America: A Narrative History - Chapter 13.1: Western Expansion

00:35:04
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUt3-PgPgkA

Summary

TLDRChapter 13 of David Emory Shi's "America: A Narrative History" focuses on westward expansion in the 19th century United States. The video, led by Professor Casey, explores the migration driven by economic instability in the eastern states and the promise of land and wealth in the west, notably due to mining opportunities and agricultural expansion. The concept of Manifest Destiny, coined by John O'Sullivan in 1845, justified this expansion as a divine right. The lecture also addresses the harsh realities and misconceptions of the westward migration process, including the infamous Donner Party's journey, which resulted in cannibalism due to dire conditions. Additionally, the impact on Native American tribes and Hispanic communities in Mexican territories such as Texas, which were heavily influenced by American settlers, is examined. The video touches on the significant migration routes like the Oregon Trail and the influence of key figures, such as John C. Fremont, on exploration and settlement. Overall, the expansion is depicted as a complex amalgamation of ambition, hardship, and cultural tension.

Takeaways

  • 🗺️ Westward expansion was driven by economic opportunities and the promise of new land.
  • 📜 The term "Manifest Destiny" was coined by John O'Sullivan in 1845.
  • ⛏️ The California Gold Rush in 1848 was a significant factor for migration.
  • 👥 Westward journeys were fraught with hardships, exemplified by the Donner Party incident.
  • 🏞️ The Oregon Trail was a crucial migration route for settlers.
  • 🤝 Native American tribes and Mexican territories were heavily impacted by expansion.
  • ⚖️ Manifest Destiny was used to morally justify expansion, despite its racist implications.
  • 🚀 John C. Fremont played a key role in exploring and mapping western territories.
  • 🛠️ Cultural and social dynamics were challenged and altered by westward settlement.
  • 📉 The Native American population decreased significantly due to disease and displacement.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:05:00

    Discussion of Chapter 13 of 'America: A Narrative History', focusing on westward expansion driven by economic instability in the east, religious freedom, and opportunities in new lands, especially in mining and agriculture. The concept of 'Manifest Destiny' emerges, leading to significant migration westward.

  • 00:05:00 - 00:10:00

    From 1841 to 1867, mass migration to the Pacific Northwest occurred with settlements along the way. Texas was under Mexican control, but by 1845 around 5,000 people annually made the journey. 1848 saw a gold rush in California drawing in 30,000 people along the Oregon Trail.

  • 00:10:00 - 00:15:00

    Native American presence in the west, with over 325,000 by 1840 across the Great Plains to California. Many Native tribes are farmers or nomadic, using horses for hunts and raids. Mexican area influence and U.S. interest in Northern Mexican areas increase.

  • 00:15:00 - 00:20:00

    The Great Basin and Pacific Northwest tribes relied on hunting and fishing. Mexico, seen as culturally inferior by whites, gained independence in 1821. Americans migrated to Texas and surrounding areas following Mexican independence, looking to capitalize on fur trade.

  • 00:20:00 - 00:25:00

    By the 19th century's early decades, territories in the northwest include Nebraska, Washington, and Oregon, shared by U.S. and Britain. Oregon becomes vital to settlement due to its fertile land. Migration is illustrated by experiences on the Oregon Trail.

  • 00:25:00 - 00:30:00

    Challenges of westward migration include disease, with cholera and dysentery being rampant. Family dynamics change as traditional roles are impractical. The Donner Party tragic story exemplifies the perilous journey, where survivors resorted to cannibalism for survival.

  • 00:30:00 - 00:35:04

    Settlement of California highlighted Spain's efforts to prevent Russian expansion. Missions controlled local Natives; after Mexican independence, missions declined, giving rise to local governance. John Charles Fremont's exploration paved the way for U.S. interest, with his mapping and surveys facilitating U.S. settlement strategies.

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Mind Map

Mind Map

Faqs

  • What motivated westward expansion in the 19th century?

    The primary motivations included economic opportunities, religious freedom, and the idea of Manifest Destiny.

  • Who coined the term "Manifest Destiny" and when?

    John O'Sullivan coined the term "Manifest Destiny" in 1845.

  • What is Manifest Destiny?

    Manifest Destiny was the belief that American settlers were destined to expand across North America, supported by the belief that it was a divine right and moral obligation.

  • What hardships did the Donner Party face?

    The Donner Party faced extreme hardships including getting lost, lack of food, and being trapped by snow, which led to cannibalism for survival.

  • What event attracted many settlers to California in 1848?

    The Gold Rush of 1848 attracted a large number of settlers seeking fortunes in California.

  • How did westward expansion affect Native American tribes?

    Westward expansion led to the displacement of Native American tribes and conflict due to the influx of settlers.

  • What was the Oregon Trail?

    The Oregon Trail was a historic east-to-west route used by settlers moving to Oregon, California, and other western territories.

  • Who was John C. Fremont?

    John C. Fremont was an American explorer and pathfinder who mapped the Oregon Trail, among other contributions.

  • Why did Americans embrace their expansion as Manifest Destiny?

    This perception arose from the belief that the Americas were divinely ordained to be leaders in spreading Christian capitalism and civilization.

  • What challenges did settlers face during westward expansion?

    Challenges included disease, lack of resources, harsh weather, and conflicts with Native Americans.

