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Previously, on "The Men Who
Built America: Frontiersmen.."

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Forty years after Daniel
Boone crossed the Appalachians

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the American frontier
now reaches as far west

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as the Great Plains.

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Famed Shawnee war chief,
Tecumseh falls in battle

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and with him dies the dream
of a Pan-Indian homeland.

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Fire!

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Andrew Jackson
defeats Great Britain

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in the War of 1812

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a victory that propels him

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to the presidency.

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His bitter rival, Davy Crockett

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seeks a fresh start

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in the Mexican territory
of Texas.

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We need somebody like you,
Crockett.

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What he finds instead..

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Hell or Texas.

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Hell or Texas!

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...is a fight for freedom..

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...that will make him a legend.

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Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa

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At a garrison in Southern Texas

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known as the Alamo

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nearly 260 men,
women, and children

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prepare for a siege.

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Among their commanders

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is celebrated frontiersman..

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...Davy Crockett.

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Outside the walls,
cle to 5000 Mexican troops

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led by the ruthless general,
Santa Anna..

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...surround the mission.

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The Texians believed
that Santa Anna's troops

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were two months out

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but once Crockett
got to the Alamo

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and it became clear
that Santa Anna's troops

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were on the march
and they were much closer

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than had been anticipated

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there was no getting out of it

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at this point for Crockett.

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Alright, close it up.

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Right, there on the walls.

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Let's go, go, go!

43
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This massive, well-trained army

44
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you know, surrounding
this, this little mission

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in the middle of the desert.

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The Alamo looks like a complete

47
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uh, disaster waiting to happen.

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Outnumbered fifteen to one..

49
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...Crockett knows the odds
of survival are bleak.

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Man, uh, th-there's a thing
that happens

51
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when death's at the door.

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Most people don't know when the
reaper's gonna show up, right?

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You just kinda, hopefully, y-you
die in peace or you die quickly.

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When you see the reaper
standing outside the door

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and you know
he's comin' in here for us

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your world just kinda lends
perspective in that moment.

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What was important,
what's not important

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who I wish I would've talked to.

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Man, it's a hell of a thing
to, to go through that.

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Over the course of an hour,
Crockett and the Texans

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repel the Mexican advances
three times.

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But Santa Anna is relentless

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accepting heavy losses
to breach the fortress.

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Santa Anna sent his troops
from many different sides.

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Wave, after wave,
after wave of men

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uh, who scaled ladders

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and swarmed
literally like locusts.

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Davy Crockett did what
many American patriots have done

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and that is decide
to stay and fight for a cause

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in the face
of an attacking enemy.

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And it speaks volumes about him

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uh, and about his character.

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Ninety minutes
after the battle begins..

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...the Mexican Army
takes the Alamo.

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Almost all of the fort's
defenders are killed.

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Most accounts suggest

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that Crockett was
in some of the heaviest fighting

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and that he was one of the last
remaining survivors.

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They were led out and executed
right in front of Santa Anna.

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Then they were loaded into
three separate human pyres

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and lit aflame.

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For Crockett
to live this incredible life

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on the frontier
and then die at the Alamo

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sealed him as legendary.

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Davy Crockett
was not this kind of

86
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backwoods outdoorsman,
uh, entirely.

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Uh, he was a man with great
political ambitions

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who got into trouble
because he was also

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very independent-minded,
so he wouldn't always play ball

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uh, with
the political establishment.

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Crockett was always the
congressman of the little guy.

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It is that underdog struggle

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uh, fighting against
a-a tyranny.

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And so, the story

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of Davy Crockett
goin' down swinging

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fighting to the very last man,
and the very last breath

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uh, feeds the legend of
the King of the Wild Frontier.

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Word of the slaughter
at the Alamo

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soon spreads
across the country..

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...enraging Americans.

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In Washington,
President Andrew Jackson

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sees the defeat in Texas
as a much bigger concern.

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By 1836..

104
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...Mexico is a significant
territorial rival

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in North America.

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Mexico controls land
stretching from California

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to the border of Oregon

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covering more than
1.7 million square miles.

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The US hasn't added a new state

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since Missouri in 1821

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and the promise of expansion
west feels stalled.

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Andrew Jackson
was among those Americans

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who believed
that Texas ought to be

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part of the United States.

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But Jackson was also a man
with a keen strategic sense

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who wanted to strike
at the right moment.

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He didn't want to have a war
with Mexico just then.

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Didn't think the time was right.

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If Texas can win
its own independence

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Jackson can bring it
into the union.

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Until then, his hands are tied.

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Fortunately, for Jackson..

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...one Texan sees the
crushing loss at the Alamo

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as an opportunity.

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His name is Sam Houston.

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Crockett and Sam Houston

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both served
in Andrew Jackson's militia

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during the Creek War.

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Houston became famous
for the Battle of Horseshoe Bend

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where he was impaled
through the groin with an arrow

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and had one of his
other soldiers yank it out

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and he just kept on fighting.

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And Houston also was
really a rugged frontiersman.

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Houston is now the leader
of some 370 untrained men.

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They comprise the Army of Texas

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and their fight
for independence isn't over.

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To increase his numbers in the
face of a much larger enemy

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Houston calls on Texans
to avenge Crockett's death..

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...and remember the Alamo.

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The way I see it..

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The defeat at the Alamo ended up

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creating a great rallying cry
of patriotism

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to fight for independence

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and to fight to the death,
to fight to the end.

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...it is really important to..

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Hundreds of angry Texans

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are drawn to the cause
of independence.

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In just a month,
Houston's army swells

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to nearly a thousand.

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They're positioned
near the San Jacinto River..

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...right in the path
of General Santa Anna

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and 1500 Mexican troops.

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Just six weeks after
Crockett's death at the Alamo

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Sam Houston takes his revenge..

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...unleashing
900 furious Texans

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against a larger Mexican force.

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Santa Anna is camped
near the San Jacinto River

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where the Texans surprise them.

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Ultimately,
the Battle of San Jacinto

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only lasted 18 minutes.

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It was a chaotic 18 minutes.

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I don't think anyone expected
the battle to go this way.

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Over 630 Mexican soldiers
are killed.

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The Texans suffer
just 11 casualties.

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The crushing defeat
leads to Mexico's surrender.

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And Texas
finally wins independence.

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Back in Washington, DC..

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...Jackson welcomes the news.

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He's dreamed of Texas
joining the US for years.

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But the future of Texas is
caught in the growing debate

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over slavery.

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Congress wasn't willing
to go along with annexation

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because Texas would enter
the union with slavery.

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And the addition of Texas

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would tip the balance
in the senate

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00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:05,582
in favor
of the pro slavery side.

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The result of this was that
Texas remained in this limbo

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for almost a decade.

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In 1837,
Jackson's presidency ends

180
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with one goal unfulfilled.

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A nation stretching
all the way to the Pacific.

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Andrew Jackson
remained politically involved

183
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even after he retired.

184
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He was writing
constant letters to people

185
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giving very strong opinions
about subject

186
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after subject after subject.

187
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And he was a man
who believed in the expansion

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of the United States.

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Expansion in the southwest
may be stalled

190
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but the United States
still has a claim

191
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in the northwest.

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Located between British
Canada and Mexico's holdings

193
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the Oregon Territory
is 250,000 square miles

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00:15:03,990 --> 00:15:06,250
of disputed land..

195
00:15:06,296 --> 00:15:10,516
...claimed by Britain,
Native Americans, and the US.

196
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Lewis and Clark
planted a flag here

197
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four decades ago.

198
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But to truly own it,
the US needs settlers..

199
00:15:20,441 --> 00:15:22,181
...and that's a problem.

200
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Americans really didn't know
how to make it to Oregon.

201
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They were aware that there was
very fertile farmland there

202
00:15:32,801 --> 00:15:35,541
but no one was exactly sure
how to make it there.

203
00:15:35,586 --> 00:15:38,716
And the entire prospect
of traveling all the way

204
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across the nation
was understandably daunting.

205
00:15:48,077 --> 00:15:49,947
So, in 1842..

206
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...the United States Army
sends a lieutenant

207
00:15:54,257 --> 00:15:56,517
from the topographical corps.

208
00:15:56,564 --> 00:15:59,394
His name is John C. Fremont.

209
00:16:01,047 --> 00:16:03,087
His mission, map a route

210
00:16:03,136 --> 00:16:05,006
from Missouri to Oregon

211
00:16:05,051 --> 00:16:07,271
that wagon trains of pioneers

212
00:16:07,314 --> 00:16:09,624
can safely travel.

213
00:16:09,664 --> 00:16:12,494
John C. Fremont is actually
an illegitimate son.

214
00:16:12,536 --> 00:16:14,316
He's born in poverty.

215
00:16:14,364 --> 00:16:15,934
He gets a mentor

216
00:16:15,975 --> 00:16:18,885
who actually goes on
to become Secretary of War

217
00:16:18,934 --> 00:16:20,814
who gets him a job surveying

218
00:16:20,849 --> 00:16:23,069
on the Upper Mississippi River.

219
00:16:27,073 --> 00:16:29,553
Fremont was vainglorious

220
00:16:29,597 --> 00:16:32,817
arrogant, extremely ambitious.

221
00:16:32,861 --> 00:16:35,041
Eh, he didn't just
want to be an explorer

222
00:16:35,081 --> 00:16:37,471
he wanted to be a senator,
he wanted to be president.

223
00:16:43,002 --> 00:16:45,272
But he's never been
west of the Mississippi.

224
00:16:48,746 --> 00:16:52,266
So he turns to the most
skilled guide on the frontier..

225
00:16:54,622 --> 00:16:56,102
...Kit Carson.

226
00:16:59,192 --> 00:17:03,202
Kit Carson came
from very humble origins.

227
00:17:03,239 --> 00:17:05,939
He had no formal education,
he was illiterate

228
00:17:05,981 --> 00:17:07,811
yet he was incredibly
knowledgeable

229
00:17:07,852 --> 00:17:09,642
about the land of the west.

230
00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:12,070
He spoke multiple languages.

231
00:17:12,118 --> 00:17:14,418
He had relationships
with native tribes.

232
00:17:14,468 --> 00:17:16,508
He knew the topography.

233
00:17:16,557 --> 00:17:19,077
Uh, he knew how to fight,
he knew how to hunt.

234
00:17:19,125 --> 00:17:22,555
So here is somebody
who had an invaluable knowledge

235
00:17:22,606 --> 00:17:25,906
that allowed him to go
between both worlds.

236
00:17:33,487 --> 00:17:37,667
Growing up, Carson was raised
among frontier legends

237
00:17:37,708 --> 00:17:41,758
and mastered wilderness
skills at an early age.

238
00:17:44,411 --> 00:17:46,111
Carson was born in Kentucky

239
00:17:46,152 --> 00:17:49,072
and he moved to Missouri
as a child.

240
00:17:49,111 --> 00:17:51,551
His family became close
friends with the Boones.

241
00:17:51,592 --> 00:17:54,422
They lived in a place
called Boone's Lick.

