Manifest Destiny – Mexican American War
--Andrew Jackson had come to conclude that Indians could not remain under the idea that it was
impossible for separate peoples to coexist within a nation; Indian claims to sovereignty were
rejected and removal rationalized as a way of saving Indian civilization
--Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830 despite many treaties signed with Indian tribes;
removal was applied in an oppressive and discriminatory manner with force and exploitation
--Indian tribes did resist removal with the Cherokee resisting removal the longest and even going
to the Supreme Court where they won their case; Jackson ignored court ruling and Cherokee
were removed by force on a trek where so many died that it became known as Trail of Tears
--in 1837, Canadian province of Ontario rebels and is quickly put down by the crown and
conservative Canadians; number of Americans do join with Canadian rebels under command of
William Lyon McKenzie
--America is quick to declare neutrality, but does have to deal with issues of American gun
runners and retaliatory border raids by Loyalist Canadians into American territory; important
raid involves crossing border to seize the Caroline, an American gun runner ship
--after failed arbitration and rebellion, violence breaks out in disputed area between the two St.
Croix Rivers in what is known as the Aroostook War; freelancing lumberjacks from New
Brunswick and Maine move into disputed area to take out timber and resent presence of each
other to point of fighting
--in Britain, Sir Robert Peel as the prime minister and Lord Aberdeen as the foreign minister
greatly hope to avoid war; Daniel Webster as American minister to Britain proposes that talks be
held, which are favorably responded to in Britain
--British send Lord Ashburton as a special envoy; Ashburton wants to establish good relations
with America and is an outstanding friend of Webster
--La Amistad was a ship illegally transporting African captives to Cuba as the slave trade had
been banned; Africans took control of the ship in 1839 and were captured off the coast of Long
Island by United States naval vessels
--upon capture, the Africans of the Amistad and the owner of the ship went to court to decide if
the Africans were property of anyone or if they should be let free; Amistad case in 1841 reached
Supreme Court, which ruled that the Africans had been illegally transported and should be freed
--a ship in 1841 named the Creole was transporting slaves from Virginia to New Orleans as part
of the domestic slave trade when the captive slaves took over the ship and sailed to the Bahamas,
a free territory of the British
--as the slaves had landed on free territory and because of local pressure, British released all of
,the slaves; southerners were furious and demanded restoration of their property and reparations,
but United States had no extradition treaty with Britain to support those claims
--normal rules of negotiation are tossed out with ignoring of earlier negotiations to reach
Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 where America will gain 7,000 of the disputed square miles
and Britain will gain 5,000 of the square miles
--additional agreements of Webster-Ashburton Treaty are naval cooperation between Americans
and British over stopping the slave trade, rules governing the extradition of criminals, and British
apology for Caroline incursion
--another border dispute concerning Canada exists with Oregon country being claimed by Spain,
America, Russia, and Britain; matter in Convention of 1818 is let go under belief that it can be
resolved later
--eventually, enough settlers move into Oregon Country to necessitate a settlement; negotiations
culminate in the Oregon Treaty, which extends the American border from the Lake of the Woods
further along the 49th parallel to the Pacific
--many American settlers in Oregon Country want the border to be extended all the way to 54 40
with war if not granted; sentiment does not prevail elsewhere and dispute with Canada over
border is largely solved until Civil War
--manifest destiny is term used to describe American desire to expand westward under notion
that God has ordained that Americans occupy all land from the Atlantic to Pacific
--Young America was a Democratic faction that developed which favored free trade, social
reform, expansion into the territories, and support for republican anti-aristocratic movements
abroad; broke with agrarian and strict constructionist views to embrace commerce, technology,
regulation, reform, and internationalism
--Young Americans saw a modern infrastructure and capitalism as necessities for economic
development; claimed modernization would perpetuate agrarian vision by allowing farmers to
better sell their products and prosper
--John L. O’Sullivan was a key figure of the Young America movement and was the one who
