Expansion
Westward Expansion
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ORIGINAL 13 COLONIES (By Angel Alcala, Chris Jenkins, David Vasquez)
FOUNDERS
New England Colonies
Massachusetts Bay Colony - John Winthorp 1620
Connecticut - Thomas Hooker 1639
Rhode Island - Roger Williams 1635
New Hampshire - John Wheelwright 1679
Middle Colonies
New York - The Duke Of York 1685
New Jersey - Lord Berkeley, Sir Philip Carteret, and William Penn 1702
Pennsylvania - William Penn 1681
Delaware - Peter Minuet 1638
Southern Colonies
Georgia - James Olgelthorpe 1732
Maryland - Lord Baltimore 1632
North & South Carolina - Anthony Ashley Cooper 1663
Virginia - Virginia Company 1628
New England Colonies
The people who settled in the New England Colonies were the Separatist Puritans called Pilgrims. They came over in 1620 and landed in Plymouth. Their ship was called The Mayflower. They settled in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The puritans came in the seventeenth century and wanted to gain religious freedom for themselves. They settled in New England because they wanted to gain religious freedom, but the religious freedom they sought for was not given to others.
The Puritans believed in hard work, which is one of the reasons accountable to why New England was so productive. Some of their major industries included: Trading, shipping, lumbering, and fishing. Fishing was one of the biggest industries, for 1/7 of all men took part in it. The Yankee merchant marine became the largest of the colonies.
The Middle Colonies
The first settlers came in ships and settled in what is now called New York, in 1624. They came to the Middle Colonies because they wanted to make money and to farm. The Dutch bought the island we call Manhattan from the Indians. The Dutch called it New Amsterdam. The Dutch called the Colony New Netherlands. The English came and took the land away from the Dutch. The English called it New York. Pennsylvania was settled by Quakers looking for religious freedom.
Out of all the colonial regions, the middle colonies were the most urbanized of the bunch. This is due greatly to the major iron factories and exports that went on. Most of the exports of iron went to England, in order to aid the "mother" nation during the Industrial Revolution. This was also related to their cattle & grain agriculture, and rice/indigo crops.
The Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies were different from the others because they didn't care about religious freedom, but came here to get rich instead. Their economy depended on large plantations where few rich people owned most of the land, and depended on slaves to get the work done.
The most domineering product in the south (and one of the biggest in all of America) was tobacco. Practically everything depended on the sale and price of the tobacco market.
The major "tobacco boom" was from 1618 to 1629 while the crop was still really new, but even while not 'booming' the demand was always great; especially back in England.
With the huge demand, labor was certainly an issue, and therefore, many servants were imported. The downside to this, however, was that with the huge new class of people, the gap widened between rich and poor.
Beginning in the 1690s, rice was the staple crop that Carolinians chose as their 'get rich quick' scheme.
Rice also had a major effect on the shaping of the fact that much more labor was needed to farm it. Indenture Servants could no longer be that useful because they weren't accustomed to the situation of farming rice (the humid conditions and malaria-infested mosquitoes). So, in effect, many of the African slaves were forced to be imported into the region because they were both used to harvesting rice and had partial immunity to Malaria.
LOUISIANA PURCHASE (By Rey Flores, Carlos Garza, Javier Lopez, Steven Saldivar)
Reason for purchase:When Jefferson became President in March 1801, the Mississippi River formed the western boundary of the United States. The southern boundary extended to the 31st parallel north latitude. The Floridas (with West Florida extending to the Mississippi and including New Orleans) lay to the south, and the Louisiana Territory to the west. Spain owned both parts of these territories. Farmers who lived west of the Appalachian Mountains shipped their entire surplus, by boat, down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico. In the Treaty of 1795, Spain agreed to give Americans the "right of deposit" at New Orleans. This right allowed Americans to store in New Orleans, duty-free, goods shipped for export. Arks and flatboats transported a great variety of products, including flour, tobacco, pork, lard, feathers, butter, cheese, hemp, potaotes, apples, salt, whiskey, beeswax, and bear and deer skin. The merchants exchanged the goods for Spanish currency and returned to their homes by keelboat or on horseback by way of Natchez. This arrangement was acceptable to western farmers, because Spain was a weak nation. If at any time Spain should close the Mississippi to American ships, the port of New Orleans might be seized.
