Crash Course U.S. History: The Acquisition of Texas and California

Introduction

• Host: John Green
• Focus on the acquisition of two large states: Texas and California
• Reference to westward expansion and Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

• Term coined by journalist John O’Sullivan
• Describes America's perceived right to expand from Atlantic to Pacific
• Expansion driven by economics and Jefferson’s empire of liberty

The Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion

• By 1860, nearly 300,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail
• Oregon was jointly controlled by the U.S. and Britain
• Northern Mexico included present-day Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and California

The Texas Revolution

• Mexico granted land to Moses Austin; Stephen Austin sold smaller parcels
• Mexico annulled land contracts and banned further emigration
• Slavery was abolished in Mexico but Americans brought slaves
• Tensions led to the Texas War of Independence
• Texas became the Lone Star Republic

Texas Annexation

• Texas wanted to join the U.S. but was initially ignored due to slavery issues
• Eventually annexed by Congress in 1845
• Oregon divide restored Senate balance of slave/free states

The Mexican-American War

• President Polk wanted California and tried to purchase it
• Polk sent troops to a disputed area leading to war
• War primarily fought on Mexican soil
• Opposition from figures like Henry David Thoreau and Abraham Lincoln

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

• Signed in 1848
• Mexico ceded California and other territories to the U.S.
• U.S. paid Mexico $15 million

Impact on Native and Mexican Americans

• Post-treaty: Many Mexicans and Native Americans fell under U.S. jurisdiction
• Rights granted to Mexican males but discrimination persisted
• Rise of nativism and the "Know-Nothing" party

The California Gold Rush

• Gold discovered in 1848
• Massive population increase in California
• Diverse influx of migrants, including Chinese contract workers

California Statehood

• California became a free state in 1850
• Missouri Compromise did not apply
• Compromise of 1850 resolved tensions temporarily

Challenges of the Compromise

• Four components: California free state, outlawing slave trade in D.C., harsh fugitive slave law, and popular sovereignty
• Debates between pro-slavery and abolitionist figures

Conclusion

• Manifest destiny and expansion highlighted U.S. governance issues
• Failure to extend liberties to various groups foreshadowed future conflicts
• Episode concludes with a promise of worsening situations in future topics