AP US History AMSCO Guided Notes
5.2: The Idea of Manifest Destiny
AMSCO Guided Notes
AP US History Guided Notes
AMSCO 5.2 - The Idea of Manifest Destiny
Learning Objectives
- Explain the causes and effects of westward expansion from 1844 to 1877.
I. Conflicts Over Texas, Maine, and Oregon
1. What was Manifest Destiny and what forces drove American expansionism in the 1840s?
2. Why did American pioneers begin migrating into Texas and Oregon during the 1820s and 1830s?
A. Texas
1. How did Stephen Austin contribute to American settlement in Texas and what was the demographic result by 1830?
2. What Mexican policies in 1829 created friction with American settlers and how did Americans respond?
1. Revolt and Independence
1. What triggered the Texas Revolt in 1836 and what was the outcome of the Battle of San Jacinto?
2. What did Santa Anna agree to in the treaty following his capture, and why did Mexico reject it?
2. Annexation Denied
1. Why did Presidents Jackson and Van Buren refuse to annex Texas despite Sam Houston's request?
2. What was John Tyler's position on Texas annexation and what happened to his treaty in 1844?
B. Boundary Dispute in Maine
1. What was the Aroostook War and how was the Maine-Canadian boundary dispute resolved?
2. What additional territorial issue did the Webster-Ashburton Treaty settle and why was it significant?
C. Boundary Dispute in Oregon
1. What were the historical bases for British and American claims to Oregon Territory?
2. How did American settlement in the Willamette Valley in the 1840s strengthen the U.S. claim to Oregon?
3. What did expansionists hope to acquire beyond Oregon and Texas by the mid-1840s?
II. The Election of 1844
1. How did the issue of Texas annexation divide the Democratic Party in 1844?
2. What was James K. Polk's position on territorial expansion and how did the Democratic campaign slogan reflect it?
3. How did Henry Clay's strategy on Texas annexation affect the election outcome?
III. Annexing Texas and Dividing Oregon
1. How did President Tyler use a joint resolution to annex Texas instead of seeking a treaty?
2. Why did President Polk compromise on Oregon at the 49th parallel instead of fighting for 54° 40'?
3. What concessions did the United States make to Britain in the final Oregon settlement?
IV. Settlement of the Western Territories
1. Why did settlers pass through the Great American Desert to reach California and Oregon?
A. Fur Traders' Frontier
1. What role did mountain men play in opening the Far West and providing information to later settlers?
B. Overland Trails
1. What were the major overland trails used by pioneers and what were the greatest dangers they faced?
2. How long did the journey west typically take and what was the final critical challenge?
C. Mining Frontier
1. How did the discovery of gold in California in 1848 affect western settlement and population growth?
2. What was the composition of miners in the West by the 1860s and where did gold and silver rushes occur?
D. Farming Frontier
1. How did the Preemption Acts and government land policies encourage western settlement?
2. Why was westward migration primarily a middle-class movement rather than a movement of poor laborers?
3. What institutions did pioneer communities establish and how did they reflect settlers' backgrounds?
E. Urban Frontier
1. What factors led to the rapid growth of western cities and what are examples of instant cities?
V. Foreign Commerce
1. How did changes in shipping practices and ship design expand American trade in the mid-1800s?
2. What role did the whaling industry play in American commerce between 1830 and 1860?
3. How did Commodore Perry's mission to Japan in 1854 expand American trade in Asia?
VI. Expansion After the Civil War
1. How did the Civil War affect American territorial expansion and what example demonstrates Manifest Destiny's continued influence?
Key Terms
Manifest Destiny
Great American Desert
mountain men
Far West
overland trails
mining frontier
gold rush
silver rush
farming frontier
urban frontier
John Tyler
Oregon Territory
"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!"
James K. Polk
Texas
Stephen Austin
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Sam Houston
Alamo
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
foreign commerce
exports and imports
Matthew C. Perry
Kanagawa Treaty