Terms : Hide Images
| *William Henry Harrison Whig president elected in 1840 *Daniel Webster, sec of state *Henry Clay, uncrowned king of whigs and ablest spokesman in senate | ||
| *campaign slogan had been "tippecanoe and tyler too" *contracted pneumonia suddenly died after only one month in offc *Clay and Webster had planned to control the aging general harrison | ||
| *forsaken democrats for the Whigs largely because he could not stomach the dictatorial tactics of jackson *put on ticket to attract the vote of of the elite southerners *did not share whigs beliefs *strong independent streak *democrat at heart | ||
| *pro-bank *pro-protective tariff *pro-internal improvements | ||
| *end independent treasury(gov money kept in independent banks) *new bank of US *Whig-sponsored high tariff bill | ||
| *vetoed bank of US *vetoed tariff bill-disliked fact that the sale of western lands would be spread around among the states *Whigs took out the offensive part, lowered the tariff a bit and he signed it | ||
| Henry Clay; renowned for his financial prowess | ||
| *Whigs furious, kicked Tyler out of the Whig party *all but Webster resigned from his cabinet *an attempt was made in the house of rep to impeach him | ||
| *leaders angry when American debtors couldn't or wouldn't pay up after panic of 1837 | ||
| *"War" in which British and American writers "fought" with scathing written commentaries about the opposing country * It was fostered by lingering Ant-British feeling in America from the 2 wars and British "Travel Books" that condemned and mocked America as barbaric * Charles Dickens was prominent on the British side | ||
| *Sprawling America, with expensive canals to dig and railroads to build, was a borrowing nation in the 19th century; imperial Britain, with its flowing treasury, was a lending nation *When the panic of 1837 broke and several states defaulted on their bonds or repudiated them openly, honest Englishmen assailed Yankee trickery | ||
| *In 1837, the American ship, the Caroline, was sunk by a British force. *was carrying supplies to the insurgents across the swift Niagara River *finally attacked on the New York shore by British force | ||
| *American ship captured by 130 rebel Virginia slaves, offered asylum by British officials in the Bahamas | ||
| *3rd war with England *insurrection erupted in Canada *destruction of the Caroline sank by Brit *Brits asylum for slaves capturing the creole | ||
| *Maine had claimed territory on its northern and eastern border that was also claimed by England, and there were actually small skirmishes in the area (the "Aroostook War" of feuding lumberjacks). *the small-scale lumberjack clash, which was dubbed the "Aroostook War," | ||
| in 1842 Britain sent Lord Ashburton to negotiate with Daniel Webster, and after talks, the two agreed to what is now called the Webster-Ashburton Treaty | ||
| *the Americans were to retain some 7,000 square miles of the 12,000 square miles of wilderness in dispute *the British got less land but won desired Halifax-Quebec- route *the British, in adjusting the U.S.-Canadian boundary farther west, surrendered 6,500 square miles | ||
| *the area was later found to contain the priceless Mesabi iron ore of Minnesota | ||
| *Mexico, refusing to recognize Texas's independence, regarded the Lone Star Republic as a province in revolt, to be reconquered in the future *threatened war if the America should annex the fledging republic | ||
| *Ever since it had declared independence in 1836, Texas had built up reinforcements because it had no idea if or when Mexico would attack again to reclaim her "province in revolt." * So, Texas made treaties with France, Holland, and Belgium. | ||
| *Britain was interested in an independent Texas and such a republic would check the southward surge of the American colossus, whose bulging biceps posed a constant threat to nearby British possessions in the New World | ||
| *British abolitionists were busily intriguing for a foothold in Texas *British merchants regarded Texas as a potentially important free-trade area—an offset to the tariff-walled United States *British manufacturers like perceived that those vast Texas plains constituted one of the great cotton-producing areas of the future | ||
| *The pro-expansion Democrats under James K. Polk, finally triumphed over the Whigs under Henry Clay; president Tyler thereupon interpreted the narrow Democratic victory, with dubious accuracy, as a "mandate" to acquire Texas *Many Whigs feared that Texas in the Union would help the "slave power" and aware of their opposition, Tyler despaired of securing the needed two-thirds vote for a treaty in the Senate; he there arranged for annexation by a joint resolution *The solution required only a simple majority in both houses of Congress and the resolution was passed early in 1845 and Texas was invited to become the 28th state | ||
| *Mexico angrily charged that the Americans had despoiled it of Texas but in 1845, the area of was longer Mexico's and as the years passed, it was clear * Mexico left the Texans dangling by denying their right to dispose of themselves as they chose | ||
| *a document giving an official instruction or command | ||
| *British claims to Oregon were strong—at least to that portion north of the Columbia River *they were based squarely on prior discovery and exploration, on treat rights, and on actual occupation | ||
| *the most important colonizing agency was the Hudson's Bay Company, which was trading profitably with the Indians of the Pacific Northwest for furs | ||
| *Captain Robert Gray in 1792 had stumbled upon the majestic Columbia River, and the famed Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-1806 had ranged overland through the Oregon Country to the Pacific | ||
| *This shaky American toehold was ultimately strengthened by the presence of missionaries and other settlers of whom reached the Willamette River valley (1830s) | ||
| *legislation passed in 1830s and 1840s that gave "squatters" the right to settle public land and then purchase it at the minimum price once the government put it up for sale. | ||
| *The Oregon Trail, an over 2000-mile trail across America, was a common route to Oregon during the early 1840s | ||
| the area in dispute consisted of the rough quadrangle between the Columbia River on the south and east, the forty-ninth parallel on the north, and the Pacific Ocean on west | ||