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  • 00:00:00
    hi everyone it's professor casey again
  • 00:00:02
    welcome back
  • 00:00:03
    today we're discussing chapter 13 from
  • 00:00:05
    david emory shy's america a narrative
  • 00:00:07
    history
  • 00:00:08
    and now we're going to focus a little
  • 00:00:10
    bit more on westward expansion okay
  • 00:00:12
    we've discussed
  • 00:00:13
    uh the different sectional areas of the
  • 00:00:15
    united states or at the northeast we
  • 00:00:17
    discuss the south parts of the midwest
  • 00:00:19
    and so now we can actually begin to
  • 00:00:20
    discuss on the area that's gradually
  • 00:00:22
    being colonized at this point in time
  • 00:00:25
    and especially beginning in the middle
  • 00:00:26
    part of the 19th century okay this is
  • 00:00:28
    when really
  • 00:00:29
    a lot more expansion westward begins to
  • 00:00:32
    develop
  • 00:00:33
    okay primarily because of mining
  • 00:00:34
    exploits and of course because of the
  • 00:00:36
    promise of new land
  • 00:00:42
    so by this point in time the west really
  • 00:00:44
    has a lot to offer for people living
  • 00:00:46
    back east okay we've already gone
  • 00:00:47
    through a period
  • 00:00:48
    of long-term economic instability back
  • 00:00:51
    east okay
  • 00:00:52
    from the embargo acts during the
  • 00:00:53
    jeffersonian administration
  • 00:00:55
    um all the way through um the aftermath
  • 00:00:58
    of the war of 1812 where the cotton
  • 00:01:00
    industry is gradually just beginning to
  • 00:01:02
    get on its feet
  • 00:01:03
    and even into the jacksonian era okay
  • 00:01:05
    where we've already seen
  • 00:01:07
    a lot of economic stability to do to the
  • 00:01:09
    bank of the united states going under
  • 00:01:11
    okay so a lot of people are really
  • 00:01:13
    looking for a stable way of life
  • 00:01:14
    out west and the pacific northwest in
  • 00:01:17
    particular
  • 00:01:18
    uh has a lot of stability to offer
  • 00:01:20
    especially where hunting and fishing is
  • 00:01:22
    concerned okay there are
  • 00:01:24
    viable food sources out there and also
  • 00:01:26
    there's an active fur trade with the
  • 00:01:27
    native tribes
  • 00:01:28
    okay and more so than that if we go
  • 00:01:31
    beyond the boundaries of the continental
  • 00:01:33
    united states right
  • 00:01:34
    the pacific coast also links up with
  • 00:01:37
    several other trading ports
  • 00:01:38
    that connect to asia as well okay so
  • 00:01:41
    there's a lot of promise for what could
  • 00:01:42
    potentially happen
  • 00:01:43
    on the west coast over time it could
  • 00:01:45
    become very wealthy
  • 00:01:49
    and again when it comes to economic
  • 00:01:51
    improvement especially that's really
  • 00:01:52
    what drives
  • 00:01:53
    most people to move out west right to
  • 00:01:55
    strike it rich or at least to become a
  • 00:01:57
    little bit more successful than they
  • 00:01:58
    have been
  • 00:02:01
    and again some people do choose to move
  • 00:02:02
    west for religious freedom as we've
  • 00:02:04
    already seen when it comes to
  • 00:02:06
    groups like the mormon church okay
  • 00:02:08
    sometimes they're looking to
  • 00:02:09
    obtain new converts right we still do
  • 00:02:11
    have a little bit of a presence of
  • 00:02:13
    catholicism that is gradually trying to
  • 00:02:15
    convert a few native tribes here and
  • 00:02:17
    there but still um
  • 00:02:18
    it's it's largely protestant movements
  • 00:02:20
    now that are beginning to
  • 00:02:22
    go out west and the west is by no means
  • 00:02:25
    empty either this is another
  • 00:02:26
    misconception
  • 00:02:28
    of people at the time anyways that this
  • 00:02:30
    is an undeveloped
  • 00:02:31
    empty country okay there are tons of
  • 00:02:34
    native american tribes
  • 00:02:36
    that are still in existence west of the
  • 00:02:37
    mississippi river
  • 00:02:39
    and there's a lot of hispanic residents
  • 00:02:40
    too that have been pushed aside by white
  • 00:02:42
    settlers along the way
  • 00:02:43
    okay remember a lot of the area that is
  • 00:02:46
    still to the
  • 00:02:47
    southwest in particular is still the
  • 00:02:48
    territory of new spain
  • 00:02:50
    and this is the area that eventually
  • 00:02:53
    ends up going into independent status
  • 00:02:55
    becomes part of mexico
  • 00:02:56
    and then over time becomes another area
  • 00:02:59
    of intrigue for the united states
  • 00:03:02
    and southerners in particular who end up
  • 00:03:04
    going west are really doing this to try
  • 00:03:06
    to expand their own agricultural
  • 00:03:08
    pursuits okay whether it's
  • 00:03:10
    crops that they can grow for subsistence
  • 00:03:13
    or in many cases when it comes to land
  • 00:03:15
    speculators especially
  • 00:03:16
    looking to expand the cotton industry
  • 00:03:19
    and the south still maintains a large
  • 00:03:21
    political edge because of the
  • 00:03:22
    three-fifths compromise remember this is
  • 00:03:24
    still the thing that's been in existence
  • 00:03:26
    since the country began okay counting
  • 00:03:29
    slaves as part of the population
  • 00:03:30
    but not treating them as 100 percent
  • 00:03:33
    human beings remember they're only
  • 00:03:34
    considered
  • 00:03:35
    three-fifths of a person even though
  • 00:03:37
    they're not even counted as humans
  • 00:03:39
    nor are they counted as registered
  • 00:03:41
    voters either
  • 00:03:45
    now in 1845 we get a democratic party
  • 00:03:48
    propagandist named john o'sullivan
  • 00:03:51
    who actually coins the term manifest
  • 00:03:53
    destiny for the first time
  • 00:03:54
    okay we've already discussed this idea
  • 00:03:56
    is something that people have already
  • 00:03:58
    begun to think about
  • 00:03:59
    right this um somewhat misguided concept
  • 00:04:02
    right that's an understatement really
  • 00:04:04
    um to describe how people moving west
  • 00:04:07
    can actually claim the land in the name
  • 00:04:09
    of the united states claim it as god
  • 00:04:11
    fearing individuals
  • 00:04:13
    quote unquote right and really as a way
  • 00:04:16
    of
  • 00:04:16
    justifying everything that goes on in
  • 00:04:18
    the aftermath of colonization
  • 00:04:20
    okay or during the duration of it
  • 00:04:24
    and the u.s tries its best to extend
  • 00:04:26
    christian capitalism especially
  • 00:04:28
    across the country and even beyond its
  • 00:04:30
    shores okay especially once we get into
  • 00:04:32
    the later part of the 19th century
  • 00:04:34
    once the us finally reaches the other
  • 00:04:37
    half of the country right once we
  • 00:04:38
    actually get to the pacific ocean
  • 00:04:40
    and have a transcontinental nation we
  • 00:04:43
    eventually begin to expand beyond our
  • 00:04:45
    own borders
  • 00:04:47