242
00:17:54,464 --> 00:17:57,254
The Carson family, of course,
was-was quite well aware

243
00:17:57,293 --> 00:18:00,953
of Daniel Boone and his legend,
and there was this desire

244
00:18:00,992 --> 00:18:04,132
to keep that westward movement
going, uh, to keep finding

245
00:18:04,170 --> 00:18:06,170
the frontier,
to keep breaking ground.

246
00:18:06,215 --> 00:18:08,605
They were literally
carving a civilization

247
00:18:08,652 --> 00:18:10,312
out of the wilderness there.

248
00:18:15,616 --> 00:18:19,186
By age 16,
he left home for good.

249
00:18:19,228 --> 00:18:21,228
Hungry for adventure.

250
00:18:25,626 --> 00:18:29,196
Now, with Fremont,
he'll embark on a mission

251
00:18:29,238 --> 00:18:31,758
that will test
all of his skills.

252
00:18:36,289 --> 00:18:39,339
Fremont and Carson
were a bit of an odd couple.

253
00:18:39,379 --> 00:18:41,729
They were completely opposite.

254
00:18:41,772 --> 00:18:43,992
Uh, today, we might say
Fremont was a bit of a nerd

255
00:18:44,035 --> 00:18:45,595
and Carson was the cool kid.

256
00:18:45,646 --> 00:18:47,386
Carson was rugged

257
00:18:47,430 --> 00:18:49,520
and had experience
in the frontier.

258
00:18:49,563 --> 00:18:51,523
He didn't seek fame or fortune.

259
00:18:51,565 --> 00:18:52,825
He didn't look
for the spotlight.

260
00:18:52,870 --> 00:18:55,130
And so, these two in many ways

261
00:18:55,177 --> 00:18:57,917
couldn't have been more
different, but at the same time

262
00:18:57,962 --> 00:19:00,182
complemented each other
very well.

263
00:19:04,491 --> 00:19:06,451
Over the course of five months

264
00:19:06,493 --> 00:19:09,673
Fremont and Carson
lead some three dozen men

265
00:19:09,713 --> 00:19:13,893
more than 2000 miles,
through treacherous terrain

266
00:19:13,935 --> 00:19:17,935
known for extreme changes
in temperature and altitude.

267
00:19:23,249 --> 00:19:25,989
This expedition
was very, very dangerous.

268
00:19:26,034 --> 00:19:27,694
They were going
to parts of the world

269
00:19:27,731 --> 00:19:30,561
that had never been
explored before.

270
00:19:30,604 --> 00:19:32,004
They were a small party.

271
00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,480
Um, they were relatively
well-armed

272
00:19:34,521 --> 00:19:37,651
but, um,
they could always be ambushed.

273
00:19:37,698 --> 00:19:39,698
And certainly
Fremont understood that

274
00:19:39,743 --> 00:19:44,053
and, and was very, very glad
to have a guide like Carson.

275
00:20:08,294 --> 00:20:11,044
On October 24th, 1843..

276
00:20:17,433 --> 00:20:19,703
...Fremont and Carson
finally reach

277
00:20:19,740 --> 00:20:22,310
the Oregon Territory.

278
00:20:27,443 --> 00:20:28,443
We made it!

279
00:20:30,229 --> 00:20:31,709
The path they chart

280
00:20:31,752 --> 00:20:33,672
becomes famous..

281
00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:35,360
...the Oregon Trail.

282
00:20:38,367 --> 00:20:41,677
It paves the way
for 400,000 settlers

283
00:20:41,718 --> 00:20:44,498
to move west
in the decades to come..

284
00:20:48,508 --> 00:20:50,678
...opening a new frontier

285
00:20:50,727 --> 00:20:53,727
and strengthening
the United States' claim

286
00:20:53,774 --> 00:20:55,694
to the northwest.

287
00:21:06,221 --> 00:21:09,491
One year after Carson
and Fremont reach Oregon..

288
00:21:12,009 --> 00:21:16,929
...the 1844 campaign for
the presidency is underway.

289
00:21:16,971 --> 00:21:20,061
In my opinion,
our national security

290
00:21:20,104 --> 00:21:23,414
requires the annexation
of Texas.

291
00:21:23,456 --> 00:21:25,106
'And should not stop'

292
00:21:25,153 --> 00:21:28,163
until our domain extends
from ocean to ocean.

293
00:21:31,028 --> 00:21:33,898
Dark horse candidate,
James K. Polk

294
00:21:33,944 --> 00:21:36,904
believes in one thing
above all..

295
00:21:36,947 --> 00:21:39,207
...expanding America's borders.

296
00:21:41,430 --> 00:21:44,130
It's a vision he shares
with his mentor

297
00:21:44,172 --> 00:21:45,652
Andrew Jackson.

298
00:21:47,567 --> 00:21:49,567
We're vulnerable here and here.

299
00:21:49,612 --> 00:21:51,572
And we're going to continue
to be vulnerable

300
00:21:51,614 --> 00:21:54,574
unless we secure our borders
to the south and to the west.

301
00:21:54,617 --> 00:21:56,917
I couldn't agree more.

302
00:21:56,967 --> 00:21:58,357
Andrew Jackson was known
as Old Hickory

303
00:21:58,404 --> 00:21:59,844
because he was so tough.

304
00:21:59,883 --> 00:22:01,453
James K. Polk was known
as Young Hickory

305
00:22:01,494 --> 00:22:03,374
the idea being
that he was a sapling

306
00:22:03,409 --> 00:22:06,019
in Andrew Jackson's model.

307
00:22:06,063 --> 00:22:07,803
The last two presidents
have done nothing.

308
00:22:07,848 --> 00:22:09,718
They're useless.
They're, they're afraid to act.

309
00:22:09,763 --> 00:22:11,073
We have to take Texas.

310
00:22:11,112 --> 00:22:14,122
That has to be
our first priority.

311
00:22:14,158 --> 00:22:17,118
Polk was a younger generation
of politician.

312
00:22:17,161 --> 00:22:20,901
As the 1844 election approached

313
00:22:20,948 --> 00:22:23,518
Jackson made clear
that if you were a supporter

314
00:22:23,559 --> 00:22:26,739
of Andrew Jackson,
you would go with James Polk.

315
00:22:32,263 --> 00:22:34,313
Polk is able to capitalize

316
00:22:34,353 --> 00:22:37,493
on the legacy of Andrew Jackson.

317
00:22:37,530 --> 00:22:40,050
This idea that Americans
have a right

318
00:22:40,097 --> 00:22:42,187
in fact, a duty,
a responsibility

319
00:22:42,230 --> 00:22:44,320
to continue to expand westward.

320
00:22:44,363 --> 00:22:47,323
That ultimately,
it's this God-given dictate

321
00:22:47,366 --> 00:22:49,276
that they must fulfill.

322
00:22:49,324 --> 00:22:52,764
And Polk is able to turn
that into a political agenda

323
00:22:52,806 --> 00:22:55,066
that serves his own
political designs.

324
00:23:10,519 --> 00:23:13,349
Polk rides a wave
of popular support

325
00:23:13,392 --> 00:23:14,312
to the White House..

326
00:23:15,568 --> 00:23:17,398
...then immediately delivers

327
00:23:17,439 --> 00:23:19,089
on his campaign promise.

328
00:23:20,573 --> 00:23:22,583
By his first days in office

329
00:23:22,618 --> 00:23:27,358
Texas is on its way
to becoming the 28th state..

330
00:23:27,406 --> 00:23:30,706
...adding another
300,000 square miles

331
00:23:30,757 --> 00:23:33,237
to the nation.

332
00:23:33,281 --> 00:23:36,811
So, Polk does what I wish more
presidential candidates would do

333
00:23:36,850 --> 00:23:38,590
says he's gonna do this,
this, and this

334
00:23:38,634 --> 00:23:40,294
and he's only gonna serve
one term

335
00:23:40,331 --> 00:23:42,461
so that he can,
uh, step on a lot of toes

336
00:23:42,508 --> 00:23:44,208
and deny the special interests

337
00:23:44,248 --> 00:23:47,158
and just pursue
what he's elected to do.

338
00:23:50,907 --> 00:23:52,337
The move fulfills

339
00:23:52,387 --> 00:23:54,867
Andrew Jackson's long-held dream

340
00:23:54,911 --> 00:23:57,831
to make Texas a state.

341
00:24:01,483 --> 00:24:03,833
But he doesn't live
to see it come true.

342
00:24:10,361 --> 00:24:13,841
Jackson's legacy was firmly
establishing the principal

343
00:24:13,887 --> 00:24:16,497
that the ordinary people
of America

344
00:24:16,542 --> 00:24:19,152
wielded political power.

345
00:24:19,196 --> 00:24:23,066
He was a self-made individual.
He didn't have an inheritance.

346
00:24:23,113 --> 00:24:26,203
He didn't have name recognition
handed to him.

347
00:24:26,247 --> 00:24:28,897
Today, people don't like Jackson

348
00:24:28,945 --> 00:24:32,505
largely because
Jackson's hard Indian policy

349
00:24:32,558 --> 00:24:35,168
offend modern sensibilities.

350
00:24:40,217 --> 00:24:42,787
But what's forgotten
about Jackson

351
00:24:42,829 --> 00:24:45,959
is his enormous
positive contributions.

352
00:24:46,006 --> 00:24:48,046
To hold the United States
together

353
00:24:48,095 --> 00:24:49,875
in the face of challenges..

354
00:24:49,923 --> 00:24:52,323
Fire!

355
00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:54,100
...and to defend
the United States

356
00:24:54,144 --> 00:24:56,414
against foreign attack.

357
00:24:56,451 --> 00:24:59,981
Jackson recognized
that the American experiment

358
00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:02,760
in self-government
was an ongoing experiment

359
00:25:02,805 --> 00:25:05,625
and its success
was not guaranteed.

360
00:25:05,678 --> 00:25:07,768
He was the one
who really imprinted that

361
00:25:07,810 --> 00:25:10,250
on the American psyche.

362
00:25:12,815 --> 00:25:14,945
Jackson was emblematic
of the contradictions

363
00:25:14,991 --> 00:25:17,081
of the American frontiersmen.

364
00:25:17,124 --> 00:25:21,004
It was all jumbled together
in this one huge figure

365
00:25:21,041 --> 00:25:23,521
the impressive,
and the not so impressive

366
00:25:23,565 --> 00:25:25,385
and the good, and the appalling.

367
00:25:33,662 --> 00:25:37,542
President Polk intends to
build on Jackson's legacy..

368
00:25:37,579 --> 00:25:40,099
Seizing the final
open pieces of land

369
00:25:40,147 --> 00:25:42,847
in North America.

370
00:25:42,889 --> 00:25:45,499
Polk isn't content
to just look at Texas.

371
00:25:45,544 --> 00:25:47,154
Of course, he wants Texas

372
00:25:47,197 --> 00:25:49,547
but he's going to look
broader beyond that.

