Westward+Expansion


 * Westward Expansion**

Manifest Destiny and the Move West

In the 1830s and 1840s, the spirit of Manifest Destiny swept across the country. Most Americans believed that it was obvious that the country should expand from coast to coast. The belief was perfectly timed. The economy was recovering from the devastating recession of 1837, and new technologies were allowing the country to begin its own industrial revolution. American diplomats were able to successfully negotiate agreements on the borders of Maine and the Pacific Northwest, and the country was seen as an increasingly important player in world affairs.

Some in the country who believed in Manifest Destiny also believed that the United States' destiny also lay in Mexico. In the late 1840s, pressure increased to have the United States claim much of Mexico's northern lands. War broke out with our southern neighbor in 1846, and when it was concluded two years later, the size of the country increased again, as much of present day Arizona, New Mexico, California, Utah and Nevada was added to the United States.

Timing was fortuitous, because about the same time, gold was discovered in California, and the gold rush was on as thousands flocked to the gold fields. With this expansion came the increasingly pressing question of slavery. Were these new lands to be free or slave? The debate over that question almost broke apart the country in 1850, until a compromise was reached which would hold it together for another decade.

The theme of the 1840s seemed to be "move west" for many. Record numbers of whites packed their belongings and moved west. The reasons for doing so were varied. Some moved west for the chance at prime farmland--this was certainly the case for those who headed to Oregon Territory in the early 1840s. They were lured there by tales of the unbelievably rich farmland in the Willamette Valley. All that was standing in their way was a trip of more than 2000 miles--the infamous Oregon Trail. The trail was one of the several mapped-out routes west, and was popular because, though difficult, it offered a clear path across the Rocky Mountains and, in good weather, just enough watering holes to make it feasible. The Donner Party was a group of settlers that had a more tragic overland crossing. Trapped by winter in the mountains, some in the party resorted to extreme means to survive. Many of those who made the move west did so in hope of another kind of riches--gold. In the late 1840s gold was discovered in several places in northern California, and the rush began.