    and again this becomes a form of moral
  • 00:04:49
    justification anytime
  • 00:04:51
    expansion tactics are employed and
  • 00:04:53
    especially where racism is concerned
  • 00:04:55
    remember the
  • 00:04:56
    the race myths that go along with
  • 00:04:58
    enlightenment era
  • 00:04:59
    policies uh and uh stuff that goes along
  • 00:05:02
    with biblical precedent as well is still
  • 00:05:04
    used as justification for all this
  • 00:05:06
    okay whether individuals agree with
  • 00:05:08
    slavery or not
  • 00:05:11
    and from 1841 to 1867 it's estimated
  • 00:05:13
    that around 350 000 men women and
  • 00:05:16
    children
  • 00:05:17
    end up trekking overland into the
  • 00:05:18
    pacific northwest okay this is the
  • 00:05:20
    large-scale
  • 00:05:21
    migration that we end up seeing during
  • 00:05:23
    this time period
  • 00:05:27
    and not everybody goes all the way the
  • 00:05:29
    full distance here either they don't all
  • 00:05:31
    settle at the end goal in the pacific
  • 00:05:34
    northwest right
  • 00:05:35
    several hundreds of thousands of
  • 00:05:36
    individuals actually end up stopping
  • 00:05:38
    along the way okay so that's why we get
  • 00:05:40
    multiple settlements in colorado in
  • 00:05:43
    arkansas
  • 00:05:43
    and texas right in several other areas
  • 00:05:46
    along the way and still some of these
  • 00:05:47
    areas are
  • 00:05:48
    not a part of u.s territory either okay
  • 00:05:51
    texas in particular at this point
  • 00:05:53
    is being controlled by mexico which has
  • 00:05:56
    been
  • 00:05:57
    has gained an independent status since
  • 00:05:58
    1820 okay so we'll talk about that
  • 00:06:01
    in the second half of this uh this
  • 00:06:02
    particular chapter
  • 00:06:05
    by 1845 though about 5 000 people are
  • 00:06:07
    estimated to have made the trip on an
  • 00:06:09
    annual basis okay
  • 00:06:10
    and these are large-scale groups okay
  • 00:06:12
    this is not necessarily like little
  • 00:06:14
    house on the prairie where you only see
  • 00:06:16
    one covered wagon making the trip by
  • 00:06:18
    itself okay
  • 00:06:19
    usually it's the equivalent of a small
  • 00:06:20
    town getting up
  • 00:06:22
    packing several wagons in a row and
  • 00:06:25
    going out on an actual wagon train
  • 00:06:27
    okay so you might have anywhere from a
  • 00:06:29
    dozen or more wagons
  • 00:06:32
    and by 1848 the other big impetus for
  • 00:06:34
    people moving west again
  • 00:06:36
    this pairs very conveniently with
  • 00:06:37
    economic expansion
  • 00:06:39
    is the gold rush okay gold is discovered
  • 00:06:42
    in california
  • 00:06:43
    in many cases when it first is
  • 00:06:45
    discovered too
  • 00:06:46
    in riverbeds you could find gold the
  • 00:06:48
    size of a softball
  • 00:06:50
    literally lying out in the open and
  • 00:06:52
    people could simply walk down the
  • 00:06:53
    riverbed and pick up a small fortune
  • 00:06:55
    along the way
  • 00:06:56
    so this of course draws tons and tons of
  • 00:06:58
    people out west
  • 00:06:59
    for the promise of this okay and so in
  • 00:07:02
    1848 alone
  • 00:07:04
    you have a migration of about 30 000
  • 00:07:07
    people
  • 00:07:07
    okay and this extends into 1849 along
  • 00:07:10
    what we now call the oregon trail
  • 00:07:12
    for those of you who are remember the
  • 00:07:15
    the old
  • 00:07:16
    8-bit pc game from the you know from the
  • 00:07:18
    1980s and 1990s this is
  • 00:07:20
    exactly what we're talking about here
  • 00:07:22
    and as you know
  • 00:07:24
    somewhat primitive as that video game
  • 00:07:26
    seems to be to a modern audience
  • 00:07:28
    it's actually very accurate okay all of
  • 00:07:30
    the different uh
  • 00:07:31
    struggles that you end up encountering
  • 00:07:33
    uh along the way
  • 00:07:34
    wagon wheels breaking um animals going
  • 00:07:37
    lame people
  • 00:07:38
    dying of dysentery and disease and all
  • 00:07:40
    that kind of stuff it's actually very
  • 00:07:42
    very accurate
  • 00:07:44
    and by 1850 travel is peaking at about
  • 00:07:46
    55 000 people in a single year okay so
  • 00:07:49
    this is
  • 00:07:50
    a massive amount of people who are going
  • 00:07:52
    all at the same time okay
  • 00:07:58
    now when it comes to the presence of
  • 00:07:59
    native americans okay um
  • 00:08:01
    by 1840 the estimate here is over 325
  • 00:08:05
    000 native americans living across the
  • 00:08:07
    great plains
  • 00:08:09
    all into california and in the pacific
  • 00:08:11
    northwest okay so these are tribes that
  • 00:08:13
    have come into very brief contact
  • 00:08:16
    perhaps with white settlers
  • 00:08:17
    but not quite as often as we see in the
  • 00:08:20
    later part of the 19th century
  • 00:08:23
    and this is more than 200 nations in
  • 00:08:25
    particular okay
  • 00:08:26
    so it's not just two or three uh small
  • 00:08:29
    tribes of natives now these are
  • 00:08:31
    several hundreds of um various cultures
  • 00:08:35
    with their own languages their own
  • 00:08:36
    religions their own system of governance
  • 00:08:39
    and their own um methods for actually
  • 00:08:42
    talking to whites okay in some cases
  • 00:08:45
    they end up actually
  • 00:08:46
    going to war with anybody who comes into
  • 00:08:48
    their territory
  • 00:08:50
    and some people actually end up you know
  • 00:08:51
    gaining um you know beneficial trade
  • 00:08:53
    from one another okay
  • 00:08:55
    but there are no actual uh literal lines
  • 00:08:58
    drawn in the sand here so no one really
  • 00:09:00
    knows
  • 00:09:01
    whose territory they're going into and
  • 00:09:03
    whether these tribes are going to be
  • 00:09:04
    friendly or not
  • 00:09:07
    and the plains indians in particular
  • 00:09:08
    during this time period include the
  • 00:09:10
    arapaho
  • 00:09:11
    the blackfoot the cheyenne the kiowa and
  • 00:09:13
    the sioux
  • 00:09:14
    okay the sioux nation is the one that
  • 00:09:16
    comes into the most
  • 00:09:17
    conflict with the federal government
  • 00:09:19
    especially once we get into the period
  • 00:09:20
    known as the indian wars
  • 00:09:22
    this occurs in the about the 15 years or
  • 00:09:25
    so after
  • 00:09:26
    the civil war comes to an end and some
  • 00:09:29
    of them are farmers and some are nomadic
  • 00:09:31
    hunters okay this is still in the time
  • 00:09:33
    period where
  • 00:09:34
    native americans have just begun to use
  • 00:09:36
    horses probably for the
  • 00:09:38
    last oh maybe 100 years or so okay so
  • 00:09:41
    now they're actually
  • 00:09:42
    their culture has changed and they're
  • 00:09:44
    using horses
  • 00:09:45
    to go on raids to hunt buffalo
  • 00:09:48
    and they're pretty formidable right not
  • 00:09:50
    everybody who goes out west has more
  • 00:09:52