coined the term of manifest destiny; justified annexation of Texas, Oregon, and California with
idea that Americans had been granted that land by God to use for the development of liberty
--O’Sullivan further tied Young America into manifest destiny when he stated that American
democracy needed to expand in order to contain its opponent in aristocracy; initially saw
democratic expansion taking place by its own merits and without force, but came to believe that
opposition in the form of Mexico could easily be swept aside and bring no dishonor or shame
--outside of westward expansion, O’Sullivan became involved in a movement of Cuban dissident
, and American revolutionary supporters who hoped to see Cuba gain independence from Spain
and then be annexed to the United States; meetings took place with Polk in an effort to convince
him to buy Cuba with offer of $100 million, which Spain refused; O’Sullivan led another effort
on his own to foment revolt, but Zachary Taylor arrested and jailed for violating Neutrality Acts
--in 1854, Pierre Soule as minister to Spain and member of Young America released the Ostend
Manifesto; Ostend Manifesto extended manifest destiny to include Cuba under the claim that it
was essential to the United States and to the institution of slavery; further reasoning included fear
of a possible slave revolt that might spread to America and foreign influence in Cuba; was stated
that these reasons justified wrestling Cuba from Spain if it refused to sell
--expansionist fervor also extended to Nicaragua; William Walker and a group of followers went
into Nicaragua amidst a civil war and seized control with Walker established as president over a
government that was immediately recognized by the United States
--Walker launched an Americanization program in Nicaragua that included the reinstitution of
slavery, declaring English as an official language, and encouraging immigration from America;
envisioned a nation based on slavery and run by white men, but failed when other Central
American nations banded together to oust him in war
--eager for expanded trade and outlets for missionary activity, Americans also turned desires
towards China
--in an attempt to capitalize on previous British gains in China, President John Tyler sent Caleb
Cushing as a diplomat to negotiate with China; in an effort to play America and Britain against
each other, China agreed to the Treaty of Wanghia; Treaty of Wanghia gave America same
commercial gains as Britain, but granted a most-favored clause where all terms conceded to
other nations automatically apply to America
--further economic opening up of China occurred with the Treaty of Tientsin; Treaty of Tientsin
concluded the Second Opium War and allowed France, Britain, Russia, and the United States to
maintain diplomatic offices in Beijing, opened up twelve more Chinese ports for foreign trade,
and allowed foreigners to internally travel freely for purposes of trade and missionary activity
--Treaty of Tientsin was later amended with the Burlingame Treaty of 1868; Burlingame Treaty
established formal friendly relations between America and China and granted China the status of
most favored nation
--stipulations of Burlingame Treaty included recognizing China’s right of eminent domain over
its territory, allowing China to appoint consuls at ports in the United States, provided that
citizens of one country residing in the other will enjoy religious freedom, and granted certain
privileges to citizens of one country residing in the other
--to open up Japan for economic trade and to use as a coaling station, President Millard Fillmore
--Andrew Jackson had come to conclude that Indians could not remain under the idea that it was
impossible for separate peoples to coexist within a nation; Indian claims to sovereignty were
rejected and removal rationalized as a way of saving Indian civilization
--Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830 despite many treaties signed with Indian tribes;
removal was applied in an oppressive and discriminatory manner with force and exploitation
--Indian tribes did resist removal with the Cherokee resisting removal the longest and even going
to the Supreme Court where they won their case; Jackson ignored court ruling and Cherokee
were removed by force on a trek where so many died that it became known as Trail of Tears
--in 1837, Canadian province of Ontario rebels and is quickly put down by the crown and
conservative Canadians; number of Americans do join with Canadian rebels under command of
William Lyon McKenzie
--America is quick to declare neutrality, but does have to deal with issues of American gun
runners and retaliatory border raids by Loyalist Canadians into American territory; important
raid involves crossing border to seize the Caroline, an American gun runner ship
--after failed arbitration and rebellion, violence breaks out in disputed area between the two St.
