The Annexation Manifest Destiny

In the 1840’s the Americans had a belief which was they could spread their land and culture across what was know as mexican territory. The culture before was America only consisting of only The United States, and The Louisiana purchase. The Americans needed a land where they could have fertilized soil to grow their crops. The Americans said “we want to expand our way of living.” Which meant that the only way to get the land was to share it or capture it.

In the 19th century, the idea of the Manifest Destiny came to rise, which believed that America was destined to expand outwards. At the same time, as America grew westward, sectionalism and tension between states also grew. These two events are connected, as many aspects of westward expansion impacted the development of sectionalism, like the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the Mexican-American War, and the annexation of Texas. The examination of these specific events reveals that the westward expansion affected the development of sectionalism from 1820 to 1850 in the North and South and the underlying theme of slavery.

In the mid-1800s the United States continued to undergo prompt changes that had made the country distinguished since it formed. Primarily during this time, the U.S started to expand and grasp more of the idea of so called “manifest destiny” which meant belief that God intended the American nation to reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The Americans, now determined in the belief that it was their right as well as their fate to expand, supported the nation’s entitlements for new lands. Throughout most of the 1840s, the United States and Great Britain mutually managed Oregon, and Utah was part of Mexico. This did not stop Americans from settling in either area.

In 1823, Mexico passed the General Colonization Law opening Texas to colonization and presenting impresario grants to individuals hoping to help encourage settlement and economic growth in the remote Mexican land of Texas. The Mexican government, later on, adopted the Constitution of 1824 making Texas joined with Mexico as part of the larger state of Coahuila y Tejas. Texas joining as a larger state-led to disadvantages such as the political power being placed in a more populous neighboring province of Coahuila. When becoming a larger state Texans enjoyed their own representative government at the local and provincial levels, so when Texans found out that politicians in the Coahuila city of Saltillo formed a new government in August that took

Throughout the sixteen and seventeen hundreds Spain had a difficult time getting Spanish settlers to move to Texas. Native Americans who were already settled in Texas were attacking settlers and running them out. After treaties were signed and deals were made with the Native Americans Spanish settlers known as Tejanos slowly began to call Texas home. In 1821 Mexico had gained its Independence from Spain and now controlled Texas. Fearing of attacks from Native Americans they decided to open up Texas to all immigrants.

Anglo-American colonization in Mexican Texas took place between 1821 and 1835. Because Spain had first opened Texas to Anglo Americans in 1820, less than one year before Mexico achieved its independence. Its traditional policy forbade foreigners in its territory, but Spain was unable to persuade its own citizens to move to remote and sparsely populated Texas. There were only three settlements in the province, small towns with outlying ranches. The missions near the latter two, once expected to be nucleus communities, because they had been or were being secularized, while those near Nacogdoches had been closed since the 1770s.

Texas Declaration of Independence were wrote in March 2, 1836. There are four authors of Texas DOI, appointed by the president of the Tejas, Richard Ellis. The main author, George Childress, was born on January 8, 1804, at Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated from Davidson Academy, the modern University of Nashville, in 1826. He married Margaret Vance on June 12, 1826. After, he began to practice law between September 1834 - November 1835.

The social reaction to expansionism continued throughout both movements because the opposing sides of each argument disagreed on completely different topics. Many during the time of Imperialism believed America was destined to expand due to the believed superiority of the Anglo-Saxon race (Doc 1), and was justified in expanding due to the fact that America would spread democracy and that they were required to expand because it was the “White Man’s Burden” (Doc 1-POV). This is also true for Manifest Destiny, which was built on the idea that God ordained the western hemisphere for Americans.

Murder fever wandering around Texas? Are Mexicans still hurt and devastated? Do Americans even honor this day? In 1846, there was some dispute about the Mexican American border. Mexico felt that the officially fair border was along the Nueces River.

The Spanish monarchy relinquished colonial power over Mexico in 1821. After gaining independence, Mexico established legislatures, including the abolition of slavery (Document D). The abolition of slavery would lead to a mass controversy and essentially a war. Before the Mexican War, a mass influx of United States, immigrants had entered Texas (Document D). Defying Mexican legislature, citizens in the western and southern parts of the United States saw Texas as an economic miracle to sell slaves.