Anushka Vakil

11/13/16
Period 6
Chapter 17
Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy
1. The Accession of Tyler Too
a. Harrison contracted pneumonia and died after 4 weeks in office
i.
D. Webster and H. Clay planned to use Harrison as
their puppet, but their plan failed with his death
ii.
J. Tyler (VP) ascended to power
b. Tyler lacked political support
i.
Joined the whigs, largely because he believed
Jackson was a dictator to Jacksonian Democrats
ii.
Still a democrat at heart and clashed with the
policies of the Whigs
2. John Tyler: A President Without a Party
a. Whig policies were strongly nationalistic
i.
Clay proposed the Independent treasury system be
replaced by a new Bank of the United States
ii.
Tyler vetoed both the bank and the fiscal
corporation that Clay proposed
b. Tyler became highly unfavorable among the public
i.
Received numerous letters threatening him with
death
ii.
Formally expelled from the Whig party and almost
impeached
iii.
Entire cabinet resigned
c. Tyler vetoed proposed Whig tariff
i.
Tariff distributed money from western lands to the
states rather than the federal government
ii.
Approved a new tariff that took out the dollar
distribution
3. A War of Words with Britain
a. Hatred of Britain peaked during the 1800s
i.
2 Anglo-American wars
ii.
Pro-British federalist party had died out and
replaced by Democrats, who were seen as ill-mannered
b. Literary works on both sides reflected political views
i.
British magazines and American journals fought a
war of words
ii.
Americans often didnt repay British debts
c. Americans clashed with Canadians

i.
Small Canadian rebellion occurred in 1837 and was
supported by Americans
ii.
British bombed a ship, Caroline, carrying supplies
to Canadian insurgents in New York Harbor
d. British invasion of American soil had significant consequences
i.
Americans arrested a Canadian who had helped
bomb the Caroline
ii.
British stated that his execution would mean war
and the Canadian was released
iii.
Asylum was offered to American slaves who landed
on British islands, where slavery was abolished
4. Manipulating the Maine Maps
a. British wanted to build a road above Maine for their own
protection
i.
This land was part of disputed territory claimed by
both America and Britain
ii.
Both sides summoned a milita
b. Lord Ashburton was sent for reconciliation
i.
Established cordial relations with Webster
ii.
Settled on a compromise that gave Americans more
land and the British their defense road
iii.
British lost valuable iron fields due to this
agreement, which they did not know about
5. The Lone Star of Texas Shines Alone
a. Mexicans viewed Texas as a territory in revolt and threatened war
if America took it in as a state
b. Constant violence occurred between the Mexican-American border
i.
Texans were forced to maintain a costly military
because they did not know when Mexico would strike again
ii.
Formed alliances with various European countries,
including Britain
c. Britain had its own plans for Texas
i.
Texas could be used as a puppet territory to turn on
America when they needed to
ii.
Check Americas borders to prevent it from
expanding into British holdings
iii.
Free-trade region for revenue such as cotton
6. The Belated Texas Nuptials
a. J. Polk of the Democratic party became president
b. Determined to annex Texas during his presidency, Tyler played a
major role in admitting Texas as a state
c. Mexico was furious at the annexation
i.
Believed they still had a chance at conquering
Texas, which was not realistically possible

ii.
Texas as a republic posed a threat to America
7. Oregon Fever Populates Oregon
a. Both Britain and America laid claims to the Oregon Territory
i.
British claims were based on discovery, treaty
rights, and prior occupation
ii.
American claims were based on missionaries and
certain explorers
iii.
Joint occupation remained peaceful for many years
b. Americans began pouring into Oregon
i.
5,000 Americans were taken with Oregon fever as
opposed to 700 British
ii.
Only a small portion of the Oregon territory was
actually disputed
8. A Mandate (?) for Manifest Destiny
a. Whigs nominated H. Clay for presidency while the democrats
nominated J. Polk
b. Manifest Destiny received an upsurge during this election
i.
God had dictated that America would spread from
coast to coast
ii.
Democracy and liberty would spread all throughout
the Americas
c. Polk won the election and hastened the annexation of Texas by
Tyler
9. Polk the Purposeful
a. Reduction in tariffs
i.
Reduced tariff rate from 32% to 25%
ii.
Successful since it increased imports
b. Restoration of independent treasury
c. Boundary between Oregon was settled at 54-40
10. Misunderstandings with Mexico
a. Polk sought out California
i.
California was a mixing pot of Mexicans and
Americans
ii.
Lack of diplomatic relations
b. California was not able to be bought from the Mexicans
11. American Blood on American (?) Soil
a. Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande and killed 16 soldiers,
starting the war
i.
Polk ordered 4000 men to the site of the battle
ii.
Abraham Lincoln questioned where exactly the
battle had taken place
b. Congress declared war
12. The Mastering of Mexico
a. Santa Ana convinced Polk that if he returned to his country, he
would betray them and stop the war

i.
He lied
ii.
Santa Ana rallied up an army
b. Kearny and Fremont proved to be successful in their battles
13. Fighting Mexico for Peace
a. Polk wanted an armistice for $10,000
b. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave Americans all land north of the
Rio Grande
c. US paid $15 million for the territory
14. Profit and Loss in Mexico
a. Americas land count was increased by 13,000
b. Field experience for generals who would serve in the Civil War