373
00:25:49,591 --> 00:25:51,591
Polk wants the entire continent.

374
00:25:54,683 --> 00:25:56,603
There's just one concern.

375
00:25:56,642 --> 00:25:59,512
Mexico controls most of it

376
00:25:59,558 --> 00:26:02,778
including the biggest prize,
California.

377
00:26:04,954 --> 00:26:07,914
This is what I want and it
should not be hard to take.

378
00:26:12,222 --> 00:26:14,752
Overflowing
with natural resources

379
00:26:14,790 --> 00:26:19,320
California also has
over 3000 miles of coastline

380
00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:23,280
offering unparalleled access
to Pacific trade

381
00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,500
something every president
since Jefferson has coveted.

382
00:26:29,239 --> 00:26:32,029
California is a very
desirable place in the world.

383
00:26:32,068 --> 00:26:34,978
Very, uh, beautiful
and, and very fertile.

384
00:26:35,028 --> 00:26:37,638
The Mexicans, of course,
have their claim to it

385
00:26:37,683 --> 00:26:40,563
the British are quite
interested in settling its

386
00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:43,079
uh, and expanding, uh

387
00:26:43,123 --> 00:26:45,953
the northwestern territories
for themselves.

388
00:26:47,823 --> 00:26:51,833
Americans knew all about
the glory of California

389
00:26:51,871 --> 00:26:55,661
the immense wealth
of California.

390
00:26:55,701 --> 00:27:00,141
There was a very important trade
already going on in hides

391
00:27:00,183 --> 00:27:02,663
animal hides, and above all

392
00:27:02,708 --> 00:27:05,838
Americans were interested
in the main ports.

393
00:27:09,584 --> 00:27:11,114
Thank you, gentlemen.

394
00:27:11,151 --> 00:27:13,151
That will be all.

395
00:27:17,548 --> 00:27:21,118
Polk is determined
to take California..

396
00:27:21,161 --> 00:27:24,211
...but with congress
unwilling to start a new war

397
00:27:24,251 --> 00:27:27,601
he devises a secret plan.

398
00:27:27,646 --> 00:27:30,646
Using the Texas rebellion
as a model

399
00:27:30,692 --> 00:27:33,832
he'll try to incite an uprising

400
00:27:33,869 --> 00:27:36,659
and the man he chooses
to lead his mission

401
00:27:36,698 --> 00:27:39,828
is the most famous explorer
in America.

402
00:27:43,444 --> 00:27:45,234
Mr. Fremont.

403
00:27:47,753 --> 00:27:50,153
I read your reports.

404
00:27:50,190 --> 00:27:52,060
And I found them
very interesting.

405
00:27:52,105 --> 00:27:55,195
Thank you, Mr. President,
I'm honored.

406
00:27:55,238 --> 00:27:57,068
But I, uh, I don't imagine

407
00:27:57,110 --> 00:27:58,420
you took time
out of your schedule

408
00:27:58,459 --> 00:28:00,639
just to tell me that.

409
00:28:00,679 --> 00:28:03,119
No, no, I didn't invite you here

410
00:28:03,159 --> 00:28:06,119
to talk about
your past expeditions

411
00:28:06,162 --> 00:28:08,472
but rather a future one.

412
00:28:08,512 --> 00:28:10,082
Another trail to Oregon?

413
00:28:11,472 --> 00:28:12,782
Not exactly.

414
00:28:14,649 --> 00:28:17,219
Officially,
your mission will be to map out

415
00:28:17,260 --> 00:28:19,310
a new territory, and to discover

416
00:28:19,349 --> 00:28:21,659
the source
of the Arkansas River.

417
00:28:24,137 --> 00:28:27,357
Unofficially, when you get
to the Rocky Mountains

418
00:28:27,401 --> 00:28:29,751
I want you to ride south..

419
00:28:29,795 --> 00:28:31,265
...into California.

420
00:28:32,754 --> 00:28:34,634
Once in California

421
00:28:34,669 --> 00:28:36,849
I want you to talk
to the local settlers.

422
00:28:38,281 --> 00:28:40,461
And if you can..

423
00:28:40,501 --> 00:28:42,241
...incite rebellion.

424
00:28:44,070 --> 00:28:46,250
And you're sending me
because you don't want it

425
00:28:46,289 --> 00:28:49,209
to appear to be
a military operation.

426
00:28:49,249 --> 00:28:50,769
Exactly.

427
00:28:50,816 --> 00:28:52,556
I just need one thing from you.

428
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:54,080
And that would be?

429
00:28:55,995 --> 00:28:57,465
Kit Carson.

430
00:29:12,838 --> 00:29:16,228
President Polk was purposefully

431
00:29:16,276 --> 00:29:20,716
placing an explorer
in a capacity to take advantage

432
00:29:20,759 --> 00:29:23,539
of any sort of instability
in California.

433
00:29:23,587 --> 00:29:25,847
The idea that he's simply there

434
00:29:25,894 --> 00:29:29,254
in official capacity as an
explorer and a map maker.

435
00:29:29,289 --> 00:29:32,899
Polk needed to provide
plausible deniability.

436
00:29:32,945 --> 00:29:35,425
With around 60 heavily armed men

437
00:29:35,469 --> 00:29:38,249
Fremont moves
towards California.

438
00:29:38,298 --> 00:29:41,338
Tasked with inciting a rebellion

439
00:29:41,388 --> 00:29:43,218
without starting a war.

440
00:30:08,850 --> 00:30:14,900
John Fremont and Kit Carson
are on their way to California

441
00:30:14,943 --> 00:30:17,553
part of President Polk's
covert scheme

442
00:30:17,598 --> 00:30:21,598
to extend US borders
all the way to the coast.

443
00:30:25,388 --> 00:30:28,088
Polk was an outspoken
expansionist.

444
00:30:28,130 --> 00:30:31,610
He wanted Texas, he wanted
California, he wanted Oregon.

445
00:30:31,655 --> 00:30:33,915
He was going to push out
the American frontier

446
00:30:33,962 --> 00:30:36,012
all the way to the Pacific.

447
00:30:39,663 --> 00:30:42,143
Disguised as a surveying mission

448
00:30:42,188 --> 00:30:46,238
their real goal is to find
American settlers..

449
00:30:46,279 --> 00:30:49,409
...and incite them into
rebelling against Mexico.

450
00:31:02,730 --> 00:31:06,690
By winter, Fremont and Carson
arrive at Sutter's Fort

451
00:31:06,734 --> 00:31:09,264
in modern-day Sacramento

452
00:31:09,302 --> 00:31:12,312
the first American settlement
in California.

453
00:31:17,832 --> 00:31:19,182
In California of 1845

454
00:31:19,225 --> 00:31:21,615
there were about
eight to ten thousand people

455
00:31:21,662 --> 00:31:24,012
living in California,
mostly Mexican Californios

456
00:31:24,056 --> 00:31:27,276
and about a thousand
or so Americans

457
00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:28,890
couple hundred foreigners

458
00:31:28,930 --> 00:31:30,710
German, British, Swiss.

459
00:31:30,758 --> 00:31:32,058
And the Mexicans
had welcomed them

460
00:31:32,107 --> 00:31:35,197
because California
was a far-flung province

461
00:31:35,241 --> 00:31:37,681
and underpopulated.

462
00:31:37,721 --> 00:31:40,331
The American settlers
who pushed west

463
00:31:40,376 --> 00:31:43,946
were looking for land
but in Northern California

464
00:31:43,989 --> 00:31:45,899
it's, it's really kind
of a, a rabble.

465
00:31:47,993 --> 00:31:50,343
A lot of these guys are drunks.

466
00:31:50,386 --> 00:31:52,206
Unsavory characters.

467
00:31:56,958 --> 00:31:59,088
You look empty there, friend,
can I buy you a drink?

468
00:32:05,924 --> 00:32:08,544
- Can I ask why you came?
- Good land.

469
00:32:10,711 --> 00:32:13,371
You don't really own
that land, do you?

470
00:32:13,409 --> 00:32:14,719
Mexican government does.

471
00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:22,640
Mexico allows Americans
to settle and work the land

472
00:32:22,679 --> 00:32:25,329
but not to legally own it..

473
00:32:25,378 --> 00:32:28,288
...infuriating settlers

474
00:32:28,337 --> 00:32:31,247
and playing right
into Fremont's hands.

475
00:32:34,474 --> 00:32:38,614
Mexico's hold over California
is quite tenuous.

476
00:32:38,652 --> 00:32:40,652
And, lo and behold,
there is John C. Fremont

477
00:32:40,697 --> 00:32:42,177
in the middle of all this.

478
00:32:42,221 --> 00:32:45,441
This explorer
who has these secret orders

479
00:32:45,485 --> 00:32:48,175
from Washington,
who's very well connected

480
00:32:48,227 --> 00:32:50,527
uh, who's part of the army.

481
00:32:52,709 --> 00:32:54,019
'Now did you know
there's a Mexican fellow'

482
00:32:54,059 --> 00:32:57,059
in charge of California?
Did you?

483
00:32:57,105 --> 00:32:58,275
That's because
he doesn't come around.

484
00:33:00,674 --> 00:33:03,554
When Fremont showed up
in California in 1845

485
00:33:03,590 --> 00:33:05,900
he found a populous
that was deeply disenchanted

486
00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:07,250
with Mexican rule.

487
00:33:10,379 --> 00:33:13,169
It doesn't matter if you bought
the land, if you own the land

488
00:33:13,208 --> 00:33:15,468
if you work the land,
it doesn't even matter

489
00:33:15,515 --> 00:33:17,775
if you have become
a Mexican citizen

490
00:33:17,821 --> 00:33:19,691
all for the love of your land

491
00:33:19,736 --> 00:33:22,606
the Mexican government
will take it away

492
00:33:22,652 --> 00:33:24,702
whenever they find
that convenient.

493
00:33:27,353 --> 00:33:29,663
Fremont was very skilled.

494
00:33:29,703 --> 00:33:31,973
He was outgoing

495
00:33:32,010 --> 00:33:36,490
and so he attracted
a lot of people to him.

496
00:33:36,536 --> 00:33:42,316
Who by right owns this land?
Who by right owns it?

497
00:33:42,368 --> 00:33:45,238
Fremont convinced
Californian residents

498
00:33:45,284 --> 00:33:46,894
there was fighting to do.

499
00:33:46,937 --> 00:33:49,457
- 'Yeah.'
- California, gentlemen.

500
00:33:49,505 --> 00:33:50,455
'California.'

501
00:33:58,079 --> 00:34:00,649
In Washington,
Polk impatiently awaits

502
00:34:00,690 --> 00:34:03,520
news from Fremont..

503
00:34:03,563 --> 00:34:05,263
...hoping California settlers

504
00:34:05,304 --> 00:34:07,264
will rise up on their own.

505
00:34:09,395 --> 00:34:12,085
He knows congress won't
approve a war with Mexico..

506
00:34:13,573 --> 00:34:15,443
...unless the US is attacked.

