Western Expansion

Name ______Mrs. Alls______

Oregon Country

  • Joint occupation allowed people from both Britain and the United States to settle in Oregon country.
  • The United States gained part of Oregon in 1846 after agreeing to divide Oregon with the British.

Lone StarRepublic

  • Davy Crockett was the Tennessee backwoodsman who lost his life at the Alamo.
  • Santa Anna was captured in the battle of San Jacinto.
  • Why did was the decision to annex Texas such a controversy? Texas practiced slavery and this would upset the balance by adding another slave state.

Manifest Destiny

  • Manifest Destiny was the philosophy meant that the United States was set apart to extend its boundaries all the way to the Pacific Ocean (encouraged westward movement).
  • Do you believe Manifest Destiny was achieved in a positive or negative way? Why or why not? Answers may vary.

The Mexican War

  • Election of 1844:

-James K. Polkwas elected as the eleventh President of the United States.

-Great Britain and the United States resolved the Oregon issue by setting the boundary between them at 49º line of latitude.

  • Polk’s 3 part plan
  • Secure the border by driving Mexican forces out.
  • US would seize New Mexico and California.
  • American forces would take Mexico City, the capital of Mexico.
  • To incite a war with Mexico, President Polk ordered troops led by General Zachary Taylor to cross the NuecesRiver, which was regarded by Mexico as an invasion of its territory. Therefore, he declared war when Mexico attacked Taylor’s forces.
  • Who was commander of the army of the Republic of Texas? Santa Ana
  • In the early 1800s, many Americans wanted to add California to the Union. What are some reasons for adding California? Belief in Manifest Destiny, California provided excellent trade routes for ships, and improving national defense against a foreign attack
  • Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

- Set the boundary between MexicoandTexas.

-The land ceded to the United States in this treaty was called the Mexican Cession.

-States included in the Mexican Cession are California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and parts of Oklahoma and Colorado (Texas).

  • Gadsden Purchase, 1853

-This was made mainly to provide a railroad route to California.

-This helped the United States mainland reach its present day size.

Mormons

  • Brigham Young led the Mormon migration to the Great Salt Lake Area.
  • Why did they leave Illinois? They wanted to settle where they could safely practice their religion.
  • South Pass was the name of the pass the Mormons used to get through the Rocky Mts.
  • The Mormons went through Iowa, Nebraska, and Wyoming to get to Utah.
  • Religious Freedom caused the single largest migration in American history.

Gold Rush

  • James Marshall who worked for John Sutter was building a sawmill when he saw something shining in a ditch. His discovery led to the Gold Rush.
  • Vigilantes took the law into their own hands.
  • Merchants made huge profits during the Gold Rush by inflating their prices for goods and services because the miners had no other place to go for food and other items.
  • Gold Rush had long lasting effects on California’s economy.

A Mix of People

  • Between 1840 and 1860, 1.5 million immigrants came from Ireland to America because of a severe famine in their home country.

Review Notes

  • By 1860, the Midwest and the East were united by a large network ofrailroad tracks.
  • Homestead Act- New technology made it possible to farm vast quantities of land. Railroads sold land along their tracks cheaply. The Homestead Act was passed which increased settlement on the Great Plains.
  • In the North, why did industry flourish instead of farming?It was too difficult to farm the rocky soil of New England.
  • The system in which the power to govern is shared between the national government and the states is Federalism.
  • The Virginia Company allowed the colonists to set up the House of Burgesses so they would have some say in their government. This assembly had the right to make local laws for the colony.
  • The framers of the Constitution tried to develop a government that would preserve and protect the rights of its citizens.
  • Under the federal system practiced in the United States, the final authority is the U.S. Constitution.
  • From 1800 to 1850, many canals were built to connect lakes and rivers and provide more shipping routes between cities.
  • Which invention filled the need for a method of communication that kept up with the industrial growth and fast-paced travel of the mid-1800s?telegraph
  • What eventually ended the use of the Oregon Trail? Transcontinental railroad
  • Railroadsbrought more settlers from the East to the West.
  • What industrial system brings the entire production process together under one roof?Factory system
  • The South’s economy was built primarily on farming because of the mild climate and flat land made farming easy.

By the 1850s most states had accepted that schools should be free and supported by taxes, that teachers should be trained, and that children should be required to attend school. Problems that teachers faced included:

  • Poor funding, Lack of training, and People opposed to mandatory education

Western Expansion

Name ______

Driving force that made them move into unsettled western territories / Influence they had on the west and the future generations that followed
Explorers / -make friendly contact with the Native Americans
-find the North West passage / - brought back info about the West inspiring people to settle there
- discoveries
Mountain Men / -freedom and adventure
-fur trade / -left personal journals describing the area
-trading posts turned into supply stations for settlers moving west along these trails
Missionaries / - asked by Native Americans to teach them the Bible / -opened the West to settlement
-settlers followed in their footsteps
-had very few converts
Mormons / -persecuted for their religious beliefs / -pioneered farming methods
-helped settlers make their way West
-Salt Lake City quickly become important stop for travelers in need of food and supplies
49ers / - Gold Rush in 1849 / -disease and warfare reduced the numbers of Native Americans
-Californios lost their land to newcomers
-Helped (because of the #s) CA to become a state in 1850
-Making money from 49ers
Chinese / -in search of Gold
-told that CA was big and plentiful / -helped build the West
-made it an interesting place
-brought their culture

Western Expansion Terms

Name ______

Term / Definition / Use term in a sentence / Antonym / Picture
Annex
Cede
Manifest Destiny
Vigilante