Trouble begins:In the same month that Jefferson became President, the Untied States minister to England, Rufus King, heard that Spain planned to give part of its American colonies to France. Jefferson feared that an ambitious nation such as France might interfere with the trade of western territories. He believed that Spain would cede the Floridas to France, and quickly direct his diplomats to prevent his transfer. Secretary of State, James Madison warned the French charge d' affsires, Louise Pinchon, that the United States expected an outlet to the sea. Robert Livingston, newly appointed minister to France, sailed for that country in Septmeber 1801. He received instructions to infrom the French government that the United States was not willing to see the American colonies of Spain transferred to any country except the United States.
In November 1801, King sent Madison a copy of the treaty in which Spain ceded Louisiana to France. But Jefferson still did not know how much territory this included. He instructed Livingston to prevent the cession if possible. If it had already taken place, Livingston was to persuade France to transfer the Floridas, especially west Florida, to the United States. New Orleans lay on the east side of teh river, so it would become a possession of the United States. Napoleon spurned Livingston's proposals.
Napoleon's decision:Napoleon knew that the war with Great Britain would soon break out again. Pinchon warned him that the Americans might seize Louisiana as soon as France became engaged in a European war, and that the British navy might seize the territory. Napoleon also feared the possibility of an Anglo-American alliance. Pinchon had warned that the United States was considering sending 50,000 troops to take New Orleans by force. Clipping from American newspapers describing the war ferment seemed to substantiate this warning.
On April 10, 1803, Napoleon notified his finance minister, Francois de Barbe-Marbois, that he was considering ceding all the Louisiana Territory to the United States. Monroe arrived in Paris just after Marbois had offered Livingston the whole of Louisiana. Jefferson had instructed the the two envoys to purcase only the Floridas, but they felt confident that the United States would accept this larger offer. They agreed to Marbois' price of 60,000,000 francs plus the assumption of American claims against France ( a total of about 16,000,000 ). The treaty, dated April 30 reached Washington on July 14, 1803.
FLORIDA'S EXPANSION
When the British evacuated Florida, Spanish colonists as well as settlers from the newly formed United States came pouring in. Many new residents were lured by Spanish terms for acquiring property. Others that came were escaped slaves, trying to reach a place where their U.S masters had no authority and could not reach them. Besides becoming more Spanish, Florida increasingly became more "American".
Finally, after several official and non-official U.S military expeditions into the territory, Spain ceded Florida to the U.S in 1821, According to the Adams-Onis treaty. On one of the military operations, in 1818, General Andrew Jackson made a foray into Florida. Jackson's battles with Florida's Indian people later would be called the First Seminole War.
TERRITORIAL PERIOD
Andrew Jackson returned to Florida in 1821 to establish a new territorial government on behalf of the United States. What the U.S. inherited was a wilderness sparsely dotted with settlements of natives, African Americans, and Spaniards. As a territory of the United States, Florida was particularly attractive to people from the other Southern plantation areas of Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, who arrived inconsiderable numbers. After territorial status was granted, the two Florida's were merged into one entity with a new capital city in Tallahassee. Established in1824, Tallahassee was chosen because it was halfway between the existing governmental centers of St. Augustine and Pensacola. As Florida's population grew through immigration, so did pressure on the on the federal government to remove the Indian people from their land. The Indian population was made up of many groups-primarily, the Creek and the Miccosukee people; there were also many African American refugees that lived with the Indians. Indian removal was popular with white settlers, because the native people occupied land that the white people lived on. And because their groups often provided sanctuary for the runaway slaves from northern states.