    than maybe one or two horses
  • 00:09:53
    in their possession and the pueblo
  • 00:09:57
    nations in the southwest
  • 00:09:58
    uh include the akoma the hopi the laguna
  • 00:10:01
    the taos the zia and the
  • 00:10:03
    these are groups that are actually
  • 00:10:06
    farmers living in adobe villages out in
  • 00:10:08
    the desert
  • 00:10:10
    um and they tend to be rivals with the
  • 00:10:12
    apache and the novel
  • 00:10:13
    right and the apache and the navajo are
  • 00:10:14
    both much more war like
  • 00:10:16
    uh nomadic hunters okay they actually
  • 00:10:19
    get into
  • 00:10:20
    um they they use guerrilla warfare they
  • 00:10:22
    get into pretty brutal conflicts with
  • 00:10:24
    others
  • 00:10:24
    along the way okay and most of the
  • 00:10:26
    pueblo nations tend to be rather
  • 00:10:28
    peaceful for the most part
  • 00:10:31
    um and the apache and the navajo also
  • 00:10:32
    have to deal with their own rivals the
  • 00:10:34
    comanche okay and the comanche nation at
  • 00:10:36
    this point
  • 00:10:37
    is arguably the most powerful native
  • 00:10:39
    tribe in the southwest
  • 00:10:41
    okay it's certainly the most wealthy
  • 00:10:43
    because of the presence of horses okay
  • 00:10:45
    the comanche control
  • 00:10:47
    easily 75 of all of the um
  • 00:10:50
    the horses living in the southwest
  • 00:10:54
    and the great basin indians which are
  • 00:10:56
    around the the colorado and utah area
  • 00:10:58
    include the paiutes and go shoots
  • 00:11:00
    okay and these individuals don't really
  • 00:11:03
    do quite as well because we have a lot
  • 00:11:05
    more
  • 00:11:06
    um settlers who are actually beginning
  • 00:11:09
    to settle in these areas along the way
  • 00:11:11
    in the great basin okay so they end up
  • 00:11:13
    coming into more and more conflict
  • 00:11:15
    uh with the um with the whites who are
  • 00:11:18
    uh there okay so the whites and the
  • 00:11:20
    natives
  • 00:11:20
    in colorado and utah uh all the way into
  • 00:11:23
    california in some cases
  • 00:11:25
    end up not necessarily getting along and
  • 00:11:28
    there's a very small contingency that
  • 00:11:29
    still remains
  • 00:11:31
    uh in certain reservation areas even
  • 00:11:33
    today
  • 00:11:35
    and most of the great basin hunter
  • 00:11:37
    groups are actually hunter gatherers
  • 00:11:39
    okay so
  • 00:11:40
    um again they they don't always try to
  • 00:11:43
    settle down and actually plant farms or
  • 00:11:45
    anything like that
  • 00:11:46
    because if nothing else there's so much
  • 00:11:47
    wild game in colorado at this point
  • 00:11:49
    and in that particular region okay up in
  • 00:11:52
    the mountains
  • 00:11:53
    it's it's very difficult to find of
  • 00:11:54
    course a flat
  • 00:11:56
    space where you can actually farm
  • 00:11:58
    anything and of course it gets very cold
  • 00:12:00
    up there quickly so the planting season
  • 00:12:02
    has to be extremely short
  • 00:12:05
    and of course we also have the pacific
  • 00:12:06
    northwest tribes okay the nisqually the
  • 00:12:08
    spokane
  • 00:12:09
    yakama chinook klamath and venez pierce
  • 00:12:12
    okay and these groups are specifically
  • 00:12:15
    hunters okay they have been
  • 00:12:16
    for hundreds and hundreds of years by
  • 00:12:18
    this point and they utilize the natural
  • 00:12:20
    resources and climate
  • 00:12:22
    uh to their own benefit okay they they
  • 00:12:24
    tend to do a lot of fishing
  • 00:12:26
    whale and sea hunting uh uh and of
  • 00:12:28
    course they still have
  • 00:12:29
    uh the the entire pacific northwest
  • 00:12:32
    forest right at the grass okay so they
  • 00:12:34
    do a lot of woodworking
  • 00:12:35
    uh they use uh the wood to build boats
  • 00:12:38
    they use it to construct totem poles
  • 00:12:40
    and they have a very distinctive culture
  • 00:12:42
    from the others
  • 00:12:47
    now when it comes to mexico here um it's
  • 00:12:50
    estimated at this point and it's
  • 00:12:51
    arguably so
  • 00:12:52
    the whites are just as prejudiced
  • 00:12:54
    against hispanics as they are toward
  • 00:12:56
    native americans
  • 00:12:57
    okay they view them as being um
  • 00:12:59
    culturally inferior
  • 00:13:01
    rather than being intellectually
  • 00:13:02
    inferior okay
  • 00:13:04
    um because the the hispanics have
  • 00:13:07
    struggled quite a bit
  • 00:13:08
    in this case for um a couple of
  • 00:13:10
    centuries by now
  • 00:13:11
    under spanish rule okay and most of the
  • 00:13:13
    hispanics living in the territory
  • 00:13:16
    of what eventually becomes mexico during
  • 00:13:18
    this time period are actually the
  • 00:13:19
    descendants
  • 00:13:20
    of the mestizos right if you recall from
  • 00:13:22
    a few chapters
  • 00:13:24
    back right the mestizos were the group
  • 00:13:26
    that were um
  • 00:13:27
    native uh you know native tribes people
  • 00:13:30
    who uh intermarried with the spanish and
  • 00:13:33
    then had mixed ethnicity
  • 00:13:35
    descendants okay and so these groups
  • 00:13:37
    have
  • 00:13:38
    you know constantly intermarried with
  • 00:13:39
    one another down the line
  • 00:13:41
    and so they're they're still removed in
  • 00:13:43
    many cases from
  • 00:13:44
    native tribes and they also feel
  • 00:13:46
    alienated from spanish culture
  • 00:13:48
    as well and spanish
  • 00:13:51
    colonization tends to be less successful
  • 00:13:53
    in places like arizona and in texas
  • 00:13:55
    than it does in florida and new mexico
  • 00:13:57
    for some reason okay
  • 00:13:59
    in texas partly because of the presence
  • 00:14:01
    of the comanche in the command she
  • 00:14:02
    actually
  • 00:14:03
    uh run most of the territory all
  • 00:14:05
    throughout central texas
  • 00:14:07
    up into north texas and even parts of
  • 00:14:09
    the panhandle
  • 00:14:11
    and the yuma the apache and the comanche
  • 00:14:13
    in particular
  • 00:14:15
    prevent the establishment of spanish
  • 00:14:17
    missions okay they're actually fully
  • 00:14:18
    against any more
  • 00:14:20
    spanish encroachment in this regard and
  • 00:14:23
    by 1807 the french forces under napoleon
  • 00:14:25
    end up
  • 00:14:26
    occupying spain and they imprisoned the
  • 00:14:28
    king okay so this is what actually
  • 00:14:30
    leads to the spanish colony suddenly
  • 00:14:32
    being thrown into a state of confusion
  • 00:14:34
    okay and why all these areas that
  • 00:14:37
    end up eventually becoming mexico fall
  • 00:14:40
    back into independent status
  • 00:14:43
    now in one particular individual here
  • 00:14:45
    miguel dalgody castilla
  • 00:14:46
    is a creole priest who convinces the
  • 00:14:49
    indians and the hispanics
  • 00:14:51
    to work together and actually revolt
  • 00:14:53
    against spanish rule in mexico okay
  • 00:14:55
