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Manifest Destiny
"Mainfest Destiny" is the belief that the American people have the right to expand westward and settle in new lands. The American people and the U.S. government believed that God had given them the right to expand westward and claim new lands. -
Original Thirteen Colonies
The original thirteen colonies were originally controlled by Great Britain. However, the U.S. gained control of the land when America won the revolution and signed a treaty with England. The Revolution lasted eight years and weakened the U.S. economy. Before the war U.S. leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence, which stated the colonists' unalienable rights. -
Northwest Territory
The U.S. obtained the Northwest Territory when we won the land from England's control and the U.S. created the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 which established the boundaries of the Territory. The Territory created Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. There were six requirements for a territory to become a state which are: have reached a population of 60,000, no slavery, have their own Constitution and Bill of rights, offer public education and have approval by Congress. -
Louisiana Purchase
The U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million and signed a treaty with France on May 2, 1803. President Thomas Jefferson was credited with purchasing the Louisisana Territory which nearly doubled the size of the U.S. It was important for the U.S. economy to own the Louisiana Territory because of the importance of the Mississippi River and New Orleans which were major trading routes and ports. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Southerners in the U.S. were upset with the Native Americans for raiding their towns and aiding runaway slaves. To try to solve this problem President Monroe sent Andrew Jackson to the Florida border. While there, Jackson started the first Seminole war and his actions were unconstitutional because he never recieved orders from Monroe. Finally, the U.S. and Spain agreed to sign the Adams-Onis treaty which gave the U.S. Florida, and Spain complete claims to Texas. -
Texas Annexation Part One
After Mexico offered them land, many Americans from the South started to settle in Texas so they could have better economic opportunities.The Mexican government promised the Southerners that slavery was legal and they would not ban slavery. However, the Mexican government started to take away the Southerners' rights when they forced them to join the Roman Catholic Church, forced them to become Mexican citizens and follow their laws, and didn't allow Southerners to bring additional slaves. -
Texas Annexation Part Three
Texas was also having problems Mexico still considered Texas its property, so when Texas started to attack Mexico, Mexico fought back and took over San Antonio. The U.S. did not allow Texas to enter the U.S. as a state because it would give the South a political advantage, so they could expand slavery throughout the U.S. -
Texas Annexation Part Two
Soon, the people in Texas started to feel that the Mexican government had too much power, so they rebelled. As a result, the first battle started in the Alamo, and Mexico defeated Texas. In the Battle of Golidad, Texas was also defeated. At the Battle of San Jacinto, Texas outnumbered Mexico, defeated them, and forced the leader to sign a treaty to give them their independence. After the war,Texas had economic problems because the value of their currency dropped, so buying goods was harder. -
Mexican Cession
The U.S. and Mexico were arguing over who had control over the territory of Texas. As a result, the Mexican-American War started. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the War and gave the U.S. most of Mexico's northern territory. Under the Mexican Cession, the U.S. created California, Nevadah, Utah, and parts of Arizona and New Mexico, which increased the size of the U.S. by about 25 percent. -
Oregon Territory
Great Britain and the United States both shared control over the Oregon Territory. To try to avoid war between their countries, the U.S. and Great Britain signed a treaty in 1846 that gave the U.S. all of the Oregon Territory south of the 49th parallel and the state of Oregon was created.The treaty also drew a border between Canada and the U.S. in the Pacific Northwest. -
Gadsden Purchase
The U.S. agreed to purchase the land under the Gadsden Purchase to avoid conflict between Americans who wanted to take all of Mexico and Americans who were against annexing Mexico. The U.S. paid $10 million for the land and the Gadsden Purchase created parts of Arizona and New Mexico. With the Gadsden Purchase the continental boundaries of the U.S. were fixed and the belief of Mainfest Destiny was complete because the U.S. has claimed all lands to the Pacific Ocean within the U.S. boundaries.