STATEHOOD
Florida became the twenty-seventh state in the United States on March 3,1845. William D. Moseley was elected the states first Governor, and David Levy Yulee, one of Florida's leading proponents for statehood, became a U.S Senator. By 1850 the population had grown to about 87,445,including about 39,000 African Americans slaves and 1,000 free blacks. The slavery issue began to dominate the affairs of the new state. Most Florida voters—who were white males, ages 21 or older did not accept slavery. Although, they concerned about the growing feeling against it in the North, And during the 1850s they viewed the new anti-slavery Republican party with suspicion. In1860 presidential election, no Florida- voters voted for Abraham Lincoln, although this Illinois Republican won at the National level. Shortly after his election, a special convention drew up an ordinance that allowed Florida to secede from the Union on January 10, 1861. Within several weeks, Florida joined other Southern states to form the "Confederate States of America"
FLORIDA'S DEVELOPMENT
During the final quarter of the 19th century agriculture in Florida, especially cattle raising, grew in importance. Industries such as cigar manufacturing took root in the immigrant communities of the state. Potential Investors became interested in enterprises that extracted resources from the water and land. These extracted operations were as widely diverse as sponge harvesting in Tarpon Springs and Phosphate mining in the southwestern part of the state. The Florida citrus industry grew rapidly, despite occasional freezes and economic setbacks. The growth of industries throughout the state prompted the construction of roads and railroads on a large scale.
The Expanding of Texas!
(By Rita Martinez, Jolynn Morales, Jonathan Noriega)
The Alamo was built by the Spaniards in the early 1700s. In the Alamo it included a church, corrals, barracks, storage rooms, with a blacksmith shop. It had walls that were 12 ft. high and 3 ft. wide. It was a large mission. The Texas defenders gathered in the Alamo in the year of 1835-1836 and were unprepared to fight. Mexicans were busy at the Alamo, and Sam Houston had organized his army. On April 21,1836, six weeks later before the Battle of the Alamo decided that the moment had arrived to attack Santa Anna who was camping with his army by the San Jacinto River. During the battle of the Alamo, Texans killed 630 Mexicans and captured 700 more. Texas won their independence at the Battle of San Jacinto, Texans forced Santa Anna to sign the Treaty of Texas Independence. After Santa Anna signed the Treaty Mexicans refused to approve it. They still believed that Texas belonged to Mexico. Texas decided to be part of the United States because shortly after they became bankrupt. After ten years the republic of Texas became part of the United States. In September of the year 1836 the first Texas election took place. Stephen F. Austin was overtaken by Sam Houston who became President of the Texas Republic. The Europeans who were the first to explore Texas were the Spaniards. Alanzo de Pineda claimed land for Spain. Mexico broke away from Spain in 1821. The New Empire of Mexico welcomed Texas. The United States Senate rejected a treaty to annex Texas in1844, but it changed that decision. The following year on December 29,1845 Texas joined the Union. Mexico immediately broke off relations with the United States. That is how Texas was established. Early events in the Texas Revolution on September 1835, General Co's arrived in Texas's land with his Mexican troops a lot of Texas towns prepared groups to protect themselves against the Mexicans. Rumors had spread through the small towns and they contained such as that the Mexicans were going to arrest absolutely all Texas leaders who were to be arrested and taken to chains to Mexico. The first conflict between Mexicans and Texan colonists was on October 2, 1835. The American Revolution had its first battle at Lexington, Massachusetts when British soldiers wanted to take arms.
The Mexican War
(By Steven Carrejo & Eduard Molina)
Mexico refuses to recognize the Annexation of Texas. The annexation of Texas was a fair transaction. For nine years, Texas had been an independent republic, whose reconquest Mexico had little chance of effecting. In fact, at the very moment of annexation, the Mexican government, at the suggestion of England, had agreed to recognize the independence of texas, on the condition that the republic should not join itself to the United States. We were not taking Mexican territory, then, in annexing Texas. The new state had come into the Union claiming the Rio Grande River as the southern and western boundary. By the terms of annexation, Texas referred all boundary disputes with Mexico to the government of the United States. President Polk sent John Slidell of Louisiana to Mexico in the autumn of 1845 to adjust any differences over the Texan claims. Although Slidell labored for months to get a hearing, two successive presidents of revolution-torn Mexico refused to recognize him. He was dismissed from the country in August, 1846.
Taylor attacked on the Rio Grande. The Mexican troops on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, coupled with the refusal of the Mexican government to recieve Slidell, led President Polk to order General Zachary Taylor to move to the borders as he marched to the Rio Grande. The Mexican and the American soldiers were facing each other across the river. When Taylor refused to retreat to the Nueces, the Mexican commander crossed the Rio Grande, attacked a scouting froce of 63 Americans, and killed or wounded 16 of them in April 24, 1846.