    and in this first iteration it actually
  • 00:14:58
    ends up failing okay it's a little bit
  • 00:14:59
    too early for this to end up happening
  • 00:15:02
    but fast forward 13 years and a second
  • 00:15:05
    resistance
  • 00:15:06
    actually ends up rising and this
  • 00:15:08
    actually causes the spanish officials to
  • 00:15:10
    completely flee mexico by 1821
  • 00:15:12
    okay and this is the year that mexico
  • 00:15:14
    gains independent status
  • 00:15:17
    now of course when the americans see
  • 00:15:19
    this happening right they know that
  • 00:15:21
    um spain has left the region finally uh
  • 00:15:24
    this kind of goes along with what we
  • 00:15:25
    talked about previously with the monroe
  • 00:15:27
    doctrine right
  • 00:15:28
    where they know if spain tries to
  • 00:15:29
    intervene and retake mexico
  • 00:15:31
    then the united states is obligated to
  • 00:15:34
    step in okay
  • 00:15:35
    and americans look at this too and think
  • 00:15:37
    well if this region is in a weakened
  • 00:15:39
    state right now if it doesn't really
  • 00:15:41
    have a very effective government
  • 00:15:43
    um this could be a possible opportunity
  • 00:15:45
    for us to see some of the northern
  • 00:15:47
    provinces of it right
  • 00:15:48
    namely the areas that become the
  • 00:15:50
    southwest states of the united states
  • 00:15:52
    eventually
  • 00:15:53
    texas new mexico arizona nevada
  • 00:15:56
    california and even parts of oklahoma
  • 00:15:59
    colorado kansas and wyoming
  • 00:16:02
    and so now we get a mass wave of
  • 00:16:05
    american settlers flooding into these
  • 00:16:07
    regions
  • 00:16:08
    to try to corner the market on the fur
  • 00:16:11
    trade
  • 00:16:11
    try to establish american presence there
  • 00:16:13
    and gradually
  • 00:16:15
    in some cases very forcefully edge the
  • 00:16:17
    competition
  • 00:16:21
    now when it comes to the oregon trail
  • 00:16:23
    which we mentioned briefly earlier
  • 00:16:25
    um by the early 19th centuries the far
  • 00:16:27
    northwest territories are divided into
  • 00:16:29
    three distinct
  • 00:16:30
    territories okay and these territories
  • 00:16:32
    haven't gained statehood status yet
  • 00:16:34
    because there's not that many white
  • 00:16:36
    settlers there
  • 00:16:36
    yet okay so we have the nebraska
  • 00:16:38
    territory the washington territory and
  • 00:16:41
    the oregon territory
  • 00:16:43
    and the oregon country includes
  • 00:16:44
    modern-day oregon idaho
  • 00:16:47
    and washington parts of montana wyoming
  • 00:16:50
    and british columbia as well
  • 00:16:53
    um in the convention of 1818 great
  • 00:16:55
    britain and the united states agreed to
  • 00:16:57
    uh engage in joint occupation of this
  • 00:16:59
    region okay so it's still a contested
  • 00:17:01
    region
  • 00:17:02
    to a certain regard and from the 1820s
  • 00:17:06
    to 30s
  • 00:17:07
    the us gradually sends mountain men
  • 00:17:10
    into these regions right and these
  • 00:17:11
    individuals completely abandoned
  • 00:17:13
    civilization altogether
  • 00:17:15
    they exist very primitively in the
  • 00:17:17
    wilderness they build long cabins with
  • 00:17:19
    their own hands
  • 00:17:20
    and they get involved in the fur trade
  • 00:17:22
    okay and again this is to try to
  • 00:17:24
    establish
  • 00:17:25
    an american presence without being
  • 00:17:26
    directly tied
  • 00:17:28
    as a government agent of some kind
  • 00:17:31
    and oregon in particular becomes a
  • 00:17:32
    target for settlement because of all the
  • 00:17:34
    fertile soil
  • 00:17:35
    the heavy rainfall and of course like we
  • 00:17:37
    said before it has plenty of forest
  • 00:17:39
    region in 1840 we have several
  • 00:17:43
    immigrants who go along the oregon trail
  • 00:17:45
    beginning in st
  • 00:17:46
    louis and eventually ending uh again in
  • 00:17:49
    the
  • 00:17:50
    the uh on in the pacific ocean
  • 00:17:53
    and if you ever play the computer game
  • 00:17:55
    you begin in st louis
  • 00:17:57
    and take the exact same trail
  • 00:18:00
    from 1841 to 42 the first wagon train
  • 00:18:02
    begins its own journey
  • 00:18:04
    okay and mass migration is of course
  • 00:18:07
    underway by 1843.
  • 00:18:10
    and again these wagon trains are
  • 00:18:12
    typically again they're they're small
  • 00:18:13
    communities they're several miles long
  • 00:18:16
    uh they involve families in some cases
  • 00:18:18
    they even involve church congregations
  • 00:18:20
    okay so
  • 00:18:20
    similar to what we've seen uh with the
  • 00:18:22
    mormon church
  • 00:18:23
    uh kind of packing up and leaving on
  • 00:18:25
    mass during this time period okay
  • 00:18:27
    kind of falls in in line with that same
  • 00:18:29
    time period and the same goals
  • 00:18:32
    and sometimes these are nicknamed
  • 00:18:34
    prairie schooners because
  • 00:18:36
    um again the prairie itself seems like
  • 00:18:38
    an endless sea of grass if you ever get
  • 00:18:40
    out in the
  • 00:18:41
    wide open flat areas of the country at
  • 00:18:43
    this time where you won't see
  • 00:18:45
    another human being for several days or
  • 00:18:47
    even weeks
  • 00:18:48
    and so the um the wagons themselves with
  • 00:18:51
    the you know the white tarp over the top
  • 00:18:53
    right the canvas material
  • 00:18:54
    looks like a ship almost sailing on the
  • 00:18:57
    sea of grass
  • 00:19:00
    and the the common image of native
  • 00:19:02
    americans attacking these wagon trains
  • 00:19:05
    is actually very much um a stereotypical
  • 00:19:09
    falsehood okay it's usually the exact
  • 00:19:11
    opposite
  • 00:19:12
    okay um typically people who go out west
  • 00:19:16
    uh in in these wagon trains tend to
  • 00:19:19
    actually
  • 00:19:20
    misunderstand just how long they will go
  • 00:19:23
    without finding any kind of natural
  • 00:19:25
    resources
  • 00:19:26
    food etc okay and so when desperation
  • 00:19:29
    kicks in if they've been out
  • 00:19:31
    in the prairie for several days or weeks
  • 00:19:33
    without water
  • 00:19:34
    without a water source food source a
  • 00:19:37
    fuel
  • 00:19:38
    source to burn fire or anything like
  • 00:19:40
    that
  • 00:19:41
    they might end up attacking just about
  • 00:19:42
    anybody who comes by right including
  • 00:19:44
    native americans
  • 00:19:45
    okay so typically it's actually um the
  • 00:19:48
    people in the covered wagons attacking
  • 00:19:50
    the natives
  • 00:19:51
    rather than the other way around and the
  • 00:19:54
    track itself is usually
  • 00:19:56
    about a six month journey okay so it
  • 00:19:59
    takes a lot of
  • 00:20:00
    organization a lot of planning to make
  • 00:20:03
    sure that you know where you're going
  • 00:20:05
    and you know what you're doing
  • 00:20:09
