Manifest Destiny Flashcards
Manifest Destiny
Belief that it was America’s God-given right to spread out and possess the entire continent
Louisiana Purchase
USA purchases the territory of Louisiana from the French/Napoleon
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
Corps of Discovery
Purpose of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Find Northwest Passage
Explore and map out the land
Trade with the Natives
Sacajawea
Indian guide/mediator
Result of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Opened the west to the American settlers
War of 1812
USA vs Great Britain
Second War for Independence
Causes of the War of 1812
British attempts to restrict US free trade
British impressments (forced service) of US sailors in British Navy
US desire to take Canada
Expansion West
War Hawks
Group of people who wanted the war with Great Britain- led by Henry Clay
William Henry Harrison
Led US forces against Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippiecanoe
Andrew Jackson
Hero at the Battle of New Orleans (last battle of the war).
Francis Scott Key
Writer of the “Star Spangled Banner” at the Battle of Fort McHenry
USS Consitution
“Old Ironsides” oldest commissioned ship the world
Treaty of Ghent
Treaty that ended the War of 1812
Results of the War of 1812
US Capital City burned
Boosted US confidence
New spirit of Patriotism
Created Manifest Destiny
John O’Sullivan
Created Manifest Destiny
Oregon Country
Area between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean
Which four countries claimed the Oregon Country
Russia, Spain, USA, and Britain
Two countries dropped their claim and to what treaty
Russo-American Treaty: Russia
Adams-Onis Treaty: Spain
Mountain Men
Fur Trappers; lived mostly in the mountains
Jedediah Smith
Most well known mountain men; first to California
John Jacob Astor
American Merchant; started a furrier company
Rendezvous
Annual meeting of the Mountain Men where they would share stories and have contests; trade/sell fur. Lasted about two weeks
Dr. Marcus Whitman; Narcisa
Opened a mission in Willamette Valley, Portland for the Native Americans
Oregon Trail
From Independence, Missouri to Portland, Oregon
Oregon Fever
Desire for a better life
Who didn’t agree with Manifest Destiny and why
Native Americans
1) land was stolen
2) buffalo destroyed
3) diseases
Why did Pioneers go west
Land
Opportunity to start a new life
Adventure
Gold
Pathfinders
Ex-Mountain Men who led Wagon trains West
Dark Horse
James K. Polk
Won presidency- promised Oregon and the Westward Expansion
War between America and Britain was avoided how
A border between Oregon and Canada was made; called the 49th parallel
Texas
Part of the Northern province of Mexico called Coahuila
Rules for moving to Texas
Learn Spanish
Convert to Catholicism
Obey Mexican Law (no slaves)
Moses and Stephen Austin
Moses- empresario or businessman; organized a group to go to Texas
Stephen- leader of the “Old Three Hundred”
Immigration stopped for Americans. Why and what were the results
Too many Americans came to settle in Texas
Mexico stopped Americans from moving there
Made the American a Texans mad
USA offers to buy Texas
Why did Stephen Austin go to the Capital of Mexico
To ask the leader of Mexico to open the borders for Americans
And to break away from Mexico and have a self-governed “state”
But was thrown in prison
Growing unrest in Texas led to
Battle of Gonzales- 1st fight for independence
Battle of the Alamo
Mexican General Santa Anna started a siege that lasted 12 days against the Americans. American commander William Travis fought against the Mexicans with 150 men
Results of the Battle of the Alamo
Gave General Sam Houston time to prepare to attack the Mexican army
Gave Texas a motivational rally cry- “Remember the Alamo”
Turning point of the war
Battle of San Jacinto
Sam Houston defeats Santa Anna
Texas gains it independence
Became Republic of Texas
President of Texas
Sam Houston
Why wasn’t Texas apart of the the USA and for how long
Because if Texas would’ve joined the USA, it would’ve imbalanced the amount of free states and slave states
9 years later, it joined
New Mexico Province
Belonged to Spanish/Mexico
Santa Fe- capital of Mexico
Santa Fe Trail
Trade route between Americans and Mexico
“Highway to the Southwest”
William Becknell
American who opened the Santa Fe trail
Pony Express and founder
What happened to it
Mail/Newspaper service
William Russell
Replaced by the telegraph
Captain John C. Fremont
One of the first Americans to describe the beauty of California
Mexican American War
Dispute over the Texas-American border
Americans built a fort in territory
Mexicans attack the fort
Who didn’t want the war with Mexicans
Abraham Lincoln and Henry David Thoreau
Three Fronts
Zachary Taylor- Battle of Buena Vista; “Old Rough and Ready”; attack and control the Texas-American border
Winfield Scott- Battle of Vera Cruz; “Old Fuss and Feathers”; sent to capture Mexico’s capital
Stephen Kearney- no battle; “The Long Marcher”; to control New Mexico and California
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
End of the Mexican-American War
USA receives the Mexican cession (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada)
USA pays $15 million for California
Gadsden Purchase
America purchases small strip of land in southern Arizona for $10 million
Mormons
Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints
Founded by Joseph Smith
“Last tribe of Israel”
Believed in Polygamy
Brigham Young
New leader of the Mormons after Smith was killed in Illinois
Settled in Deseret
California Gold Rush
Word leaked that gold was discovered on the American River by James Marshall. 49ers came from all over the world for gold
Samuel Brannan
Mormon who sold picks, shovels and supplies for gold diggers; California’s first millionaire
Levis Strauss
Sold denim or blue jeans to miners
