7.2: Manifest Destiny and the Expanding Western Frontier
The mid-nineteenth century was a time of great geographical expansion for the United States. The relocation of Native tribes, the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the California Gold Rush, and other events helped define this moment in history. Read this text to see the impact these events had on life, culture, and literature in the United States. Conversations around Manifest Destiny also seemed to hinge on slavery. Would new territories allow slavery or not? Read with this question in mind.
Watch this lecture from on the expansion of the United States and the question of slavery. Take notes while you watch, and think about the effects of these political conversations on the people living in the territories in question.