Westward Expansion

America’s “Manifest Destiny”

 Manifest Destiny
“Manifest Destiny” was a phrase created in the 1840s by an
American journalist.
It was used to justify American westward expansion into
areas such as Texas, Oregon, and California.
Manifest destiny refers to the widely held belief that
◦ the United States system is better than any other (best
government, best economy, etc.)
◦ Therefore, the United States had both a right and a duty to
spread out across the entire continent.
◦ American expansion was inevitable, necessary, and had been
ordained by God!
 Manifest Destiny
Fulfilling this manifest destiny, many argued, would benefit
everyone involved:
◦ American settlers would gain access to much needed land (the
population of the United States was growing very quickly at this time)
◦ Through farming and construction, those settlers would
improve the land, making it more productive – which would
benefit society as a whole (Many Americans believed that
native people who did not build permanent homes and who might not farm
wasted the land)
◦ Non-Europeans (especially Indians) would have the
opportunity to learn the American way of life
Manifest Destiny
Although the phrase was new,
the idea was not.
Even as British colonists,
settlers pushed their
geographic boundaries farther
and farther west, always
looking for new land and a
better way of life.
Daniel Boone Escorting Settlers through
Thousands of Americans the Cumberland Gap
ignored the Proclamation of Daniel Boone was a famous American frontiersman.
The stories of his adventures have become
1763, which forbid settlement legendary. Boone is considered one of America’s
of the Ohio River Valley. first folk heroes.
Examples of American Expansion
Northwest Ordinance (1787) reverses the terms of the Proclamation of
1763
Louisiana Purchase (1803) doubles the size of U.S. territory
War of 1812 – designs on Canada and Florida
Monroe Doctrine (1823) Hands off the Western Hemisphere
Indian Removal Act (1830) Trail of Tears, 1838
Texas Revolution (1836) Annexation of Texas, 1847
Mexican War (1846) Polk uses border dispute to justify
expansion
Mexican Cession (1848) California, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming,
Colorado, Utah, and Arizona -15 million
Gadsden Purchase (1853) from Mexico — $10 million
Purchase of Alaska (1867) from Russia — $7.2 million
Spanish American War (1898) Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines
How does this painting explain the attitude of
Americans in the mid-1800s?

Spirit of the Frontier/American Progress, 1872 by John Gast

Why did early settlers flood across the
country during the mid-1800s?

The California Gold Rush.

Fertile land for farming, especially in

the Oregon Territory.

Ranchers could raise cattle

descended from Spanish herds in
areas buffalo previously inhabited.
How did they get there?
Conestoga Wagon
“Prairie Schooner”

The wagons were named for the Pennsylvania town where

many were built.
Oxen or mules usually pulled these wagons in traveling groups
called wagon trains.
They got the nickname “prairie schooner” because of their
ship-like appearance moving across the grassy plains.
 The Train Wagon
•Shorter, lighter, and easier
to navigate than the
Conestoga
•Water-tight bonnet and
slanted side rails helped to
keep rain out

Why might pioneers travel in

large groups as shown in
this 19th century painting?
The Stagecoach
Passenger coaches were a
popular form of public
transportation in the early
1800s
They got their name because
the coach driver changed
horses every fifteen miles, or
stage.

• The person who rode next to the driver usually carried a

shotgun to guard against hostile American Indians or
bandits, thus the phrase “riding shotgun.”
Steam Locomotive
“Iron Horse”

The first locomotive built in the

United States was the Best
Friend of Charleston. It began
service in 1830.
July 1, 1862 – President Lincoln
signed the Pacific Railroad Act,
which called for building the
Transcontinental Railroad.
The tracks were completed in
Promontory, Utah, on May 10,
1869

The ceremony for the driving of the “golden

spike” at Promontory Summit
Steamboat

Robert Fulton built the first successful steamboat, the Clermont,

in 1807.
Settlers who traveled west by ship faced an arduous journey of
18,000 miles around South America or sailed to the Isthmus of
Panama, crossed overland to the Pacific Ocean, and sailed to
California.
 “Go West Young Man!”
Horace Greeley-1845

To encourage settlement,
Congress passed the Homestead
Act (1862)
Any adult citizen – including freed
slaves – who had never taken up
arms against the Union could
claim160 acres of “public” land,
but in order to get the title, they
had to
◦ Make “improvements” (build a
house and cultivate the land)
Only 40% of Homestead applicants
fulfilled the requirements to receive the
◦ Live there for five years
deed to the property.
Significance of the Frontier
As the 1800s ended, the United States occupied the North American
continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner proposed his Frontier Thesis
◦ the frontier experience had shaped the character of the America and its
people
◦ The frontier was the source of America’s economic and political power
CICERO © 2011
CICERO © 2011