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

Introduction

• John Green discusses the acquisition of Texas and California by the United States.
• References to Manifest Destiny and westward expansion to the Pacific.
• Mention of economics and the Empire of Liberty regarding expansion.
• Slavery is briefly mentioned but deferred for later discussion.

The Oregon Trail and Northern Mexico

• By 1860, 300,000 people traveled the Oregon Trail.
• Oregon was controlled by the US and Britain.
• Northern Mexico included Texas, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and California.
• New Mexico and California had significant settlements with Native American majorities.

Texas Independence

• Few Tejanos in Texas after Mexican independence.
• Stephen Austin sold land to Americans, increasing American population in Texas.
• Mexico annulled land contracts, banned further emigration, and prohibited slavery.
• Texas elites demanded autonomy and continued use of slave labor.
• Santa Anna’s control led to a revolt.
• The Alamo was a significant event leading to Texas’s eventual independence.
• Texas became the Lone Star Republic but sought U.S. annexation.

Annexation and the Balance of Power

• Texas's wish for annexation was initially ignored due to the slavery issue.
• Annexation delayed until James K. Polk's presidency.
• U.S. Congress annexed Texas in 1845.
• Agreement with Britain to divide Oregon restored Senate balance of slave/free states.

Mexican-American War

• Polk sought California and used military action to provoke war.
• War was controversial due to its expansionist aims and executive power increase.
• Notable dissenters included Henry David Thoreau and Abraham Lincoln.
• Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war, confirming Texas annexation and ceding California and more territories to the U.S.

Post-War Expansion

• Acquisition fulfilled the U.S. expansion from Atlantic to Pacific.
• Manifest Destiny led to tensions over governance and minority rights.
• Rise in anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant sentiment with the American Party (Know-Nothings).

California and the Gold Rush

• Discovery of gold in 1848 spurred massive migration.
• California’s population boom allowed it to apply for statehood as a free state.
• Significant Chinese immigration as labor for mining and railroads.
• California’s constitution restricted civil participation to whites.

The Compromise of 1850

• California admitted as a free state.
• Slave trade banned in D.C., but slavery continued.
• Enactment of a new fugitive slave law.
• Popular sovereignty allowed territories to decide on slavery.

Conclusion

• Manifest Destiny and acquisition of territories highlighted U.S. governance issues.
• Expansion deepened divisions, particularly over slavery, leading to future conflicts.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson's foresight on the consequences of territorial expansion.

• Production Credits: Crash Course produced by Stan Muller, script by Ron Raoul Meyer and John Green.
• Viewer engagement through comments and questions.

"Don't forget to be awesome." - John Green