Tuesday, Feb 24

Today we moved on from the American Revolution. We started off looking at a map that showed North America in 1783. This was the original U.S. The Western boundary was the Mississippi River. Florida was yet to become part of the U.S. and the northern border of Maine and Minnesota had yet to be decided. This is the starting point for the topic of today and tomorrow - Manifest Destiny.

Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States and the American people were pre-destined to grow and expand to the Pacific Ocean. People that believed in this idea thought that America was a special place and its citizens special people. If America could expand to the Pacific then it would help U.S. trade immensely because we now could trade easily with Asia. Also, the west was filled with resources for our ever growing country. Unfortunately we would have to shove aside other peoples in our quest for Manifest Destiny.

In class today we completed a map to show the land gains America had to complete its growth to the Pacific. On handout #23 you should show these land gains. Start off by drawing in the original U.S. as described above. Then you should add in the following land gains:

Louisiana Purchase - 1803 - from France - purchase for $15 million
Florida - 1819 - from Spain - Spain ceded (gave) it to the U.S.
Annexation of Texas - 1845 - The Republic of Texas was simply added (annexed) to the U.S.
Oregon Territory - 1846 - We worked out an agreement with the British to divide Oregon Territory
Mexican Cession - 1848 - We took this land from Mexico in war and also paid Mexico $15 million
Gadsden Purchase - 1853 - from Mexico - purchase for $10 million

These land gains also is what is recorded on handout #24 at the top half of the page.

Lastly, you should use the backside of handout #24 to do some "Quick Facts" over the Mexican War. Read page 308 to 311 in your book and take down a couple of facts per book section. Pay particular attention to how President James Polk started the war against Mexico and then how the war went for the U.S.