| Enthusiasm for emigration to the Oregon Country in the late 1830s and early 1840s. | ||
| *popular Whig, Henry Clay *dark horse(surprise candidate), James Polk, dems choice because they had no other candidate | ||
| This expression was popular in the 1840s. Many people believed that the U.S. was destined to secure territory from "sea to sea," from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This rationale drove the acquisition of territory. | ||
| *Democrats strongly supported the idea of Manifest Destiny. *Henry Clay straddled the issue whether or not to annex Texas. *On the crucial issue of Texas, Clay appeared to have compromised away the presidency when he wrote a series of confusing letters * they seemed to say that while he personally favored annexing slave holding Texas, he also favored postponement (it was both an appeal to the South and the North but he alienated the more ardent antislaveryites) | ||
| The anti-Texas Liberty party, by spoiling Clay's chances and helping the ensure the election of pro-Texas Polk, hastened the annexation of Texas | ||
| ..., a political candidate who is not well known but could win unexpectedly | ||
| Polks program * Lower the tariff * Restore the independent treasury (put U.S. money into non-government banks) * Clear up the Oregon border issue(where is the border of Oregon) * Get California | ||
| *a tariff-for-revenue bill that reduced the rates of the Tariff of 1842 from 32% to 25% *proved to be an excellent revenue producer, largely because it was followed by boom times and heavy imports to the United States | ||
| border issue * England first answered 42o latitude; then said the Columbia River * The U.S. first answered 54o40' latitude; then said 49o latitude (compromise) | ||
| *Despite warnings of doom, the new tariff was followed by good times. *Britain presented Polk with the Oregon Country up to 490. The offer was approved and a reasonable compromise was reached without a shot fired. | ||
| Polk and other disciples of Manifest Destiny had long coveted California's verdant valleys and especially the spacious bay of San Francisco (future gateway to Pacific) | ||
| *the United States had claims against the Mexicans for some $3 million in damages to American citizens and their property (agreed to assume debt) | ||
| *During the long era of Spanish-Mexican occupation, the south-western boundary of Texas had been the Nueces River but the expansive Texans were claiming the more southerly Rio Grande instead (Polk felt obligation to defend Texas in its claim) *Polk was careful to keep American troops out of the explosive no-man's-land between the Nueces and the Rio Grande | ||
| *(Polk dispatched John Slidell to Mexico City as minister late in 1845 and was instructed to offer a maximum of $25 million for California and territory to the east but the proud Mexican people didn't even accept him | ||
| he ordered four thousand men, under General Zachary Taylor, to march from the Nueces River to the Rio Grande, provocatively near Mexican forces | ||
| *a Whig congressman from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, requested information as to the precise "spot" on American soil where American blood had been shed—it could have been considered Mexican soil | ||
| recently dethroned Santa Anna told the U.S. that if he could return to Mexico, he would take over the government, end the war, and give California to the U.S. He lied. | ||
| When war broke out, Captain John C. Fremont just happened to be there with several dozen well-armed men and in helping to overthrow Mexican rule in 1846, he collaborated with American naval officers with the local Americans | ||
| "Old Rough and Ready" Zachary Taylor, a general, he fought into Mexico, reaching Buena Vista, and repelled 20,000 Mexicans with only 5000 men, instantly becoming a hero. *became the "Hero of Buena Vista" | ||
| *General Winfield Scott led American troops into Mexico City. *most distinguished general *hero from the War of 1812 | ||
| John C. Fremont (leader of the Bear Flag Revolt in California) | ||
| Polk sent Nicholas Trist to negotiate an armistice with Mexico at a cost of $10,000 (Santa Anna took the bribe and then used it for his defenses). | ||
| *The antislavery Whigs ("Mexican Whigs") in Congress were denouncing this "damnable war" with increasing heat; having secure control of the House in 1847, they were even threatening to vote down supplies for the armies in the field | ||
| *Trist signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, and forwarded it to Washington *he terms of the treaty confirmed the American title to Texas and yielded the enormous area s 2. Trist signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on *Trist signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, and forwarded it to Washington * The terms of the treaty confirmed the American title to Texas and yielded the enormous area stretching westward to Oregon and the ocean and embracing coveted California; this total expanse, including Texas, was about one-half of Mexico * The United States agreed to pay $15 million for the land and to assume the claims of its citizens against Mexico in the amount of $3,250,000 | ||
| a payment for damage or loss | ||
| *The Mexican War was a small one that cost some thirteen thousand American lives, most of them taken by disease but the fruits of the fighting were enormous *America's total expanse was increased by about one-third an addition even greater than that of the Louisiana Purchase | ||
| *a great practice for the Civil War *The Mexican War provided field experience for the officers destined to become generals in the Civil War, including Captain Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant. *The Mexican War brought about the conflict of slavery between the states. | ||
| *proposed the amendment that stated that the territory from Mexico should remain slave-free. *raised the question Will we have slavery in the Mexican Cession lands? *opened old wounds—those of slavery. | ||
| *passed twice by the House, but never passed the Senate because the Southern members did not want to be robbed of possible slave states to arise in the future from the land gain in the Treaty of Guadalupe | ||
| * Mexican territories of California and New Mexico given to the United States in 1848 | ||
| Franciscan friar who established 21 missions along the coast of California | ||
| * Where did the California gold rush begin | ||
| *non-religious |