507
00:34:20,449 --> 00:34:22,099
Tired of waiting

508
00:34:22,147 --> 00:34:24,847
Polk sends the army
to a disputed border

509
00:34:24,888 --> 00:34:27,068
between Texas and Mexico.

510
00:34:27,108 --> 00:34:30,328
Certain he can provoke Mexico
to strike first.

511
00:34:31,895 --> 00:34:33,845
How many men
in the fifth regiment?

512
00:34:33,897 --> 00:34:35,727
Polk was waiting for Mexico

513
00:34:35,769 --> 00:34:38,949
to rise to the bait
and attack American forces.

514
00:34:38,989 --> 00:34:41,689
He believed that any war fought

515
00:34:41,731 --> 00:34:44,341
was going to result in more
territory for the United States.

516
00:34:47,302 --> 00:34:50,652
On April 25th, 1846

517
00:34:50,697 --> 00:34:53,397
convinced American troops
are invading

518
00:34:53,439 --> 00:34:56,569
Mexico assaults a US patrol..

519
00:34:56,616 --> 00:34:57,966
...killing 11..

520
00:34:59,967 --> 00:35:02,487
...giving Polk exactly
the provocation he needs.

521
00:35:05,059 --> 00:35:07,539
Polk went to congress
and he said

522
00:35:07,583 --> 00:35:10,763
"American blood
has been shed on American soil

523
00:35:10,804 --> 00:35:14,294
"and despite our best efforts
to prevent war with Mexico

524
00:35:14,329 --> 00:35:15,769
they have attacked us."

525
00:35:15,809 --> 00:35:17,809
Now, this was a lie.

526
00:35:17,854 --> 00:35:22,564
In fact, the land in question
was not American land.

527
00:35:25,210 --> 00:35:27,170
I won't say that
this is the only instance

528
00:35:27,212 --> 00:35:30,432
in American history in which,
let's say, we fudge some things

529
00:35:30,476 --> 00:35:32,346
in order to get
something we wanted

530
00:35:32,391 --> 00:35:34,701
through an act of aggression

531
00:35:34,741 --> 00:35:36,871
but this is certainly
a great example.

532
00:35:39,485 --> 00:35:41,395
Mere weeks after the attack..

533
00:35:44,881 --> 00:35:47,751
...the US declares war
on Mexico.

534
00:35:53,586 --> 00:35:55,806
In California

535
00:35:55,849 --> 00:35:58,589
Fremont receives
a message from Polk.

536
00:36:00,549 --> 00:36:02,989
His mission is no longer secret.

537
00:36:04,771 --> 00:36:06,161
It's time to attack.

538
00:36:10,559 --> 00:36:13,779
Fremont equips
a rag tag army with rifles..

539
00:36:15,912 --> 00:36:18,522
...then marches toward
present-day Sonoma.

540
00:36:20,395 --> 00:36:24,225
His goal,
win California for Polk..

541
00:36:24,269 --> 00:36:25,839
...at any cost.

542
00:36:37,586 --> 00:36:40,416
Following orders
from President Polk

543
00:36:40,459 --> 00:36:43,979
John Fremont leads a militia
of 100 men, south.

544
00:36:45,812 --> 00:36:50,212
His mission,
seize California for the US.

545
00:36:54,081 --> 00:36:56,741
He plans first to attack Sonoma

546
00:36:56,779 --> 00:37:00,609
the largest settlement
in Northern California.

547
00:37:00,653 --> 00:37:02,833
Then, he hopes to continue south

548
00:37:02,872 --> 00:37:06,052
to Monterey, Los Angeles

549
00:37:06,093 --> 00:37:08,313
and finally, San Diego.

550
00:37:11,925 --> 00:37:14,705
Let's go!

551
00:37:14,754 --> 00:37:18,114
The Americans
are relatively few in number

552
00:37:18,148 --> 00:37:20,718
but because of John C. Fremont

553
00:37:20,760 --> 00:37:23,110
they are going to make
their presence known

554
00:37:23,153 --> 00:37:27,073
much more loudly than
their numbers would indicate.

555
00:37:37,167 --> 00:37:39,947
Relying on grit
and determination

556
00:37:39,996 --> 00:37:44,606
Fremont and Kit Carson begin
their improbable conquest.

557
00:37:47,482 --> 00:37:49,142
If there's one thing
that marks John C. Fremont

558
00:37:49,179 --> 00:37:50,529
it's his ambition.

559
00:37:50,572 --> 00:37:53,052
He was, he was driven
to succeed.

560
00:37:53,096 --> 00:37:54,916
He was driven to be independent

561
00:37:54,968 --> 00:37:58,618
and I think the frontier
for John C. Fremont

562
00:37:58,667 --> 00:38:02,317
represented the route
to secure his ambition.

563
00:38:02,367 --> 00:38:05,457
Notoriety, fame, wealth.

564
00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:07,720
That's what California offered.

565
00:38:11,419 --> 00:38:15,079
As word of Fremont's revolt
begins to spread

566
00:38:15,118 --> 00:38:17,428
other settlers join the fight.

567
00:38:19,122 --> 00:38:22,212
They call themselves Los Osos

568
00:38:22,256 --> 00:38:24,346
Spanish for "The Bears."

569
00:38:28,044 --> 00:38:32,184
On June 14th, 1846..

570
00:38:32,222 --> 00:38:36,052
...Fremont's fighters
reach Sonoma.

571
00:38:36,096 --> 00:38:39,266
But are surprised to find
the Mexican outpost

572
00:38:39,317 --> 00:38:41,187
virtually undefended.

573
00:38:49,283 --> 00:38:51,943
They capture it,
in what becomes known

574
00:38:51,981 --> 00:38:54,031
as The Bear Flag Revolt.

575
00:38:57,378 --> 00:39:01,298
To mark their victory,
they raise a makeshift flag

576
00:39:01,339 --> 00:39:02,949
made from a cotton sheet

577
00:39:02,992 --> 00:39:05,172
and decorated
with a red grizzly bear.

578
00:39:07,345 --> 00:39:09,425
The design will later inspire

579
00:39:09,477 --> 00:39:11,867
the state flag of California.

580
00:39:15,744 --> 00:39:17,314
Alright, let's go!

581
00:39:20,488 --> 00:39:24,268
This revolt
that begins to emerge

582
00:39:24,318 --> 00:39:27,668
it was enough of a movement,
um, to take hold

583
00:39:27,713 --> 00:39:29,283
at least in Northern California

584
00:39:29,323 --> 00:39:30,983
and to start this process

585
00:39:31,020 --> 00:39:33,550
of the American conquest
of California.

586
00:39:39,420 --> 00:39:42,770
In just two months
with few casualties

587
00:39:42,815 --> 00:39:46,685
Fremont and Carson conquer
most of California's coast.

588
00:39:49,299 --> 00:39:52,429
Under the direction of
Fremont, this rabble of guys

589
00:39:52,477 --> 00:39:54,647
have accomplished
this great feat.

590
00:39:54,696 --> 00:39:58,526
Never before in history
had so much terrain been won

591
00:39:58,570 --> 00:40:01,220
with so little conflict,
with so little bloodshed

592
00:40:01,268 --> 00:40:04,008
and won by such a small party
of individuals.

593
00:40:12,148 --> 00:40:15,668
Polk's plan to win California
seems to be working

594
00:40:15,717 --> 00:40:18,677
but without communication,
he has no idea

595
00:40:18,720 --> 00:40:21,640
if Fremont and Carson
are even alive.

596
00:40:25,510 --> 00:40:28,730
To hedge his bets,
he dispatches a cavalry force

597
00:40:28,774 --> 00:40:31,044
from Texas..

598
00:40:31,080 --> 00:40:34,480
...led by
General Stephen Kearny.

599
00:40:34,519 --> 00:40:37,439
Stephen Watts Kearny
has been an officer

600
00:40:37,478 --> 00:40:39,998
he's known Lewis and Clark

601
00:40:40,046 --> 00:40:42,476
and Polk orders him west

602
00:40:42,527 --> 00:40:44,567
to go and capture Santa Fe

603
00:40:44,616 --> 00:40:46,916
and then continue on
down the Rio Grande

604
00:40:46,966 --> 00:40:49,356
and eventually strike westward
to California.

605
00:41:00,936 --> 00:41:03,456
In early August, 1846..

606
00:41:05,898 --> 00:41:08,858
...Fremont and Carson
reach Los Angeles.

607
00:41:12,861 --> 00:41:16,211
After joining forces with
US Marines sent by Polk..

608
00:41:18,127 --> 00:41:20,517
...they seize the city

609
00:41:20,565 --> 00:41:24,565
and with it, the final Mexican
stronghold in California.

610
00:41:26,571 --> 00:41:28,091
It's kind of incredible.

611
00:41:28,137 --> 00:41:30,097
Fremont took California

612
00:41:30,139 --> 00:41:33,749
against relatively
light resistance.

613
00:41:33,795 --> 00:41:35,745
It fell into American hands

614
00:41:35,797 --> 00:41:37,757
partly because of the skill
and bravery

615
00:41:37,799 --> 00:41:39,799
of someone like John C. Fremont

616
00:41:39,845 --> 00:41:41,975
but partly because
of pure good fortune

617
00:41:42,021 --> 00:41:43,541
because it was there
for the taking.

618
00:41:48,767 --> 00:41:52,547
It was at that point,
Fremont assumed that-that-that

619
00:41:52,597 --> 00:41:55,727
California was theirs,
that they had taken it.

620
00:41:55,774 --> 00:41:58,474
They believed that-that Mexicans
weren't really good soldiers.

621
00:41:58,516 --> 00:42:01,606
They believed that they were
sort of indifferent politically

622
00:42:01,649 --> 00:42:03,829
and they took this as a sign

623
00:42:03,869 --> 00:42:06,609
that-that, that
California was theirs.

624
00:42:08,874 --> 00:42:11,144
Fremont, always ambitious

625
00:42:11,180 --> 00:42:14,100
wants to share his good news
with Polk quickly.

626
00:42:19,885 --> 00:42:23,365
Fremont decides now is the time

627
00:42:23,410 --> 00:42:25,720
to-to let Washington know
what has happened

628
00:42:25,760 --> 00:42:27,550
to let Polk know
what has happened

629
00:42:27,588 --> 00:42:30,028
to sort of solidify the victory.

630
00:42:30,069 --> 00:42:33,249
Fremont was interested in
expanding his own celebrity

631
00:42:33,289 --> 00:42:36,819
making this conquest
part of his own personal story.

632
00:42:36,858 --> 00:42:40,688
Fremont decides
to send a courier east.

633
00:42:40,732 --> 00:42:42,782
Who am I gonna hire to do this?

634
00:42:42,821 --> 00:42:45,781
Well, why not the most
competent and pragmatic

635
00:42:45,824 --> 00:42:49,964
strongest member
of my expedition, Kit Carson.

636
00:42:52,395 --> 00:42:54,825
Adept at survival

637
00:42:54,876 --> 00:42:58,526
Carson picks
the fastest route possible.