    now there's plenty of difficulties along
  • 00:20:11
    the way
  • 00:20:13
    if nothing else disease itself probably
  • 00:20:16
    kills more than anything else okay
  • 00:20:19
    primarily cholera and one in one case
  • 00:20:22
    because we have
  • 00:20:22
    uh cholera typically lives in water that
  • 00:20:25
    has gone stagnant
  • 00:20:26
    okay so if you have a barrel full of
  • 00:20:28
    water for example
  • 00:20:30
    um and it stays that way too long if
  • 00:20:32
    insects get in it
  • 00:20:34
    if you have a rat that gets in it browns
  • 00:20:36
    for example if it becomes tainted
  • 00:20:38
    somehow
  • 00:20:39
    okay it becomes very easy to contract
  • 00:20:42
    cholera
  • 00:20:42
    and cholera gradually causes you to
  • 00:20:44
    become more and more dehydrated over
  • 00:20:46
    time okay your skin becomes
  • 00:20:48
    pale and very doughy and it doesn't have
  • 00:20:51
    the
  • 00:20:51
    elasticity to it anymore okay and
  • 00:20:53
    eventually
  • 00:20:54
    you die of what essentially amounts to
  • 00:20:56
    dehydration
  • 00:20:58
    and dysentery is the exact same thing in
  • 00:21:00
    terms of dehydration
  • 00:21:02
    okay except dysentery ends up attacking
  • 00:21:04
    your gastrointestinal system okay
  • 00:21:06
    and you essentially end up with diarrhea
  • 00:21:08
    until you expire
  • 00:21:10
    okay that's a very horrible way to go
  • 00:21:13
    and again
  • 00:21:13
    water sources along the way are
  • 00:21:16
    typically few and far between okay and
  • 00:21:18
    if you do happen to find a pond of some
  • 00:21:20
    kind
  • 00:21:21
    there's a good chance that the water has
  • 00:21:22
    been sitting there out in the sun for a
  • 00:21:24
    while
  • 00:21:25
    and it has probably gone stagnant and
  • 00:21:27
    contains disease of some kind okay so
  • 00:21:29
    you have to plan
  • 00:21:30
    very very carefully and know exactly
  • 00:21:32
    what to carry
  • 00:21:33
    and how much and the most startling
  • 00:21:37
    statistic i've ever come across with
  • 00:21:38
    this is it's estimated that along the
  • 00:21:40
    oregon trail there's about one grave
  • 00:21:42
    every 80 yards there's that many people
  • 00:21:45
    who died along the way simply from
  • 00:21:48
    disease if nothing else
  • 00:21:51
    and people attempt to their credit here
  • 00:21:54
    right to a certain extent to try to
  • 00:21:56
    get the same division of labor employed
  • 00:21:59
    in the east
  • 00:22:00
    out west okay so they try to transplant
  • 00:22:02
    the exact same social dynamics as much
  • 00:22:04
    as they can
  • 00:22:05
    but they realize along the way very
  • 00:22:06
    quickly that it's almost impossible to
  • 00:22:08
    do that
  • 00:22:10
    the women try to cook wash sow and
  • 00:22:12
    monitor the children right be filler
  • 00:22:14
    kind of involved in this cult of
  • 00:22:15
    domesticity even though there is not
  • 00:22:17
    really
  • 00:22:18
    a domicile to do it in and the men tend
  • 00:22:21
    to do most of the manual labor right
  • 00:22:23
    driving wagons
  • 00:22:24
    tending the livestock lifting things uh
  • 00:22:27
    hunting when necessary and eventually it
  • 00:22:30
    becomes a major
  • 00:22:32
    realization and a wake-up call that it's
  • 00:22:34
    almost impossible to continue this type
  • 00:22:36
    of labor division okay that
  • 00:22:38
    everybody has to pitch in and do the
  • 00:22:40
    exact same thing in order for everyone
  • 00:22:42
    to survive
  • 00:22:43
    okay so women end up gathering buffalo
  • 00:22:45
    dung for fuel because
  • 00:22:47
    there's very few trees right there's
  • 00:22:48
    almost nothing to burn
  • 00:22:50
    okay for fuel they have to help drive
  • 00:22:52
    wagons
  • 00:22:53
    uh help pull wagon wheels out of the mud
  • 00:22:56
    construct makeshift bridges to get
  • 00:22:58
    across a river if
  • 00:23:00
    possible pitch tents right they have to
  • 00:23:02
    start engaging in a lot of the actual
  • 00:23:03
    manual labor that men do
  • 00:23:05
    okay and the the women who come from the
  • 00:23:07
    south who are part of
  • 00:23:09
    um kind of this uh small farmer
  • 00:23:11
    contingency might have already been
  • 00:23:13
    somewhat familiar with this right if
  • 00:23:15
    everyone in the family
  • 00:23:16
    has been working together on the farm
  • 00:23:19
    from a young age
  • 00:23:20
    then it typically goes a little bit
  • 00:23:21
    smoother okay but if they're not used to
  • 00:23:24
    this type of labor
  • 00:23:25
    there's enough of a pushback where it
  • 00:23:26
    ends up causing problems
  • 00:23:29
    and naturally family relations become
  • 00:23:31
    heavily strained over time too
  • 00:23:33
    okay if the only people you're seeing
  • 00:23:35
    for six months
  • 00:23:36
    is your own family or your own community
  • 00:23:39
    you get very tired of them quickly
  • 00:23:40
    okay and unsurprisingly divorce rates
  • 00:23:43
    end up soaring
  • 00:23:44
    once people actually do reach the west
  • 00:23:49
    now the most infamous example of what
  • 00:23:52
    not to do when it comes to going out
  • 00:23:54
    west during this period
  • 00:23:55
    concerns a group known as the donner
  • 00:23:57
    party okay
  • 00:23:59
    now in 1846 in april a man named george
  • 00:24:02
    donner leads his family including
  • 00:24:04
    74 other settlers and 23 wagons on the
  • 00:24:07
    oregon trail
  • 00:24:08
    okay and he makes several mistakes along
  • 00:24:11
    the way here
  • 00:24:11
    okay again this acts as a perfect
  • 00:24:13
    template of how not to do this
  • 00:24:16
    for one thing he starts very very late
  • 00:24:18
    in the year okay starting in april
  • 00:24:20
    okay you have six months to get there
  • 00:24:22
    and by the time that you
  • 00:24:24
    reach the last leg of your journey right
  • 00:24:26
    winter is already beginning to settle in
  • 00:24:30
    you he ends up overloading the wagons
  • 00:24:31
    they carry way too much
  • 00:24:33
    okay and the wagons are strained the
  • 00:24:35
    wheels break the animals get lame
  • 00:24:37
    along the way and the stuff that they do
  • 00:24:40
    bring is not stuff
  • 00:24:41
    they need okay so they don't bring the
  • 00:24:42
    right kind of food they don't bring
  • 00:24:44
    enough water
  • 00:24:45
    uh they don't bring enough winter
  • 00:24:46
    clothing and again they don't have
  • 00:24:47
    anybody who's extremely experienced
  • 00:24:51
    and so the donors actually get end up
  • 00:24:53
    getting end up getting lost in the
  • 00:24:54
    wasatch range
  • 00:24:56
    and lose three weeks of progress right
  • 00:24:58
    this is the the first
  • 00:24:59
    major misstep okay by september snow
  • 00:25:03
    actually begins to fall
  • 00:25:05
    and eventually they descend into the
  • 00:25:07
    desert of the great salt lake
  • 00:25:08