The Untied States accepts War with Mexico. When the news of the attack reached Washington early in May, Polk sent a special message to Congress. (The message)
"We have tried every effort at reconciliation... But now, after reiterated menaces, Mexico has passed the boundary of the United States, which is the Rio Grande, has invaded our territory and shed American blood upon the American soil. As war exists, and notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico herself, we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights and the interests of our country."
Taylor invades Mexico. Meanwhile, General Taylor had driven the Mexicans back to the south bank of the Rio Grande in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. Six days later, he crossed the Rio Grande and occupied the Mexican frontier town of Matamoros, when he proceede during the summer and autumn of 1846 to capture the capitals of three of the Mexican provinces.
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo When the Mexican commissioners made advances for peace at the beginning of the year 1848, they weregiven terms almost as liberal as those offered before Scott had stormed and captured their capital. At Guadalupe-Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, Mexico was required to cede California and New Mexico to the United States and to recognize the Rio Grande as the southern and western boundary of Texas. The United States paid Mexico $15,000,000 and assumed some $3,250,000 more in claims of American citizens on the Mexican government. Looking at the facts: - California was scarcely under Mexican control at all and might have been taken at any moment by Great Britain, France, or Russia.
- New Mexico was still the undisturbed home of Indian tribes.
- the land from the Nueces to the Rio Grande was almost a desert.
- the American troops were urged by many to annex the whole country of Mexico to the Untied States.
The justice of the Mexican War. The Mexican War had been condemned by American historians as "the foulest blot on our national honor," a war forced upon Mexico by slave keepers, greedy for new territory, a perfect illustration of LaFontaine's fable of the wolf picking a quarrel with the lamb solely for an excuse to devour him. Mexico had insulted our flag, plundered our commerce, imprisioned our citizens, lied to our representatives, and spurned our envoys. In 1837, President Jackson said that Mexico's offenseswould justify in the eyes of all nations immediate war. Mexico was a weak one. We had a right to annex Texas after that republic had maintained its independence for nine years, yet Mexico made annexation a cause of war. They were willing to talk about the boundaries of Texas with Mexico, but two Mexican presidents, who were scared to oppose the war spirit of their country, rejected our accredited envoy. The U.S. even refrained from taking Texas into the Union until Britain had interfered so far as to persuade Mexico to recognize the independence of Texas if she would refurse to join the United States.
(Drawing by Rachel Hinjosa)
Gadsden Purchase(By Rachel Hinjosa & Melissa Medrano)
Etowah country is located in the northeastern section of the state of Alabama, in the southern Appalachians. Etowah County was created by the Alabama legislature on 1866 Dec. 7, and was originally named Baine County in honor of Gen. David W. Baine, a Confederate soldier from Lowndes County. The county was abolished on 1868 Dec. 1 by the Constitutional Convention re-established the same day, under the name of Etowah.
To the southwest, the territory was once the domain of the powerful Creek Indians and to the northeast, the mighty Cherokee settled Turkeytown and established there the Capital of the Cherokee Nation. The boundary line between these Indian Nations has been preserved by the Original Survey of the Public Lands of the United States. Etowah, a word taken from the Cherokee, depicts a strong tree bearing good fruit.
The city of Gadsden, was named after, James Gadsden a young officer under Gen. Andrew Jackson. He was born in 1788 in Charleston, SC and died in 1858. He served in the war of 1812 as Lieutenant of Engineers.
In 1820, he became Inspector General of the Southern Division with the rank of colonel and assisted in the establishment of posts in Florida after its acquisition. He negotiated the 1832 treaty with the Seminole Indians which resulted in the removal to Oklahoma. In 1853, President Franklin Pierce appointed him Minister to Mexico with which country he called the Gadsden Purchase which includes portions of the present states of New Mexico and Arizona.
The first steamboat to ply the waters of the Coosa River was appropriately named the COOSA on July 4, 1845 that gallant little steamer, Captain James Lafferty commanding, came 'round the bend below what is now Gadsden. At Gadsden, a tiny relay station on the stage line from Rome to Huntsville, a crowd from the valleys and mountains gather to meet the boat. At Walkers Ferry the Coosa landed (later, Ewing's Ferry and Hampton's Ferry, and now the place where River street intersects the Coosa River).