638
00:42:58,576 --> 00:43:01,056
Even though it means
crossing hundreds of miles

639
00:43:01,100 --> 00:43:02,750
of inhospitable desert.

640
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:06,670
The famed frontiersman
is unaware

641
00:43:06,714 --> 00:43:10,074
he's about to face
his most grueling test yet.

642
00:43:22,730 --> 00:43:24,340
By 1846..

643
00:43:26,125 --> 00:43:28,335
...Kit Carson is
one of the few Americans

644
00:43:28,388 --> 00:43:31,608
to ever reach California.

645
00:43:31,652 --> 00:43:35,352
Now, he's undertaking
a new epic quest

646
00:43:35,395 --> 00:43:38,215
to cross the continent
and hand-deliver

647
00:43:38,267 --> 00:43:42,007
an urgent message
to President James K. Polk

648
00:43:42,054 --> 00:43:45,674
sharing that Fremont and his
army have taken California.

649
00:43:47,059 --> 00:43:49,499
He sets out from Los Angeles

650
00:43:49,539 --> 00:43:53,669
with orders to travel
to Washington and back.

651
00:43:53,718 --> 00:43:59,988
A distance of 6000 miles
in 140 days.

652
00:44:00,028 --> 00:44:01,508
We have to remind ourselves that

653
00:44:01,551 --> 00:44:04,341
there was
no transcontinental railroad

654
00:44:04,380 --> 00:44:06,730
there was no telegraph,
there was only one way

655
00:44:06,774 --> 00:44:08,604
to get a message to Washington

656
00:44:08,646 --> 00:44:10,556
and that was to travel overland

657
00:44:10,604 --> 00:44:13,744
and this is exactly
the kind of expedition

658
00:44:13,781 --> 00:44:16,221
that Carson was perfect for.

659
00:44:16,262 --> 00:44:19,442
But the most direct route
across the country

660
00:44:19,482 --> 00:44:22,882
cuts through one of the most
hostile places in America..

661
00:44:25,575 --> 00:44:27,225
...the Sonoran Desert.

662
00:44:49,599 --> 00:44:51,599
Well, for Kit Carson
to cross the desert

663
00:44:51,645 --> 00:44:53,685
in what's now the Southwest

664
00:44:53,734 --> 00:44:57,964
would be a very
difficult situation.

665
00:44:57,999 --> 00:45:02,439
There's the danger of heat
stroke, of getting lost

666
00:45:02,482 --> 00:45:04,532
there are many dangers.

667
00:45:04,571 --> 00:45:06,701
Dehydration would be a huge one.

668
00:45:20,848 --> 00:45:23,368
Carson's frontier skills
make him uniquely suited

669
00:45:23,416 --> 00:45:24,846
for this test.

670
00:45:31,206 --> 00:45:34,166
He survives for weeks

671
00:45:34,209 --> 00:45:36,779
by harvesting water
from creek beds

672
00:45:36,821 --> 00:45:40,831
and cactus roots
buried below the ground.

673
00:45:40,868 --> 00:45:44,518
Carson knew, you know where
to find water in a cactus.

674
00:45:44,567 --> 00:45:46,267
He had a little trick where
he would nick the ear of a mule

675
00:45:46,308 --> 00:45:47,828
and drink its blood.

676
00:45:47,875 --> 00:45:49,875
He had all these little
tricks up his sleeve.

677
00:45:56,579 --> 00:45:58,099
Aah!

678
00:46:07,590 --> 00:46:09,290
But it's not enough

679
00:46:09,331 --> 00:46:13,031
to overcome the relentless
heat of the Sonoran summer.

680
00:46:19,907 --> 00:46:24,297
Typically, say a 155-pound
male would need about

681
00:46:24,346 --> 00:46:27,826
one and a half liters of
water a day to stay alive.

682
00:46:29,874 --> 00:46:33,494
If you're crossing
a desert in the heat

683
00:46:33,529 --> 00:46:38,139
instead of 1.5 liters a day
you need 1.5 liters an hour.

684
00:46:54,812 --> 00:46:57,512
After traveling
more than 1000 miles..

685
00:47:00,165 --> 00:47:02,425
...Carson's life is in danger.

686
00:47:08,042 --> 00:47:12,132
In the desert, as one's body
becomes dehydrated..

687
00:47:17,182 --> 00:47:21,752
...one's blood is actually
thickening like oil.

688
00:47:21,795 --> 00:47:25,625
The water inside your cells
is being drawn out

689
00:47:25,668 --> 00:47:27,928
to thin your thickening blood.

690
00:47:27,975 --> 00:47:31,455
So, your body
is sucking itself dry

691
00:47:31,500 --> 00:47:34,850
and these changes can occur
in the brain as well.

692
00:47:39,465 --> 00:47:43,115
The hallucinations typically
accompany severe dehydration.

693
00:47:45,427 --> 00:47:49,037
The victim can hallucinate
pools of water.

694
00:47:51,390 --> 00:47:54,090
In the latter stages,
they will try

695
00:47:54,132 --> 00:47:57,832
to bite their own arm
and suck the liquid out.

696
00:48:16,719 --> 00:48:17,939
Then finally..

697
00:48:20,245 --> 00:48:22,285
...relief is on the horizon.

698
00:48:28,644 --> 00:48:31,134
Kit Carson gets
to a spot in New Mexico

699
00:48:31,169 --> 00:48:34,519
and sees this cloud of dust
coming from the west.

700
00:48:34,563 --> 00:48:37,873
"Well, who is this?
What's going on?"

701
00:48:37,915 --> 00:48:40,305
It turns out to be
the army of the west.

702
00:48:43,790 --> 00:48:46,270
Under the orders
of President Polk

703
00:48:46,314 --> 00:48:49,324
General Stephen Kearney
has spent the last six months

704
00:48:49,361 --> 00:48:51,231
driving towards California.

705
00:49:00,938 --> 00:49:02,678
'If you have any extra supplies
you could share'

706
00:49:02,722 --> 00:49:04,202
'I'd appreciate it.'

707
00:49:04,245 --> 00:49:07,205
- Where is it you're headed?
- Washington.

708
00:49:07,248 --> 00:49:08,728
I have a message
I need to relay.

709
00:49:08,771 --> 00:49:10,991
- Where from?
- California.

710
00:49:11,035 --> 00:49:13,335
Well, that's where we're headed.
We ride out in the morning.

711
00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:17,432
What did you say your name was?

712
00:49:17,476 --> 00:49:20,696
- Kit Carson.
- You're Fremont's guide.

713
00:49:23,351 --> 00:49:25,141
The meeting between
Carson and Kearny

714
00:49:25,179 --> 00:49:28,659
is one of the most serendipitous
meetings in American history.

715
00:49:30,445 --> 00:49:32,705
General Kearny
had heard of Carson.

716
00:49:32,752 --> 00:49:35,362
He knew about his exploits,
he knew that Carson

717
00:49:35,407 --> 00:49:38,447
had just been over this
very inhospitable terrain.

718
00:49:38,497 --> 00:49:40,107
He needed a guide.

719
00:49:40,151 --> 00:49:42,371
Just as Fremont
earlier had needed a guide.

720
00:49:42,414 --> 00:49:46,204
Now Kearny needed a guide
to get him back to California.

721
00:49:48,594 --> 00:49:51,214
So Kearny
has to pull rank basically.

722
00:49:51,249 --> 00:49:55,509
"Look, I'm a general, uh, you're
gonna do what I tell you to do.

723
00:49:55,557 --> 00:49:57,117
I need you."

724
00:49:57,168 --> 00:49:59,648
You get some rest.

725
00:49:59,692 --> 00:50:01,302
We move out
first thing in the morning.

726
00:50:12,879 --> 00:50:16,619
Kearny recognized that Carson
was an experienced guide

727
00:50:16,665 --> 00:50:19,355
uh, had been on these
expeditions with Fremont

728
00:50:19,407 --> 00:50:21,407
and I think Kearny
just made a sound decision.

729
00:50:21,453 --> 00:50:24,983
He said, "You know where you're
going, take me into San Diego."

730
00:50:32,420 --> 00:50:34,990
Carson, always
the dutiful soldier

731
00:50:35,032 --> 00:50:38,252
accepts the orders begrudgingly
and returns with Kearny.

732
00:50:42,343 --> 00:50:46,783
So, Carson is guiding Kearny
west and he probably is fuming

733
00:50:46,826 --> 00:50:50,086
he's resentful, he probably
hates this expedition

734
00:50:50,134 --> 00:50:52,444
but there he is again
moving back and forth

735
00:50:52,484 --> 00:50:54,704
across this huge nation.

736
00:50:54,747 --> 00:50:57,097
Carson heads back
into the desert

737
00:50:57,141 --> 00:51:00,671
unaware that he's walking
straight into a war.

738
00:51:09,892 --> 00:51:12,112
It's been two months
since John Fremont

739
00:51:12,156 --> 00:51:15,766
dispatched Kit Carson
east to Washington

740
00:51:15,811 --> 00:51:19,121
in a race to deliver the news
that they've taken California.

741
00:51:20,816 --> 00:51:22,686
But Carson's mission
has changed.

742
00:51:24,429 --> 00:51:27,479
Now, he's heading back west

743
00:51:27,519 --> 00:51:31,869
leading General Kearny's
troops to San Diego.

744
00:51:31,914 --> 00:51:34,004
Stephen Kearny was the commander

745
00:51:34,047 --> 00:51:36,087
of the American Army
of the west.

746
00:51:36,136 --> 00:51:37,956
He was sent by Polk

747
00:51:38,007 --> 00:51:40,917
to advance
into Mexican territory

748
00:51:40,967 --> 00:51:43,057
to secure California
for the United States.

749
00:51:45,624 --> 00:51:48,674
And Kit Carson is saying,
"Don't worry about California.

750
00:51:48,714 --> 00:51:50,894
Fremont's already
captured California."

751
00:51:52,674 --> 00:51:54,684
Well, Kearny's
in a little bit of a quandary.

752
00:51:54,720 --> 00:51:57,110
He's been told to do this,
he's a good military officer

753
00:51:57,157 --> 00:51:59,377
he's gonna follow orders.

754
00:51:59,420 --> 00:52:01,860
The slow-moving army
takes eight weeks

755
00:52:01,901 --> 00:52:05,211
to retrace Carson's steps
through the Sonoran Desert.

756
00:52:07,298 --> 00:52:11,078
Kearny sends Carson ahead
to scout the best route.

757
00:52:18,178 --> 00:52:20,348
Fifty miles
outside of San Diego..

758
00:52:24,576 --> 00:52:26,226
...Carson discovers..

759
00:52:28,971 --> 00:52:31,101
...that Mexico
is far from defeated.

760
00:52:35,543 --> 00:52:36,943
And its army..

761
00:52:38,155 --> 00:52:39,285
...is on the move.

762
00:52:41,201 --> 00:52:43,421
They get near San Diego.

