• US  interest in pushing its border to Texas and westward into Oregon territory(caused by American pioneers
• 1823 gains its national independence from Spain, Mexico hoped to attract settlers

• General and dictator of Mexico tried to enforce mexicos new laws of no slavery and Roman catholisism as the religion 
• Sam Houston revolted and declared Texas to be an idependent republic
• Anna captured town of Goliad  and attacked the Alamo in San Antonio killin every American defender
• He was caught by surprise by Sam Houston captured and forced to sign of Texas and make it indepentdent

• Presiden (1841-1845) southern Whig wh worried about growing ifluence of British in Texas
• Worked to annex Texas US senate rejected his treaty of annexation in 1844

• Main Canada boundry ill defined
• a conflct between rival groups of lumbermen on th eMaine-Canadian border
• Resolved by Daniel Webster amd British ambassodor Lord Alexander Ashburton

• disputed territory was split between Maine and British Canada
• Also settled Minnesota territory left the iron-rich Mesabi range on US side of Border

• vast territory on the Pacific Coast that originally stretched as far north as the  Alskan border
• Claimed by Britain and Russia and US
• Spain gave up its claim in Adams-Onis treaty
• most beleived it manifest destiny to take undisputed possession of all Oregon and to annex the Republic of Texas as welll

• Dark horse President
• Beleived in annexation of Texas, the reoccupationo fall of Oregon and the acquisition of California
• Protege of Andrew Jackson and democratic nominee

• Mexico insisted the southern border of Texas was on  the Nueces River
• Polk sent troops over the Nueces acting like the Rio Grande was the official border MExican troops ttacked and killed 11
• Polk saw this as justification to start war

• war started b/c of border dispute between Mexico and US
• Mostly fought on Mexican territory
• California also gained its independence
• Mexico City invaded by Winfeild Scott
• Disasterous for Mexico

general that succeded in taking Santa Fe, Ne wMexico territory and southern California

Succesfullly overthrew Mexican govt in California

Bear flag Republic- independent california

Negotiated by American dimplomat Nicholas Trist And brought end to Mexican War

1. Mexico recognized the Rio Grand as the southern border of Texas
2. The US would take possession of former Mexican provinces of California and New Mexico- the Mexican Cession, The Us would pay 15 million and assume the claims of Ameican citizens against Mexico

• Penn. Congress men David Wilmont proposed that an appripiations bull  be amended to forbid slvery in any of the new territories acquired form mexico
• Passed the house twice but was defeated in the senate

• Polk offered to buy Cuba form spain for 100 mil.and spain refused
• Pierce sent 3 diplomates to Ostend Belgium to buy Cuba form spain the Ostend Maifsto was leaked and caused anger among antslavery members of congress

• William Waler and expansionist seeked new empires with or without the federal govs supprt
• Unseccesfully tried to take Baja california fom Mexico
• He took over Nicaragua in 1855 however his regim came to an end when a coalition of Central American countries invaded and defeated him
• Executed by Honduran authorities in 1860

• Provided that neithe rBritian r US would attemr ro take exclusive ctrl of any future canal route in central america 
• countinued until 1901

• strip of Land southwest for a railroad
• Mexico agreed to sell thousands of acres of semidesert land to US for 10 million
• present dat New Mexico and Arizona

• arid area between Mississsippi Valley and the Pacific Coast
• Emigrants had to pass over it to reach more inviting lads on the west coast

• fur traders who were th earliest nonnative group to open the Far West
• Held yearly rendezvous in Rockies with Native Americans to trade for animal skins
• Jebediah smith one of the mountain men who provied much of the early info  about trails and fronteir conditions

• discovey of gold set off migrations to the mineral-rich mountains of the west
• Brought tens of thouseand of men into western mountains
• Mining camps and towns sprang up -many short lived
• Californias pop. soared from 14,000 on  1848 to 380,000 by 1860

• In the west and attracted tens of thousands of men to west
• Colorado, Nevada, Black hills of Dakota and California- just gold

• most pioneer families moved west to start homesteads and begin farming
• mostly a middle class movement b/c familt needed 200-300 dollars to make overland trip

• new factories produced shoes,sewing machines, ready-to-wwear clothing, firearms 
• Insudtrialization spread rapidly after 1840 unlike b4 which was concentrated on textile mills of New England

• invented the sweing machine
• took much of the production of clothing out of the home into the factory

• invented electric telegraph
• went hand in hand with the growth of the railroads in enormously speeding up communication and transportation across the country

• railroads emerge as Americas largest industry
• Local and state govts helped the railroads grow by grnating special loans and tax breaks
• US govt granted 2.6 million acres of federal land to build the Illinois Central raiload from lake michigan to the gulf of mexico, the first such federal land grant
• promoted western agriculture farmers in illinois and iowa were now more closely linked to the notheast

groth of manufactured goods as well as agricltural products caused a significant growth of exports

• shipping firms have schedual now
• demandfor whale oil to light homes caused a whaling boom from 1830 to 1860
• impromvments to designs of shops cut trip to california gold feilods
• Steamships took place of clipper ships
• opened trade to Japan (by fear)

• US sent commodore [erry to japan to persuade that country to open up its ports to trade with Americans
• Convinced japan's gvt to agee to a treaty that opened two hapanese ports to US trading vessels

• midcentury economic boom ended in 1857 with a financial panis
• serious drop in prices esp for midewestern farmer
• increased unemplooyment in in northern cities
• cotton remained high gave south idea plantation economy was superior and continued union with northern eonomy was not needed