Croix Rivers in what is known as the Aroostook War; freelancing lumberjacks from New
Brunswick and Maine move into disputed area to take out timber and resent presence of each
other to point of fighting
--in Britain, Sir Robert Peel as the prime minister and Lord Aberdeen as the foreign minister
greatly hope to avoid war; Daniel Webster as American minister to Britain proposes that talks be
held, which are favorably responded to in Britain
--British send Lord Ashburton as a special envoy; Ashburton wants to establish good relations
with America and is an outstanding friend of Webster
--La Amistad was a ship illegally transporting African captives to Cuba as the slave trade had
been banned; Africans took control of the ship in 1839 and were captured off the coast of Long
Island by United States naval vessels
--upon capture, the Africans of the Amistad and the owner of the ship went to court to decide if
the Africans were property of anyone or if they should be let free; Amistad case in 1841 reached
Supreme Court, which ruled that the Africans had been illegally transported and should be freed
--a ship in 1841 named the Creole was transporting slaves from Virginia to New Orleans as part
of the domestic slave trade when the captive slaves took over the ship and sailed to the Bahamas,
a free territory of the British
--as the slaves had landed on free territory and because of local pressure, British released all of
,the slaves; southerners were furious and demanded restoration of their property and reparations,
but United States had no extradition treaty with Britain to support those claims
--normal rules of negotiation are tossed out with ignoring of earlier negotiations to reach
Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 where America will gain 7,000 of the disputed square miles
and Britain will gain 5,000 of the square miles
--additional agreements of Webster-Ashburton Treaty are naval cooperation between Americans
and British over stopping the slave trade, rules governing the extradition of criminals, and British
apology for Caroline incursion
--another border dispute concerning Canada exists with Oregon country being claimed by Spain,
America, Russia, and Britain; matter in Convention of 1818 is let go under belief that it can be
resolved later
--eventually, enough settlers move into Oregon Country to necessitate a settlement; negotiations
culminate in the Oregon Treaty, which extends the American border from the Lake of the Woods
further along the 49th parallel to the Pacific
--many American settlers in Oregon Country want the border to be extended all the way to 54 40
with war if not granted; sentiment does not prevail elsewhere and dispute with Canada over
border is largely solved until Civil War
--manifest destiny is term used to describe American desire to expand westward under notion
that God has ordained that Americans occupy all land from the Atlantic to Pacific
--Young America was a Democratic faction that developed which favored free trade, social
reform, expansion into the territories, and support for republican anti-aristocratic movements
abroad; broke with agrarian and strict constructionist views to embrace commerce, technology,
regulation, reform, and internationalism
--Young Americans saw a modern infrastructure and capitalism as necessities for economic
development; claimed modernization would perpetuate agrarian vision by allowing farmers to
better sell their products and prosper
--John L. O’Sullivan was a key figure of the Young America movement and was the one who
coined the term of manifest destiny; justified annexation of Texas, Oregon, and California with
idea that Americans had been granted that land by God to use for the development of liberty
--O’Sullivan further tied Young America into manifest destiny when he stated that American
democracy needed to expand in order to contain its opponent in aristocracy; initially saw
democratic expansion taking place by its own merits and without force, but came to believe that
opposition in the form of Mexico could easily be swept aside and bring no dishonor or shame
--outside of westward expansion, O’Sullivan became involved in a movement of Cuban dissident
, and American revolutionary supporters who hoped to see Cuba gain independence from Spain
and then be annexed to the United States; meetings took place with Polk in an effort to convince
him to buy Cuba with offer of $100 million, which Spain refused; O’Sullivan led another effort
on his own to foment revolt, but Zachary Taylor arrested and jailed for violating Neutrality Acts
--in 1854, Pierre Soule as minister to Spain and member of Young America released the Ostend
Manifesto; Ostend Manifesto extended manifest destiny to include Cuba under the claim that it
was essential to the United States and to the institution of slavery; further reasoning included fear
of a possible slave revolt that might spread to America and foreign influence in Cuba; was stated
that these reasons justified wrestling Cuba from Spain if it refused to sell
--expansionist fervor also extended to Nicaragua; William Walker and a group of followers went
into Nicaragua amidst a civil war and seized control with Walker established as president over a
government that was immediately recognized by the United States
--Walker launched an Americanization program in Nicaragua that included the reinstitution of
slavery, declaring English as an official language, and encouraging immigration from America;
envisioned a nation based on slavery and run by white men, but failed when other Central
American nations banded together to oust him in war
--eager for expanded trade and outlets for missionary activity, Americans also turned desires
towards China
--in an attempt to capitalize on previous British gains in China, President John Tyler sent Caleb
Cushing as a diplomat to negotiate with China; in an effort to play America and Britain against
each other, China agreed to the Treaty of Wanghia; Treaty of Wanghia gave America same
commercial gains as Britain, but granted a most-favored clause where all terms conceded to
other nations automatically apply to America
--further economic opening up of China occurred with the Treaty of Tientsin; Treaty of Tientsin
concluded the Second Opium War and allowed France, Britain, Russia, and the United States to
maintain diplomatic offices in Beijing, opened up twelve more Chinese ports for foreign trade,
and allowed foreigners to internally travel freely for purposes of trade and missionary activity
--Treaty of Tientsin was later amended with the Burlingame Treaty of 1868; Burlingame Treaty
established formal friendly relations between America and China and granted China the status of
most favored nation
--stipulations of Burlingame Treaty included recognizing China’s right of eminent domain over
its territory, allowing China to appoint consuls at ports in the United States, provided that
citizens of one country residing in the other will enjoy religious freedom, and granted certain
privileges to citizens of one country residing in the other
--to open up Japan for economic trade and to use as a coaling station, President Millard Fillmore