763
00:52:43,464 --> 00:52:46,474
Carson rides ahead..

764
00:52:46,511 --> 00:52:49,641
...and, wait a minute,
California is not conquered.

765
00:52:49,688 --> 00:52:52,258
Everything is kind of
turned around now.

766
00:52:54,214 --> 00:52:55,744
The Americans have lost ground.

767
00:52:58,305 --> 00:53:00,385
Initially, Fremont's troops
encountered

768
00:53:00,438 --> 00:53:02,308
almost no resistance

769
00:53:02,353 --> 00:53:06,103
taking towns from Sausalito to Los Angeles.

770
00:53:06,139 --> 00:53:09,229
But now the Mexican Army
has surged north

771
00:53:09,273 --> 00:53:11,103
reclaiming the territory

772
00:53:11,144 --> 00:53:14,234
and Fremont
is trying to regroup.

773
00:53:14,278 --> 00:53:17,458
Fremont sends Carson back
to basically say

774
00:53:17,498 --> 00:53:20,888
"We've won and, uh,
everybody should celebrate."

775
00:53:20,936 --> 00:53:23,586
Well, those greetings
were a little bit premature.

776
00:53:27,116 --> 00:53:29,986
Essentially, the Mexican Army
had, had regrouped

777
00:53:30,032 --> 00:53:33,952
and reorganized,
ready to defend their land.

778
00:53:39,781 --> 00:53:41,481
'How many of them over there?'

779
00:53:43,568 --> 00:53:45,868
A hundred, maybe more.

780
00:53:47,485 --> 00:53:49,005
Well-mounted too.

781
00:53:52,620 --> 00:53:56,190
Kearny's men have,
have marched from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

782
00:53:56,233 --> 00:53:58,673
His men are cold and tired.

783
00:53:58,713 --> 00:54:01,373
It's raining.
His powder is wet.

784
00:54:01,412 --> 00:54:04,462
Despite all of this,
Kearny thinks

785
00:54:04,502 --> 00:54:07,592
he can engage
with the Mexican Army.

786
00:54:09,594 --> 00:54:10,864
We have to attack.

787
00:54:14,642 --> 00:54:17,952
- Are you with me?
- Yes, sir.

788
00:54:26,611 --> 00:54:30,311
Carson was the sort of guy you
would want to have on your side

789
00:54:30,354 --> 00:54:32,664
if you were in a firefight.

790
00:54:32,704 --> 00:54:35,794
He has an incredible
violent streak.

791
00:54:35,837 --> 00:54:39,097
He was a violent man
even for his times.

792
00:54:39,145 --> 00:54:41,495
Once he's perceived that
this was a violent situation

793
00:54:41,539 --> 00:54:44,109
he was about to enter into,
he went for the jugular.

794
00:55:10,045 --> 00:55:12,695
Charge!

795
00:55:18,880 --> 00:55:21,580
Keep moving forward!
Keep the pressure up!

796
00:55:28,107 --> 00:55:30,197
Kearny completely underestimates

797
00:55:30,239 --> 00:55:31,889
the Mexican presence.

798
00:55:35,201 --> 00:55:37,511
And there's disorganization
amongst the Americans

799
00:55:37,551 --> 00:55:39,071
a bit of overzealousness..

800
00:55:39,118 --> 00:55:40,688
And the result is..

801
00:55:43,514 --> 00:55:45,474
...Kearny's men
get stretched out

802
00:55:45,516 --> 00:55:47,946
and the Mexicans are able
to take advantage of this.

803
00:56:07,886 --> 00:56:09,796
Carson is momentarily
unconscious.

804
00:56:16,634 --> 00:56:18,944
Then he stands up
and he finds his rifle.

805
00:56:25,991 --> 00:56:28,651
And he begins to pick off
the enemy, one by one.

806
00:56:30,212 --> 00:56:32,212
It's classic Carson.

807
00:56:35,304 --> 00:56:38,264
Carson grew up
with a gun in his hand.

808
00:56:38,307 --> 00:56:39,477
He could shoot straight.

809
00:56:39,526 --> 00:56:42,046
He was calm, he was composed

810
00:56:42,094 --> 00:56:44,714
he would dispatch you
as quickly as possible.

811
00:56:47,142 --> 00:56:48,712
He would talk about a
firefight, and he would say

812
00:56:48,753 --> 00:56:51,503
"That was the, the prettiest
fight I ever saw."

813
00:56:53,497 --> 00:56:57,107
Almost like a mafia killer.

814
00:56:57,152 --> 00:57:01,292
The Mexicans suffered some
wounded, but it's this point

815
00:57:01,330 --> 00:57:03,770
that Kearny realizes
he's in trouble.

816
00:57:06,945 --> 00:57:09,335
Kearny himself was nearly
killed in this conflict.

817
00:57:10,470 --> 00:57:12,390
It's, uh, nip and tuck

818
00:57:12,429 --> 00:57:13,949
whether they're gonna
survive this thing.

819
00:57:13,995 --> 00:57:16,865
Retreat! Retreat!

820
00:57:19,131 --> 00:57:21,961
Retreat!

821
00:57:35,364 --> 00:57:38,544
They have to regroup
and create a perimeter

822
00:57:38,585 --> 00:57:41,675
and it's the beginning
of a siege, basically.

823
00:57:48,203 --> 00:57:51,513
The siege at San Pasqual
goes on for several days

824
00:57:51,555 --> 00:57:55,335
and Kearny realizes that they're
not going to survive this.

825
00:57:55,384 --> 00:57:57,304
They don't have
enough food and water

826
00:57:57,343 --> 00:57:59,693
and ammunition to hold out
much longer.

827
00:57:59,737 --> 00:58:01,737
What he needs to do is find out

828
00:58:01,782 --> 00:58:04,872
whether there are any other
American forces in the area.

829
00:58:07,222 --> 00:58:09,572
How many troops you think
are still out there?

830
00:58:09,616 --> 00:58:11,136
More than we've got.

831
00:58:14,229 --> 00:58:16,929
We need to sneak someone
through enemy lines.

832
00:58:16,971 --> 00:58:18,501
Get word to San Diego.

833
00:58:20,061 --> 00:58:21,411
I'll do it.

834
00:58:23,456 --> 00:58:27,106
There's a belief that
somewhere in, near San Diego

835
00:58:27,155 --> 00:58:29,415
is the US Navy and the Marines.

836
00:58:29,462 --> 00:58:32,552
And if he could get
reinforcements, and get help

837
00:58:32,596 --> 00:58:34,686
that they might be
able to break this siege.

838
00:58:38,471 --> 00:58:42,431
So, again, who raises his hand?
It's Carson. "I'll do it."

839
00:58:42,475 --> 00:58:45,645
Whenever there's a risky mission
into enemy territory

840
00:58:45,696 --> 00:58:47,476
he's the guy
that raises his hand.

841
00:58:59,971 --> 00:59:02,541
But San Diego is 40 miles away.

842
00:59:06,630 --> 00:59:09,330
And no one knows
if help is there..

843
00:59:13,724 --> 00:59:16,644
...or if Carson
will survive the journey.

844
00:59:39,532 --> 00:59:41,842
Kit Carson has just volunteered

845
00:59:41,882 --> 00:59:44,672
for a mission
that could cost his life.

846
00:59:49,237 --> 00:59:52,407
To save General Kearney's
trapped army

847
00:59:52,458 --> 00:59:57,118
he'll try to reach US Marines
he hopes are in San Diego.

848
01:00:15,829 --> 01:00:19,349
You have to imagine the danger
inherent in this mission.

849
01:00:26,100 --> 01:00:29,060
Carson has to sneak
through Mexican lines

850
01:00:29,103 --> 01:00:32,593
through enemy territory,
through hills

851
01:00:32,629 --> 01:00:34,669
rock and cactus, and thorns.

852
01:00:34,718 --> 01:00:37,588
It is an unforgiving
environment.

853
01:00:37,634 --> 01:00:40,424
And he's not on a horse,
he's on hands and knees.

854
01:01:00,744 --> 01:01:03,364
He's got to now make his way
across this

855
01:01:03,398 --> 01:01:05,488
uh, expansive desert

856
01:01:05,531 --> 01:01:07,931
with prickly pear
and all kinds of cactus

857
01:01:07,968 --> 01:01:10,708
he is traveling
in enemy territory.

858
01:01:13,147 --> 01:01:15,407
It's just another
one of the exploits that

859
01:01:15,454 --> 01:01:18,074
contributes to the mythology
of Kit Carson

860
01:01:18,109 --> 01:01:22,159
as this kind of incredibly
plucky, self-reliant guy.

861
01:01:54,493 --> 01:01:56,153
Against all odds

862
01:01:56,190 --> 01:01:59,850
Kit Carson reaches San Diego
in one day.

863
01:01:59,890 --> 01:02:02,720
Halt! Who goes there?

864
01:02:06,766 --> 01:02:08,246
Hold your fire!

865
01:02:10,030 --> 01:02:11,730
Wait, I'm an American.

866
01:02:15,122 --> 01:02:16,862
General Kearny sent me.

867
01:02:36,578 --> 01:02:39,408
The Mexican Army has his
entire battalion surrounded.

868
01:02:39,451 --> 01:02:40,411
What?

869
01:02:40,452 --> 01:02:41,672
About 35 miles back

870
01:02:41,714 --> 01:02:44,334
across the desert.

871
01:02:44,369 --> 01:02:47,109
By the time he makes it
to American lines

872
01:02:47,154 --> 01:02:48,854
his feet are all torn up

873
01:02:48,895 --> 01:02:50,765
and he's lacerated,
he can't walk.

874
01:02:52,681 --> 01:02:55,081
This is one of the great
feats in American history.

875
01:03:10,308 --> 01:03:14,658
After a brief reprieve,
Carson returns to San Pasqual

876
01:03:14,703 --> 01:03:16,583
with 200 reinforcements.

877
01:03:18,446 --> 01:03:21,486
As they approach
General Kearney's position

878
01:03:21,536 --> 01:03:24,626
their opposition scatters.

879
01:03:24,670 --> 01:03:28,500
The sight of these approaching
marines, very well-armed

880
01:03:28,543 --> 01:03:31,903
was enough to scatter
the Mexican soldiers.

881
01:03:31,938 --> 01:03:33,328
They didn't want
any part of this.

882
01:03:47,911 --> 01:03:51,091
Carson learns
Kearney has survived

883
01:03:51,131 --> 01:03:54,611
and now intends
to continue his mission.

884
01:03:54,656 --> 01:03:57,526
We'll make straight
for San Diego, resupply

885
01:03:57,572 --> 01:04:00,272
then on, to Los Angeles.

886
01:04:00,314 --> 01:04:02,324
You think we can take it?

887
01:04:02,360 --> 01:04:04,360
We'll see.

888
01:04:10,629 --> 01:04:13,409
As he prepares to leave,
Carson is unaware

889
01:04:13,458 --> 01:04:16,638
his friend, John C. Fremont,
is alive

890
01:04:16,678 --> 01:04:19,378
and planning his own mission.

