What were the motivations behind American settlement in the Oregon Territory by missionaries and settlers such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman in the 1830s and 1840s?

Question

How was American settlement of Oregon complicated by British territorial claims, President Polk's expectation of war with Mexico over Texas, and domestic American politics?

Answer 1

Answer: An ideal answer will:
1. Discuss how the development of various trails of the West and the finding of new passes along these trails, particularly along the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails, facilitated settlement of Oregon by somewhat reducing the travel time and dangers traveling to Oregon. Note that the Oregon Territory stretched along the Pacific coast from the northern border of Spanish-Mexican California to the southern border of what was then Russian America (Alaska) and included the present states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as the Canadian province of British Columbia.
2. Discuss how Protestant missionaries such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were motivated to travel to Oregon for religious reasons to bring Christianity to the Indians of the Pacific Northwest.
3. Discuss how the published letters, newspaper articles, speaking tours, and books promoting the fertile farming areas of the Willamette Valley and the beauty of the land of the Oregon Territory by settlers such as the Whitmans attracted many Americans in search of cheap, available, and fertile farmland in the West.
4. Discuss how the Oregon Territory offered employment opportunities for traders, merchants, and trappers, seeking to become involved with the booming fur business in the territory.
5. Discuss how the Oregon Territory in the 1830s was governed by a series of treaties negotiated between 1818 and 1824 that established joint, interim American-British governance of the entire territory. Emphasize that the increased American settlement of the Oregon Territory in the 1830s required a permanent diplomatic resolution of the border and the conclusion of joint ownership of the territory.
6. Discuss how the offer of President John Tyler's ambassador in London in 1844 to extend the current 49th parallel of the American-British boundary from the Great Lakes all the way to the Pacific, with the exception of ceding Britain the southern tip of Vancouver Island, seemed like a reasonable compromise to most Americans, as well as to the British government.
7. Discuss how presidential candidate James Polk, in an effort to win votes from American expansionists and antislavery advocates, rejected the proposed 49th parallel Oregon Territory compromise in the election of 1844, promising to win all of Oregon up to the Alaskan border, or 54 °40 ´ in terms of latitude.
8. Discuss how President Polk's need to preserve the U.S. Army for his anticipated war with Mexico over Texas, and possibly California and New Mexico, affected the fears of Senator John Calhoun and his allied southern planters. Discuss how this was related to the concerns that the Oregon dispute would disrupt the lucrative cotton trade with Britain and the strong political and economic desire of the British government to avoid war with the United States, which led Polk to agree to a compromise along the 49th parallel in the spring of 1846.
10. Write a concise and effective conclusion.