This chapter covers the territorial growth of the United States. Supported by the ideology of "Manifest Destiny," Americans added Oregon, Texas, California, and the Southwest to the nation's territory. Through diplomacy and war, the U.S. became a continental nation. Settlers repeated the old pattern of initial friendliness to natives and earlier settlers, followed by hostility and domination. Adding new territory also caused intensification of sectional hostility over extending slavery into new territory.
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
Use the Texan and Tejano community groups to illustrate recurring patterns in American frontier expansion and occupation.
Trace the patterns and causes of continental exploration, including its effects on the Indians.
Explain the concept of "Manifest Destiny," and its effects on Oregon and Texas settlement.
Outline the causes and results of the Mexican War, including its connection with "Manifest Destiny."
Discuss American involvement in California and the effects of the Gold Rush.
Connect the issues of frontier expansion and "Manifest Destiny" to party politics, including the election of 1848.
Trace the territorial expansion of the U.S.A. from the Louisiana Purchase territory to the Pacific coast. (Review Chapter 9.)