891
01:04:19,420 --> 01:04:21,860
Carson hadn't seen Fremont
in a long time now.

892
01:04:21,901 --> 01:04:25,251
He didn't know
if Fremont was alive or dead.

893
01:04:25,296 --> 01:04:28,336
He's near Monterey,
trying to gather an army

894
01:04:28,386 --> 01:04:30,516
to retake Southern California.

895
01:04:32,042 --> 01:04:33,832
By late November

896
01:04:33,870 --> 01:04:37,090
he's amassed a force
of more than 400 men.

897
01:04:40,485 --> 01:04:43,045
Determined to reconquer
Los Angeles

898
01:04:43,096 --> 01:04:47,006
and burnish his reputation,
Fremont heads south.

899
01:04:49,189 --> 01:04:52,109
At the same time,
Kearney and Carson

900
01:04:52,149 --> 01:04:54,239
plan their own route north.

901
01:04:56,327 --> 01:04:58,807
Between them, the Mexican Army.

902
01:05:01,245 --> 01:05:05,545
At stake, control of California

903
01:05:05,597 --> 01:05:09,727
and the final piece of
American western expansion.

904
01:05:21,874 --> 01:05:25,924
President James K.
Polk is determined to seize California.

905
01:05:27,924 --> 01:05:30,674
But his plan depends
on the outcome of a battle

906
01:05:30,709 --> 01:05:33,409
erupting 3000 miles away.

907
01:05:41,546 --> 01:05:45,416
Los Angeles is Mexico's final
stronghold in the territory.

908
01:05:49,771 --> 01:05:52,691
A prize the Americans
want to reclaim.

909
01:05:56,213 --> 01:05:58,693
John Fremont
closes in from the north..

910
01:06:02,654 --> 01:06:05,534
...as Kit Carson
and General Kearney

911
01:06:05,570 --> 01:06:06,960
move to attack.

912
01:06:09,617 --> 01:06:11,227
If you think about Los Angeles

913
01:06:11,271 --> 01:06:14,061
you have Kearny
approaching from the south..

914
01:06:16,537 --> 01:06:19,577
...and Fremont was advancing
along the coastal range

915
01:06:19,627 --> 01:06:22,017
and controlled
the Cahuenga Pass.

916
01:06:22,065 --> 01:06:24,715
There wasn't really anywhere
for the Mexican Army to go.

917
01:06:31,422 --> 01:06:34,122
Kearny's army arrives first..

918
01:06:50,397 --> 01:06:52,487
Charge!

919
01:06:55,272 --> 01:06:58,542
...and overwhelms the enemy

920
01:06:58,579 --> 01:07:02,109
defeating them
in a matter of hours.

921
01:07:02,148 --> 01:07:06,198
A combined force
of Kearny's soldiers

922
01:07:06,239 --> 01:07:10,419
and some American volunteers
pin the Mexican Army down.

923
01:07:13,725 --> 01:07:17,335
Between Fremont's advancing
army from the north

924
01:07:17,381 --> 01:07:19,121
and their combined force
in the south..

925
01:07:24,388 --> 01:07:25,818
...the Mexican Army realizes,
"Look, we're, you know,

926
01:07:25,867 --> 01:07:29,087
we're surrounded,"
and decided that it was

927
01:07:29,132 --> 01:07:32,742
it was time to, to capitulate.

928
01:07:32,787 --> 01:07:36,267
The US flag
is raised over Los Angeles..

929
01:07:40,839 --> 01:07:42,929
...but the war isn't over.

930
01:07:47,498 --> 01:07:49,628
Polk had basically
gotten what he wanted.

931
01:07:52,546 --> 01:07:54,766
California was in American hands

932
01:07:54,809 --> 01:07:56,459
New Mexico
was in American hands..

933
01:07:58,291 --> 01:08:00,951
...Texas was secured,
and Polk decided

934
01:08:00,989 --> 01:08:03,559
it was time for the war to end.

935
01:08:03,601 --> 01:08:07,081
Unfortunately, Mexicans had
no interest in ending the war.

936
01:08:07,126 --> 01:08:11,386
They were angry, and they
refused to come to terms.

937
01:08:11,435 --> 01:08:14,435
To force Mexico's hand

938
01:08:14,481 --> 01:08:17,701
Polk launches an invasion.

939
01:08:17,745 --> 01:08:19,005
Grabbing California,
the United States

940
01:08:19,051 --> 01:08:22,881
actually had to land an army..

941
01:08:22,924 --> 01:08:25,104
...on the coast of Mexico,
at Veracruz

942
01:08:25,144 --> 01:08:27,934
and then march up
and take Mexico City.

943
01:08:35,502 --> 01:08:37,072
The resulting treaty..

944
01:08:38,592 --> 01:08:40,592
...finally pushes the frontier

945
01:08:40,638 --> 01:08:42,118
to the western coast.

946
01:08:47,427 --> 01:08:49,817
Fulfilling the dream
of building a nation..

947
01:08:51,562 --> 01:08:54,352
...that spans from the Atlantic

948
01:08:54,391 --> 01:08:56,571
to the Pacific.

949
01:08:56,610 --> 01:08:58,400
American expansionism,
that's something

950
01:08:58,438 --> 01:09:01,308
that has been on, uh,
the agenda, uh

951
01:09:01,354 --> 01:09:03,844
right from the American
Revolution with Daniel Boone.

952
01:09:03,878 --> 01:09:08,318
So, wh-what we see in 1840s
is a fulfillment of the promise

953
01:09:08,361 --> 01:09:11,891
uh, of the founding fathers,
and even the col-colonists

954
01:09:11,930 --> 01:09:14,020
who arrive and go out there

955
01:09:14,062 --> 01:09:18,202
to, uh, get their piece
of the American landmass.

956
01:09:18,241 --> 01:09:20,501
The empire of liberty
first imagined

957
01:09:20,547 --> 01:09:23,457
by Thomas Jefferson..

958
01:09:23,507 --> 01:09:25,467
...and championed
by Andrew Jackson..

959
01:09:31,210 --> 01:09:33,730
...is achieved by the
unlikeliest of leaders..

960
01:09:35,693 --> 01:09:37,173
...James Polk.

961
01:09:40,959 --> 01:09:44,009
President Polk is one of our
most underrated presidents.

962
01:09:44,049 --> 01:09:46,569
I mean,
this was a very powerful man.

963
01:09:46,617 --> 01:09:50,227
Uh, um, a guy
with very clear intentions.

964
01:09:50,273 --> 01:09:52,493
When Polk assumed office

965
01:09:52,536 --> 01:09:56,056
he looked west and he saw all
that land, and he said

966
01:09:56,104 --> 01:09:57,544
"You know what,
I want it all."

967
01:09:57,584 --> 01:09:59,064
It was really
one of the greatest

968
01:09:59,107 --> 01:10:01,277
land grabs in the history
of the world

969
01:10:01,327 --> 01:10:03,587
to take that whole western
third of the continent

970
01:10:03,634 --> 01:10:06,074
and to get it all
in one generation.

971
01:10:08,856 --> 01:10:10,636
If you wanna understand
how important

972
01:10:10,684 --> 01:10:14,174
Polk's presidency was,
just consider this.

973
01:10:14,210 --> 01:10:16,300
California, if it were
an independent country

974
01:10:16,342 --> 01:10:18,822
would be the fifth largest
economy on Earth.

975
01:10:20,694 --> 01:10:24,054
Imagine American history
without California

976
01:10:24,089 --> 01:10:27,829
and then imagine Mexican
history with California.

977
01:10:29,921 --> 01:10:32,271
The history of the entire world
would be different.

978
01:10:38,016 --> 01:10:39,626
In California..

979
01:10:43,978 --> 01:10:45,848
...John Fremont is appointed

980
01:10:45,893 --> 01:10:48,943
temporary governor
of the territory.

981
01:10:48,983 --> 01:10:52,293
He and his trusted partner,
Kit Carson

982
01:10:52,335 --> 01:10:54,505
parted ways six months before.

983
01:10:56,252 --> 01:10:57,602
But now..

984
01:10:57,644 --> 01:10:59,954
- Sir.
- Hello, Carson.

985
01:10:59,994 --> 01:11:01,524
It's good to see you again, sir.

986
01:11:01,561 --> 01:11:02,951
...with the war over

987
01:11:02,997 --> 01:11:05,737
they finally reunite.

988
01:11:05,783 --> 01:11:08,183
Carson hadn't seen Fremont
in a long time now.

989
01:11:08,220 --> 01:11:09,870
He didn't know
if Fremont was alive or dead..

990
01:11:11,832 --> 01:11:16,452
...and theirs was a deep
and lasting friendship.

991
01:11:16,489 --> 01:11:19,749
So Carson was probably
very, very glad to see him.

992
01:11:21,407 --> 01:11:24,627
Well, there's plenty
of work to be done.

993
01:11:24,671 --> 01:11:26,501
'If you'd like to stay on,
I could certainly use you.'

994
01:11:27,587 --> 01:11:28,937
Yes, sir.

995
01:11:32,331 --> 01:11:35,941
Fremont goes on to become
California's first senator..

996
01:11:39,338 --> 01:11:42,688
...while Carson fights for
the Union in the Civil War.

997
01:11:46,345 --> 01:11:48,905
But it's their adventures
on the frontier

998
01:11:48,956 --> 01:11:51,566
that make them legends.

999
01:11:56,921 --> 01:11:58,581
Fremont's explorations
changed the way

1000
01:11:58,618 --> 01:12:00,488
Americans thought
about the west.

1001
01:12:02,927 --> 01:12:04,927
Prior to his explorations

1002
01:12:04,972 --> 01:12:06,762
Americans tended
to think of the west

1003
01:12:06,800 --> 01:12:08,320
as-as merely a direction.

1004
01:12:10,151 --> 01:12:12,811
After Fremont,
the west becomes a place

1005
01:12:12,850 --> 01:12:16,940
with known features,
it forces Americans to see

1006
01:12:16,984 --> 01:12:20,424
America not as an Atlantic-bound
seaboard nation

1007
01:12:20,466 --> 01:12:23,336
more as a continental
nation state.

1008
01:12:26,907 --> 01:12:30,907
The newspapers back east
called Fremont "The Pathfinder"

1009
01:12:30,955 --> 01:12:32,775
but really, that title

1010
01:12:32,826 --> 01:12:35,476
would more appropriately
go to Carson.

1011
01:12:40,617 --> 01:12:42,527
Carson was the real pathfinder.

1012
01:12:44,447 --> 01:12:46,487
He's the one that
kept the expeditions on track

1013
01:12:46,536 --> 01:12:49,146
and out of harm's way.

1014
01:12:49,190 --> 01:12:51,800
These two men, uh,
just sort of desperately

1015
01:12:51,845 --> 01:12:54,805
and-and rather profoundly,
needed each other

1016
01:12:54,848 --> 01:12:57,198
in order to accomplish
everything that, that they

1017
01:12:57,242 --> 01:12:58,462
that they accomplished.