In 1846, four close friends Colonel James Gadsden, Gabriel Hughes, Joseph Hughes, John S. Moragne, and General D.C. Turrentine, purchased tracts of land on the west side of the Coosa River. Alabama, with the intention of forming a new town. Because of the admiration they held for their good friend and "hero of the hour," Colonel James Gadsden decided to name the new town Gadsden.
The first edition of the Gadsden Times appeared on July 3, 1867. Gadsden Times was found by former Confederate officers Leonidas W. Grant and T.J. Cox. Issues were printed in Jacksonville until the fledgling weekly could open offices on Board and Second Streets.
James Gadsden negotiated the Gadsden Purchase that bought a large tract of land in the southern of New Mexico from the Mexican government. The major step that the U.S. took to solve the Mexican boundary dispute. Previously, the boundary between Mexico and the U.S. was to follow the main fork of the Gila River to its junction with the Colorado River. Mexico claimed the north fork and the U.S. claimed the south fork as its principal boundary.
California (By Israel DelaRosa, Adam Quiroz)
California was first discovered by Spanish explorers sometime around 1507. It ws first a location of many Spanish missions where Spaniards and Native Americans co-extisted into making the building blocks for Californias life and culture. It was later won from Sapin by Independent Mexico and then became an American Territory after the Mexican war where the U.S. Army and Californias own independent republic, the Bear Flag Republic, defeated Mexico and ended all of Mexicos control of California, through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. That same year gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutters Mill that led to the 1849 Gold Rush. Almost overnight, California grew 80,000 people more and paved the way for Californias almost immidiate statehood and extravagant blend of cultures to the national powerhouse it is now.
1848: On January 24 gold was discovered by James Marshall in the American River Sutter's Mill, marketing the beginning of the end of New Helvetica. The Mexican-American war was ended by the Treaty of Gaudalupe Hildago. California became a territory of the United States. A treaty is made with local Indians and Sutter and Marshall, giving the Indians ful rights to the gold on their land. Govenor Mason rejected the treaty, on the grounds that Indians did not have the right to rent, sell or lease their land. Chinese are forbided from mining in the Agua Fria District of Mariposa County.
1849: September 1 to October 13 forty-eight delegates draft the first state constitution. 811 were agaist free slavery, 12061 vote for the free slave on November 13.
1850: 27 counties in California are created by on act of the Legislature. On September 9 California is admitted to the Union. A bill to prohibit free Negros from moving to California fails to pass the State Legislature. On all miners a tax of foreign extraction ( twenty dollars per month) is imposed by the state of prevent the loss of capitol to Mexico and other countries. Between Alabama and San Francisco, ferries begin transporting passengers.
1851: After the miners tax is repeated merchants feel a loss of business from foreign miners who decide to leave the state. Frenchman are driven from their claim at French Hill , near Mokelumne Hill by American miners.
1853: A railroad route is called by Congress to be surveyed from the Mississippi River to the Pacific. Sectional squabbling prevent the construction of any route until the the Civil War.
1854: California's first capitol is Sacramento. The United States Mint opens a branch in San Francisco. This means an end to private gold coin used as legal tender in the West.
1861: In East California Civil War breaks out. California remains with the Union, providing 15,725 volunteers who serve for Pennsylvania, Washington, Massachusetts and California.
1862: An "Anti- Coolie Club" was found by San Francisco which promotes anti-Chinese feeling and lobbies for restrictive immigration quotas. "Yellow Peril" is used for the first time by an Anti-Chinese book published at this time. The Chinese Police Tax. All Chinese not engaged in agriculture, the state levies a $2.50 per month tax.
1866: On July 25 construction of railroads connecting Sacramento with Portland, Oregon is authorized by Congress. Two days later, it authorized a line between Missouri and California by way of Albuqueque. On July 26 Congress agrees to recongnize mining claims made under the rules of local mining districts so long as they do not conflict with others U.S. laws.
1868: The Burlingame Treaty with China guarantees to citizens resident in the United States the same "privileges, immunities and exemption as citizens" (execpt, of course, the right to vote).
LINKS
This page was constructed by Mr. Whalen's 7th Period American history class.