    but they end up losing over a hundred
  • 00:25:10
    oxen and wagons in the process okay so
  • 00:25:12
    this is another
  • 00:25:14
    major pitfall here and if they had
  • 00:25:16
    decided to stay there and not continue
  • 00:25:19
    then things might have gone a little bit
  • 00:25:20
    better okay
  • 00:25:22
    unfortunately they do continue though
  • 00:25:24
    and they get trapped by a two week long
  • 00:25:26
    blizzard in the truckee pass in eastern
  • 00:25:28
    california
  • 00:25:29
    okay and by the end of december there's
  • 00:25:31
    only enough food to last through the end
  • 00:25:32
    of the month
  • 00:25:33
    okay half of the pioneers in this
  • 00:25:35
    particular party by the way are children
  • 00:25:38
    17 of the strongest individuals of the
  • 00:25:41
    group end up continuing
  • 00:25:42
    and agree that they're going to send a
  • 00:25:44
    search party to come back and help
  • 00:25:45
    everyone
  • 00:25:46
    two of them turn back and eight of them
  • 00:25:48
    end up dying of starvation
  • 00:25:52
    now things take a very brutal turn here
  • 00:25:54
    because one settler named billy graves
  • 00:25:56
    urges his daughters to eat his body
  • 00:25:58
    after his death okay because he's
  • 00:25:59
    already uh either sick or injured i
  • 00:26:02
    forget which
  • 00:26:02
    and knows that his days are numbered two
  • 00:26:05
    more settlers end up being cannibalized
  • 00:26:07
    after they die
  • 00:26:08
    and out of the 17 who end up continuing
  • 00:26:11
    on only seven of them end up surviving
  • 00:26:14
    okay and these are the survivors who
  • 00:26:16
    have committed cannibalism who actually
  • 00:26:18
    end up going all the way and then
  • 00:26:21
    having to relate their story and send
  • 00:26:23
    other people back to help
  • 00:26:26
    now when the search party finally does
  • 00:26:29
    manage to
  • 00:26:29
    get back okay they discovered that all
  • 00:26:31
    the livestock has been slaughtered
  • 00:26:33
    okay two indian guides have been killed
  • 00:26:35
    and cannibalized along the way
  • 00:26:37
    and when the rescue team does finally
  • 00:26:39
    arrive at the original encampment
  • 00:26:41
    two months later um 47 members of the
  • 00:26:44
    donner party the 47 who remain
  • 00:26:46
    kill and eat 13 people total
  • 00:26:50
    so this is an extremely uh horrific
  • 00:26:52
    example
  • 00:26:53
    of desperation okay and what can
  • 00:26:56
    actually happen
  • 00:26:57
    um and there are actually eyewitness
  • 00:26:59
    accounts of what people
  • 00:27:00
    um the you know the the people the
  • 00:27:02
    members of the search party who actually
  • 00:27:04
    discovered the cabins
  • 00:27:06
    young children who have actually
  • 00:27:07
    consumed parts of their parents
  • 00:27:09
    of some really really nightmarish
  • 00:27:12
    instances here so there's plenty that
  • 00:27:13
    you can read about this
  • 00:27:15
    out there on the internet if you if you
  • 00:27:17
    have a strong stomach but it's a
  • 00:27:18
    it's a very very horrific episode
  • 00:27:21
    and george donner and his wife elect
  • 00:27:23
    that they are going to stay behind and
  • 00:27:24
    die right he feels like he has
  • 00:27:26
    completely failed his party
  • 00:27:27
    and this seems to be the only way that
  • 00:27:29
    he can really save face
  • 00:27:35
    next thing we'll talk about quickly here
  • 00:27:36
    is the settlement of california which
  • 00:27:38
    again is becoming more and more
  • 00:27:40
    of a goal for people over time
  • 00:27:42
    especially once we get into the middle
  • 00:27:43
    part of the 19th century in 1769 spain
  • 00:27:47
    decides it's going to settle the pacific
  • 00:27:49
    coast to try to prevent
  • 00:27:50
    russia from gaining more territory and
  • 00:27:52
    because russia has a little bit
  • 00:27:54
    of territory along the uh the upper
  • 00:27:56
    regions near
  • 00:27:57
    oregon uh into washington and even parts
  • 00:28:00
    of alaska okay alaska doesn't actually
  • 00:28:02
    become
  • 00:28:03
    a state until we get into the 1950s
  • 00:28:07
    now we talked about presidios already
  • 00:28:09
    right these are um you know
  • 00:28:11
    spanish government uh installations that
  • 00:28:13
    are typically military forts of some
  • 00:28:15
    kind right these are constructed at san
  • 00:28:16
    diego and at monterey
  • 00:28:18
    and if you go to san diego in particular
  • 00:28:20
    today you can still see some of the
  • 00:28:22
    remnants of one of these
  • 00:28:24
    um the franciscan friars who end up
  • 00:28:26
    settling the region are led by junipero
  • 00:28:28
    serra who you see here
  • 00:28:30
    and they establish a catholic mission
  • 00:28:31
    there in san diego you can actually find
  • 00:28:33
    a large statue of him there
  • 00:28:35
    on the uh the coast there by the
  • 00:28:37
    lighthouse
  • 00:28:39
    and the california missions tend to be
  • 00:28:41
    much larger they're better funded
  • 00:28:43
    and they last a lot longer okay again
  • 00:28:45
    they're not as neglected as the ones out
  • 00:28:47
    in the desert
  • 00:28:49
    and the spanish catholic missions in
  • 00:28:50
    california end up controlling the large
  • 00:28:53
    portion of the indians who are living
  • 00:28:55
    along the pacific coast okay so there's
  • 00:28:57
    not very much freedom for native tribes
  • 00:28:59
    living in the region
  • 00:29:00
    they tend to fall under the auspices of
  • 00:29:02
    spain
  • 00:29:04
    and they're very complex these missions
  • 00:29:06
    okay they contain churches
  • 00:29:08
    villages fortresses which you've already
  • 00:29:10
    talked about
  • 00:29:11
    uh individual homes and schools shops
  • 00:29:14
    farms and even spanish outposts uh you
  • 00:29:17
    know out in the
  • 00:29:19
    the more remote regions okay so these
  • 00:29:21
    are much more well developed than what
  • 00:29:22
    we've seen in places like new mexico
  • 00:29:26
    and still the same precedent remains
  • 00:29:28
    that native americans provide most of
  • 00:29:30
    the labor
  • 00:29:30
    okay um and the franciscan friars tend
  • 00:29:33
    to be a little bit more brutal when it
  • 00:29:34
    comes to
  • 00:29:35
    um well i take that back the franciscans
  • 00:29:38
    are not as
  • 00:29:40
    overbearing as the dominican friars are
  • 00:29:42
    the dominicans are the ones who tend to
  • 00:29:44
    be a little bit more brutal in their
  • 00:29:45
    treatment of the natives
  • 00:29:46
    franciscans believe that this is
  • 00:29:48
    something morally enriching okay that
  • 00:29:50
    this is
  • 00:29:50
    uh that you know toiling out in the heat
  • 00:29:52
    is going to help
  • 00:29:54
    save the souls of these individuals okay
  • 00:29:57
    they're misguided at best
  • 00:30:00
    um and the typical daily routine is
  • 00:30:03