1018
01:13:02,073 --> 01:13:03,943
By the end of 1847

1019
01:13:03,988 --> 01:13:06,898
California is officially
a US territory.

1020
01:13:09,646 --> 01:13:13,646
But only 7000 Americans
are living here.

1021
01:13:13,693 --> 01:13:16,093
If America
wants to hold this ground

1022
01:13:16,130 --> 01:13:18,920
it has to settle it.

1023
01:13:18,959 --> 01:13:22,699
Polk wanted to get as many
warm bodies on the ground

1024
01:13:22,746 --> 01:13:26,046
living there, to start
this process of California

1025
01:13:26,097 --> 01:13:29,057
to kind of assert
their own interest in, uh

1026
01:13:29,100 --> 01:13:33,060
refashioning California
as American terrain.

1027
01:13:33,104 --> 01:13:35,454
There was a policy on the,
on the part of US Government

1028
01:13:35,498 --> 01:13:38,108
to get as many people out there.

1029
01:13:38,152 --> 01:13:39,762
Uh, because if you had boots
on the ground

1030
01:13:39,806 --> 01:13:41,766
populating these territories

1031
01:13:41,808 --> 01:13:44,378
well, uh, that makes it a fact

1032
01:13:44,420 --> 01:13:47,470
uh, that this
is the future of America.

1033
01:13:47,510 --> 01:13:50,730
And nothing
motivates settlers more

1034
01:13:50,774 --> 01:13:53,474
than the chance
to make a fortune.

1035
01:13:53,516 --> 01:13:56,206
In January of 1848

1036
01:13:56,257 --> 01:13:59,827
the promise
of California pays off..

1037
01:14:05,049 --> 01:14:09,009
...when gold is discovered.

1038
01:14:09,053 --> 01:14:13,973
This gold rush, now makes this,
this amazing kind of land grab

1039
01:14:14,014 --> 01:14:15,934
really, really worth it.

1040
01:14:15,973 --> 01:14:17,933
I mean, this is like America
winning the lottery

1041
01:14:17,975 --> 01:14:19,755
all of a sudden.

1042
01:14:19,803 --> 01:14:21,943
A gold rush will soon compel

1043
01:14:21,979 --> 01:14:24,939
thousands to move west.

1044
01:14:24,982 --> 01:14:29,252
The man who crosses the country
to deliver the message..

1045
01:14:29,290 --> 01:14:32,340
...is none other than
Kit Carson.

1046
01:14:32,380 --> 01:14:37,300
The amazing postscript to this
is that Kit Carson

1047
01:14:37,342 --> 01:14:41,692
meets with President Polk,
in December of 1848

1048
01:14:41,738 --> 01:14:43,698
and what news is he bringing?

1049
01:14:43,740 --> 01:14:46,570
He's bringing news that gold

1050
01:14:46,612 --> 01:14:50,182
gold has been discovered
in California.

1051
01:14:50,224 --> 01:14:54,014
Gold fever is about
to transform the frontier.

1052
01:15:01,409 --> 01:15:04,239
With the addition of California

1053
01:15:04,282 --> 01:15:08,552
the United States, at last,
stretches from sea to sea.

1054
01:15:13,726 --> 01:15:17,426
The land itself is sparsely
settled by Americans.

1055
01:15:21,691 --> 01:15:25,521
Until a surprising discovery
in 1848..

1056
01:15:37,837 --> 01:15:39,397
Gold.

1057
01:15:42,886 --> 01:15:45,756
When gold was discovered
in California in early 1848.

1058
01:15:45,802 --> 01:15:49,242
No one expected
anything like this.

1059
01:15:49,283 --> 01:15:51,593
California, when
the United States acquired it

1060
01:15:51,634 --> 01:15:53,164
at the end of the war
with Mexico

1061
01:15:53,200 --> 01:15:56,290
was about as far
from the civilized portions

1062
01:15:56,334 --> 01:15:58,254
of America as you could be
and still be

1063
01:15:58,292 --> 01:15:59,512
on the face of the planet Earth.

1064
01:16:01,818 --> 01:16:04,778
Nobody expected that California
would be settled in any hurry.

1065
01:16:07,650 --> 01:16:11,220
Word of the find
travels quickly..

1066
01:16:11,262 --> 01:16:14,612
...igniting gold fever
across the United States.

1067
01:16:24,144 --> 01:16:28,804
Soon, over 300,000 pioneers
stream into California..

1068
01:16:31,891 --> 01:16:34,811
...one of the biggest
migrations in American history.

1069
01:16:37,070 --> 01:16:39,420
Once the gold rush is ignited

1070
01:16:39,464 --> 01:16:42,604
all of these men go west on
these trails that had been

1071
01:16:42,641 --> 01:16:45,991
mapped and charted
by Fremont and Carson.

1072
01:16:46,036 --> 01:16:48,726
This ensures that California

1073
01:16:48,778 --> 01:16:51,218
is going to be
American territory forever.

1074
01:16:54,305 --> 01:16:57,045
Over the course
of the gold rush..

1075
01:16:57,090 --> 01:17:01,140
...settlers mine over
750,000 pounds of gold..

1076
01:17:03,009 --> 01:17:05,359
...generating more than
two billion dollars..

1077
01:17:07,187 --> 01:17:09,627
...over 61 billion today.

1078
01:17:17,067 --> 01:17:21,547
In 1850, California
becomes the 31st state.

1079
01:17:25,815 --> 01:17:28,725
Completing a chapter
in American history

1080
01:17:28,774 --> 01:17:33,344
that began 75 years before
on the Appalachian Frontier.

1081
01:17:35,128 --> 01:17:36,868
In many ways
this was a continuation

1082
01:17:36,913 --> 01:17:38,133
of the American Revolution.

1083
01:17:38,175 --> 01:17:39,995
You know, we were 13 colonies

1084
01:17:40,046 --> 01:17:42,176
we, but, kept pushing west
and pushing west.

1085
01:17:43,876 --> 01:17:46,306
But it wouldn't be
a complete picture

1086
01:17:46,357 --> 01:17:49,837
until we were a nation
from sea to shining sea.

1087
01:17:52,363 --> 01:17:53,893
The daring frontiersmen

1088
01:17:53,930 --> 01:17:55,850
who first braved
the wilderness..

1089
01:17:57,498 --> 01:18:00,408
...helped shape
the future of America.

1090
01:18:02,721 --> 01:18:05,641
The American frontier spirit
was right there

1091
01:18:05,681 --> 01:18:08,951
at the very beginning,
during the American Revolution.

1092
01:18:08,988 --> 01:18:11,558
That notion where
nothing is going to stop you

1093
01:18:11,599 --> 01:18:15,129
from going out and getting
your piece of the pie.

1094
01:18:19,129 --> 01:18:21,699
As they relentlessly moved west

1095
01:18:21,740 --> 01:18:25,570
seeking new land
and opportunity..

1096
01:18:25,613 --> 01:18:28,533
...they clashed
with Native American tribes

1097
01:18:28,573 --> 01:18:32,453
determined to defend
what was rightfully theirs.

1098
01:18:32,490 --> 01:18:38,450
The frontier was both
the dark side and the light side

1099
01:18:38,496 --> 01:18:40,106
of American expansion.

1100
01:18:40,150 --> 01:18:43,890
Native people,
just like settler people

1101
01:18:43,936 --> 01:18:45,716
need to be counted as Americans.

1102
01:18:47,592 --> 01:18:50,462
Like any human being,
American Indians fought

1103
01:18:50,508 --> 01:18:52,598
for their families,
for their nations

1104
01:18:52,640 --> 01:18:54,820
for their lands, for their
assets, for their life.

1105
01:18:56,209 --> 01:18:57,949
We are still here.

1106
01:19:00,083 --> 01:19:01,873
We've not been exterminated.

1107
01:19:01,911 --> 01:19:03,611
American Indians
are to be honored for that

1108
01:19:03,651 --> 01:19:05,311
and they continue
to fight today.

1109
01:19:12,138 --> 01:19:14,788
Brave explorers
mapped the unknown

1110
01:19:14,837 --> 01:19:17,317
blazing trails
for settlers to follow.

1111
01:19:18,405 --> 01:19:20,185
Bold and resourceful

1112
01:19:20,233 --> 01:19:22,933
the frontiersmen
became American legends.

1113
01:19:24,585 --> 01:19:26,195
Come on, men!

1114
01:19:26,239 --> 01:19:28,549
There was always a fascination

1115
01:19:28,589 --> 01:19:31,549
with this image
of The Pathfinder.

1116
01:19:31,592 --> 01:19:34,682
With buckskin and rifle,
sorta going out

1117
01:19:34,726 --> 01:19:36,466
into the great unknown.

1118
01:19:39,165 --> 01:19:42,255
Icons who inspired generations

1119
01:19:42,299 --> 01:19:44,949
with tales of their endurance
and skill.

1120
01:19:47,260 --> 01:19:51,920
The kinda people who would
go to the frontier were tough..

1121
01:19:51,961 --> 01:19:55,361
...and they seemed to relish
danger in the unknown.

1122
01:19:57,140 --> 01:20:00,450
The frontier was not
for the faint of heart.

1123
01:20:00,491 --> 01:20:04,191
The frontier was hard
and it bit back and it hurt.

1124
01:20:05,496 --> 01:20:07,666
Fire!

1125
01:20:07,715 --> 01:20:10,885
They were willing to put up
with insane risks.

1126
01:20:10,936 --> 01:20:13,676
This was a world
without outlaws.

1127
01:20:13,721 --> 01:20:15,901
There were no laws
to be outside of.

1128
01:20:15,941 --> 01:20:18,071
You kinda created your own code.

1129
01:20:21,251 --> 01:20:23,601
The frontier itself
helped to forge

1130
01:20:23,644 --> 01:20:26,044
the nation's identity

1131
01:20:26,082 --> 01:20:30,562
and has come to define
the American spirit.

1132
01:20:30,608 --> 01:20:33,178
Congratulations, captain.

1133
01:20:35,569 --> 01:20:39,179
The frontier
is in America's DNA.

1134
01:20:39,225 --> 01:20:41,395
It is the way
we think of ourselves.

1135
01:20:41,445 --> 01:20:43,655
We no longer think of ourselves
as a frontier society

1136
01:20:43,708 --> 01:20:46,668
but we like to think of
ourselves as these individuals.

1137
01:20:46,711 --> 01:20:48,631
That was an essence
of the frontier.

1138
01:20:50,541 --> 01:20:52,461
The frontier represented
the quintessence

1139
01:20:52,499 --> 01:20:54,719
of American opportunity.

1140
01:20:54,762 --> 01:20:57,852
The frontier disappeared
from American history

1141
01:20:57,896 --> 01:20:59,896
over a hundred years ago.

1142
01:20:59,942 --> 01:21:02,072
But the frontier remains
very much alive

1143
01:21:02,118 --> 01:21:05,208
in the way Americans
define ourselves.