Two events took place in the mid-19th century in the United States that paved the way for a third that became a historic turning point in history American. Mormon settlement in Utah and their quest to establish their own government, coupled with explorations to develop the transcontinental railroad, laid the groundwork for the massacre of Captain John Gunnison and his explorers in 1853, which cost the lives of eight people. people were not numerically remarkable. What made the Gunnison massacre exceptional was that it was catapulted into the American consciousness. Mormons and American Indians attracted American attention, and the resulting outrage forever changed American sentiment and government policy toward these two groups. This article examines the events, people, and personalities leading up to the Gunnison Massacre and its long-term consequences. Manifest Destiny and Continentalism In 1811, future U.S. President John Quincy Adams championed the concept that the United States should include all of North America. In the 1840s, Americans adopted this notion and called it “Manifest Destiny.” It was used to justify the annexation of Texas to Mexico in 1845, thus starting the Mexican-American War. The United States gained the upper hand, and through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded a large amount of land. Ownership of the future states of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and part of Colorado was transferred to the United States. The acquisition of this additional land led to the difficulty of land travel for commercial and national defense purposes. Efficient transportation across the country became more imperative, particularly if the United States wanted to retain the land it had recently owned...... middle of paper ......35).Denton, American Massacre, 106. Green, Fifteen Years Among the Mormons, 358.Wikipedia. nd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Buchanan (accessed January 31, 2013). Denton, American Massacre, 90, 108. Denton, American Massacre, 113. Denton, American Massacre, 90, 114-115. William A. Linn, The Story of the Mormons, 487. Bureau of Indian Education nd www.bia.gov/WhatWeDo/ServiceOverview/IndianEducation/index.htm (accessed March 13, 2013) American Indian Relief Council nd www.nrcprograms.org/ site/PageServer?pagename=airc_livingconditions (accessed March 13, 2013) Wikipedia. nd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Crimes_Act (accessed March 12, 2013). Alva Milton Kerr, St. Joseph Herald, “Trean; or The Mormon's Daughter,” February 11, 1888 (reprinted from the New York Times, ©1857), 4.Evening Gazette. “The Death of Brigham Young.” August 30, 1877: 1.