    individuals rise every morning before
  • 00:30:05
    dark they enter into prayer until the
  • 00:30:07
    sun rises
  • 00:30:08
    and then they go and work out in the
  • 00:30:10
    fields until dusk
  • 00:30:13
    and the men again tend to work in fields
  • 00:30:15
    sometimes in specialized skill sets at
  • 00:30:17
    their facilities for it
  • 00:30:19
    they become blacksmiths carpenters
  • 00:30:21
    leather workers etc
  • 00:30:23
    and again the women are still
  • 00:30:24
    pigeonholed into this kind of domestic
  • 00:30:26
    sphere right they tend to handle
  • 00:30:28
    washing you know being a laundress a
  • 00:30:30
    seamstress that sort of thing
  • 00:30:33
    and everyone is expected to work in the
  • 00:30:35
    fields during the harvest season so
  • 00:30:37
    this sounds very very similar to what
  • 00:30:39
    you would hear in
  • 00:30:40
    in a plantation situation in the south
  • 00:30:44
    and the indians are paid with food with
  • 00:30:46
    a little bit of clothing
  • 00:30:48
    housing and again religious instruction
  • 00:30:50
    whether they want it or not
  • 00:30:54
    and the numbers that live out west
  • 00:30:57
    during this period
  • 00:30:58
    end up dropping considerably over time
  • 00:31:00
    in large part because of
  • 00:31:01
    disease but also in part because of
  • 00:31:03
    abuse okay physical
  • 00:31:05
    sexual etc uh so we from 1769 until 1821
  • 00:31:10
    the native population
  • 00:31:11
    drops from 72 000 to roughly 18 000 okay
  • 00:31:14
    so this is a
  • 00:31:15
    dramatic drop in numbers
  • 00:31:19
    and once the mexican independence end up
  • 00:31:21
    occurring right most of the spanish
  • 00:31:23
    officials
  • 00:31:24
    end up playing the country the money
  • 00:31:26
    dries up and the missions end up falling
  • 00:31:27
    into disuse
  • 00:31:28
    okay and so now um the individuals who
  • 00:31:32
    end up taking over
  • 00:31:34
    are individuals known as caballeros or
  • 00:31:36
    rancheros okay and they end up lording
  • 00:31:38
    over
  • 00:31:38
    um the six thousand odd mexicans who
  • 00:31:41
    still live in the regions
  • 00:31:42
    as well as the indians themselves who
  • 00:31:44
    end up surviving okay so it's a
  • 00:31:47
    uh it's kind of a martial law type
  • 00:31:49
    situation right where these
  • 00:31:50
    um these individuals end up taking over
  • 00:31:53
    the missions
  • 00:31:54
    and kind of reintroducing the feudal
  • 00:31:56
    system to a certain regard
  • 00:31:59
    and so over the course of the next 20 or
  • 00:32:01
    so years um the californios
  • 00:32:03
    who are the is the name given to the
  • 00:32:05
    hispanics living in the region
  • 00:32:07
    end up launching 10 different revolts
  • 00:32:09
    against the mexican governors
  • 00:32:10
    trying to push them out of the region
  • 00:32:15
    the last individual we'll talk about in
  • 00:32:17
    this first half here is an individual
  • 00:32:18
    named
  • 00:32:19
    john charles fremont okay in the 1840s
  • 00:32:22
    he is the one who begins to champion the
  • 00:32:25
    settlement and exploration of mexican
  • 00:32:26
    california okay
  • 00:32:28
    and again he is an american okay so he
  • 00:32:30
    is the
  • 00:32:31
    one of the first ones to say you know if
  • 00:32:34
    california really
  • 00:32:35
    has uh all this to offer right this is
  • 00:32:37
    still in the period
  • 00:32:38
    right before the gold rush occurs if we
  • 00:32:41
    can take control of this region right
  • 00:32:43
    then it would give us an actual anchor
  • 00:32:44
    point uh between the east coast and the
  • 00:32:46
    west coast
  • 00:32:48
    1838 he's commissioned as a second
  • 00:32:50
    lieutenant in the u.s topographical
  • 00:32:52
    corps these are individuals who actually
  • 00:32:54
    are map makers
  • 00:32:55
    so he is tasked with actually going out
  • 00:32:58
    west
  • 00:32:58
    and mapping the region okay and he's a
  • 00:33:01
    very
  • 00:33:02
    um excellent uh frontiersman okay he's a
  • 00:33:04
    map maker a surveyor
  • 00:33:07
    he knows woodcraft which means he knows
  • 00:33:08
    how to track animals
  • 00:33:10
    he knows how to you know build his own
  • 00:33:12
    campfires uh you know you know he knows
  • 00:33:14
    how to take care of himself in the
  • 00:33:15
    wilderness okay
  • 00:33:17
    and he's also very gifted when it comes
  • 00:33:18
    to zoology geology botany
  • 00:33:21
    ornithology the study of birds right so
  • 00:33:23
    he's uh he's a naturalist
  • 00:33:25
    in many ways and by 1842
  • 00:33:29
    he sets out to map the oregon trail in
  • 00:33:31
    five months and collects specimens along
  • 00:33:33
    the way so he's kind of like a one man
  • 00:33:35
    lewis and clark
  • 00:33:37
    and his expeditions end up being
  • 00:33:38
    published in these little excerpts kind
  • 00:33:40
    of like lewis and clark's do
  • 00:33:41
    uh in several national newspapers and he
  • 00:33:43
    gets a lot of
  • 00:33:44
    um publicity for this right he becomes
  • 00:33:46
    kind of a national celebrity okay
  • 00:33:48
    and he's given the nickname the
  • 00:33:49
    pathfinder for his exploits
  • 00:33:53
    now in august of 1845 he launches a
  • 00:33:55
    quote-unquote military expedition
  • 00:33:57
    okay he takes 62 armed men right
  • 00:34:00
    soldiers
  • 00:34:01
    sailors a few scientists frontiersmen
  • 00:34:04
    and hunters
  • 00:34:04
    to go along with him okay they head
  • 00:34:07
    south of the
  • 00:34:08
    sierra nevada mountains in december and
  • 00:34:10
    into mexican controlled california
  • 00:34:13
    and in january he's instructed by the
  • 00:34:15
    president at the time
  • 00:34:17
    to encourage this spontaneous uprising
  • 00:34:20
    to take control of california okay so
  • 00:34:22
    he's trying to launch some kind of a
  • 00:34:24
    mutiny among the americans who live
  • 00:34:25
    there
  • 00:34:26
    to take control of the state
  • 00:34:29
    and fremont ends up leaving the province
  • 00:34:31
    under orders from mexico to do so okay
  • 00:34:34
    he resigns from the army and decides to
  • 00:34:36
    go into business as a private citizen
  • 00:34:38
    for himself
  • 00:34:40
    so this is something that he very
  • 00:34:41
    narrowly escapes being arrested
  • 00:34:43
    and potentially executed for
  • 00:34:48
    in june of 1846 americans managed to
  • 00:34:50
    capture sonoma
  • 00:34:51
    and proclaim the republic of california
  • 00:34:53
    for the first time
  • 00:34:55
    so from this point on now we'll start to
  • 00:34:57
    look a little bit more
  • 00:34:58
    at the advent of the mexican-american
  • 00:35:00
    war see you guys next time
Tags
  • Westward Expansion
  • Manifest Destiny
  • Donner Party
  • Oregon Trail
  • Native American Tribes
  • Mexican Territories
  • 19th Century America
  • California Gold Rush
  • John C. Fremont
  • Economic Opportunities