most soldiers who fought in the war were from the South which would provide them with experience and confidence to fight against the Union 4. Severely strained relations between the US and Latin America “Colossus of the North” 5. The issue of slavery was once again debated in Congress 6. The Wilmot Proviso a) August 8, 1846- David Wilmot of PA delivered a speech in the House agreeing to slavery in TX on the condition that all other new territory acquired from MX had to be free b) This condition was debated as Pres. Polk was requesting $2 million to fight the war c) Not since the Missouri Compromise of 1820 had the slavery issue been debated in Congress d) The House adopted the Wilmot Proviso twice but the Senate did not The Wilmot Proviso came to symbolize the issue of slavery in the territories The opening shots of the Mexican War are considered by some to be the opening shots of the Civil War