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A level and As level American History Notes
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A level and As level History Notes
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The Expansion of US powerfrom the 1840s to the 1930s
Manifest destiny
n The Expansion of US into western territories.
n This meant that the US had to oppress Native Americans as they became an obstacle to expansion
The US expanded to the west coast (Oregon and California) and wanted to expand trade into western
countries like China and Japan and expand their territories to Philippians and eastwards to Hawaii and
parts of central America.
The Mexican-American war 1846-48
n Stemmed from the annexation of Texas in 1845 by the US as well as where the boarder was
n Mexico refused to acknowledge the annex of Texas without a conflict. Polk encouraged these
feelings
n President Polk offered 25 million dollars for northern territories of Mexico. This was refused and Polk
then sent troops to the Rio Grande.
n Mexico’s capital was then invaded and taken by US troops until a peace treaty was signed.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
§ After the US victory in Mexico a treaty was signed where Mexico had received few perks
§ The US gained 2 more territories (Upper California and New Mexico) and the Rio Grande
was established as the boarder of Texas.
§ Mexico had been reduced to half its size. In return the US paid 15 million dollars.
The Indian wars
n The Native Americans didn’t believe that land could be owned
n They were nomadic and therefore followed the buffalo (their food)
n The arrival of the fist “American” had a major impact of their ability to hunt.
Destruction of the Buffalo
§ Buffalo were sacred to the Indians and no parts of the Buffalos were wasted
§ In the 1870s the American hunters, hired by the railroad, began killing the buffalos
to drive out the Indians as well as to feed railway workers.
§ Many Americans also killed buffalo for sport
n In 1867 Americans began moving Indians to large reservations
§ Most reservations were on small poor land and Indians had been tricked to move
there
§ Some NA resisted
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,The battle of little big horn
In 1874 General George A Custer led an army to check on rumours of gold in the Black Hills
in South Dakota, a land promised to Sioux Indians. Gold was found and prospectors flooded to the
areas. The Sioux protested but the government did not honour its promises. The Sioux leader “sitting
bull” gathered warriors to where they were joined by chief Crazy horse and his followers. Custer
divided his forces and attacked with 250 soldiers against the thousands of Indians. Custer and all of
his men were lost. The Native victory was short lived as the army crushed the uprising soon after.
Geronimo and the apache
Geronimo fought against both Mexican and US troops and he became famous for his many
escapes from captivity. His 38 men, women and children evaded 5000 US troops and the Mexican
army for a year. His forces became the last major force of independent Indian warriors who refused
to acknowledge the US government in the west. This came to an end on September 4, 1886, when
Geronimo surrendered to the US army in Arizona.
Changing the culture of the plains Indians
The Dawes act 1887
A law passed by the congress that sought to change the culture of plains Indians.
This entailed…
Breaking Make each tribe
reservations into private member own a parcel of
parcels of 160 acres per land
land -allow extra land be sold
to settlers
Get Indians to become farmers and
then citizens.
They wanted to change Native Americans view of private land ownership and to end Nomadic
traditions as will as “civilizing the Native Americans.
Schools
- Native American boarding schools were made to Americanize the N.A. children. Much
reservation land was sold to be schools.
Wounded knee
*Bury my heart at wounded knew*
n Battle between the US military and Sioux Indians and Wounded Knee.
n 300 Sioux men, women and children died.
n The last major battle of the Indian wars of the late 19 century.
n Massacre which happened at dawn.
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,The purchase of Alaska, 1867
n Bought for 7.2 million dollars by the US in 1867 from Russia. Was done to expand in the sphere of
influence.
§ Thought to be “Seward’s Folly” until gold was discovered in 1890.
§ The purchase of Alaska in 1867 marked the end of Russian efforts to expand trade and
settlements to the Pacific coast of North America, and became an important step in the
United States rise as a great power in the Asia-Pacific region.
The consequences of us expansion of power in North America from the 1840s to 1890s
The main consequences from this rise to power were the death and mistreatment of Native Americans, as
well as the death of Americans who the NA's killed, in particular after the US broke many treaties they made
guaranteeing they would be fed and cared for in the lands they were moved to.
There were environmental impacts where the buffalo population was depleted, the land became
developed and grazed and the water contaminated.
No major impacts from the purchase of Alaska but the Mexican- American war as well as Alaska expanded
the size of America exponentially.
Did USA relations with central america & Caribbean change between the 1840s and 1930s
Policy’s towards Mexico. 1846- 1920
The relationship between US and Mexico throughout the period after 1848 was always tense.
1870 - US investment and business expansion in Mexico
1914-16 - President Wilson stands sends troops to protect US interest and restore order in
Mexico
1910 - Mexican Civil war after liberal revelation
-Concerned US because the Panama Canal was being built
1867 - Maximilian (Their emperor) is executed
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, Panama Canal
- William Seward had tried to start negotiations with
Columbia for a canal, but the senate stopped him.
- Colombia was not interested in the Canal. So a
French company with aid from US stirred up a
panama independence movement (from Columbia) in
1902.
- America then permanently acquired a strip of
Panamanian land where the canal would be built.
- The Monroe Doctrine had intended to preserve the sovereignty of the independent states in the Americans,
with a message for Europe to stay out of the region.
- The canal was finished by 1914, built largely with American money and with US engineering skills and
initiative. It played a major role in the development of the US as a pacific power.
-5,609 people died in its construction.
Relationship and policies with Dominican Republic
In 1905, Roosevelt sent the US marines to the Dominican Republic, allegedly to prevent European
powers taking action to collect debts owed to them. The Dominican Republic became a US protectorate with
Americans running the economy. By 1930, the Dominican Republic had come under the control of a US-
marine trained dictator, Rafael Trujillo, who ruled the country with great brutality for over 30 years. Trujillo
allowed US business interests to dominate the economy of the D.R.
The Spanish-American
Causes:
o Cuban desire for independence.
o Americas business Interests
o Yellow Journalism (Fake news)
o American Jingoism (nationalism in the form of aggressive foreign policy)
o Explosion of the U.S.S. Maine
o De Lorne letter (reveals de Lôme's opinion about the Spanish involvement in Cuba and US
President McKinley's diplomacy.)
War was declared on April 25, 1898. Fought in the Caribbean and in the Philippines. Spain then
surrendered August 12 and signs the treaty of Paris. Cuba gains “Independence” and US gains control of
Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. It marked U.S. entry in world affairs.
Cuba became a protectorate of the US.
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