The Westward Expansion Flashcards
Knowing all of the information
John O’Sullivan
was a newspaper editor and columnist who coined the term “manifest destiny” in 1845 to describe the idea that God destined the United States to expand across North America
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
a treaty signed in 1848 that ended the Mexican-American War and expanded the United States territory.
The treaty ended the Mexican-American War in 1846 over a dispute over Texas. Mexico ceded 55% of its territory to the United States, including California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.
The treaty also recognized the Rio Grande as the southern border of the United States.
The treaty also required Mexico to pay the United States $15 million and settle claims made by U.S. citizens against Mexico.
The treaty helped complete the continental expansion of the United States, except for the land added in the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. It also contributed to civil war in both Mexico and the United States.
Oregon Country
American Government and Westward Expansion: Railroad Acts
authorized the construction of the first transcontinental railroad by providing government funding, including land grants, to companies like the Union Pacific and Central Pacific, facilitating the westward movement of settlers and significantly impacting the development of the American West.
Completing the transcontinental railroad in 1869 drastically reduced travel time across the country, boosting westward settlement and economic development.
The Mining Bonanza: (The California Gold Rush)
a mining bonanza that began in 1848 when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California:
James W. Marshall discovered gold on January 24, 1848. Sam Brannan’s proclamation of “Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!” in San Francisco spread the news around the world.
The discovery led to an influx of more than 300,000 people from the United States and abroad. By the end of 1849, the non-native population of California was about 100,000.
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ed to California becoming the 31st state in 1850. The state was nicknamed the “Golden State” and became globally famous
The Comstock Lode
a significant discovery of silver ore in Nevada, USA, which sparked a major silver rush and played a pivotal role in the development of the American West, particularly by contributing to the rapid growth of Nevada and the town of Virginia City, and significantly impacting the nation’s economy due to its immense wealth in silver and gold; it is considered one of the most important mining discoveries in American history, named after the miner Henry Comstock who was partially involved in its discovery in 1859.
Sodbusters on the Great Plains
refers to the early settlers who farmed on the Great Plains in the late 19th century, primarily known for their practice of breaking through the tough, thick “sod” (grassroots) of the prairie land to cultivate crops, often using a specially designed plow, and building their homes from the same sod due to the scarcity of wood in the region; this term is closely associated with the challenges and unique lifestyle of pioneering farmers on the Great Plains, particularly in states like Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas, during the period of westward expansion following the American Civil War.
The Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a law that gave citizens and intended citizens 160 acres of public land in exchange for living on it, improving it, and paying a small fee
was a revolutionary concept that helped develop the American West and spur economic growth. It distributed 270 million acres of land, or 10% of the United States, to private citizens.
was enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land.
Getting By on the Great Plains
harsh struggle for survival for settlers, heavily reliant on developing new farming techniques, adapting to extreme weather conditions, and often facing conflict with Native American tribes who were forcibly displaced from their traditional lands due to the rapid expansion of white settlement and the decimation of the bison herds, a crucial part of their way of life; this period was marked by the Homestead Act, the construction of railroads, and the introduction of barbed wire, which significantly altered the landscape and the lives of those living on the Plains.
The Plains Wars, 1861-1890 ( Sand Creek Massacre)
he “Plains Wars” refers to a series of violent conflicts between Native American tribes inhabiting the Great Plains and the expanding United States government and settlers between 1861 and 1890, with the “Sand Creek Massacre” being a particularly notorious event within this period, where the U.S. military brutally killed hundreds of Cheyenne and Arapaho people, mostly women and children, at Sand Creek, Colorado in 1864.
Treaty of Fort Laramie
The Treaty of Fort Laramie, signed in 1868, is often linked to the Sand Creek Massacre because it was meant to establish peace between the US government and Native American tribes on the Great Plains, but the massacre, which occurred just a few years later, violated the terms of the treaty and resulted in the brutal killing of hundreds of unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the US military at Sand Creek, Colorado.
Reservation Policy and the Dawes Allotment Act
authorized the President to break up reservation land, which was held in common by the members of a tribe, into small allotments to be parceled out to individuals. Thus, Native Americans registering on a tribal “roll” were granted allotments of reservation land
The Battle of Little Bighorn, 1876
The Battle of Little Bighorn, which took place on June 25, 1876, was a major conflict between the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Colonel George Custer, and a combined force of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors near the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory; this battle is often referred to as “Custer’s Last Stand” because Custer and all his men were killed during the engagement
Ghost Dancers
Ghost Dancers were a group of Native Americans who participated in a religious movement in the late 19th century to restore their traditional culture. The movement began with the Paiute people in Nevada after a series of visions from an elder named Wodziwob. The visions promised the return of the dead, the expulsion of white people, and the restoration of Native American lands and way of life. The dances were performed to help bring about these prophesied changes.
Wounded Knee Creek, 1890
The massacre, part of what the U.S. military called the Pine Ridge Campaign, occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek (Lakota: Čhaŋkpé Ópi Wakpála) on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, following a botched attempt to disarm the Lakota camp.
