Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny Flashcards
What is Manifest Destiny in simple terms?
Image result for what is manifest destiny
Manifest Destiny, a phrase coined in 1845, is the idea that the United States is destined—by God, its advocates believed—to expand its dominion and spread democracy and capitalism across the entire North American continent.
What did the Homestead Act of 1862 do?
To help develop the American West and spur economic growth, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862, which provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm the land. The act distributed millions of acres of western land to individual settlers.
Why did people in the east move west during the mid 1800’s (causes)?
- Manifest Destiny
- Opportunity/adventure- Gold
- No slavery/ spread slavery
- Opportunity- Government offered Free Land [fertile land]
- Cities in the east were crowded and expensive
Why did people in the east move west during the mid 1800’s (causes)?
- Manifest Destiny
- Opportunity/adventure- Gold
- No slavery/ spread slavery
- Opportunity- Government offered Free Land [fertile land]
- Cities in the east were crowded and expensive
What is the Louisiana Purchase?
The acquisition of the Louisiana Territory by the U.S. (Thomas Jefferson) from France in 1803. The land stretched from Louisiana to Montana. It was 828,000 square miles and the U.S. paid $15 million (3 or 4 cents per acre.) France needed money because they were in a war.
What does Lady Liberty mean?
The torch is a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty’s torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to Liberty. Even the Statue’s official name represents her most important symbol “Liberty Enlightening the World”.
What is the American Progress about?
American Progress visually portrays the process of American westward expansion. The figure of Columbia is ushering in an era of modernization, development, and advancement to the West, which in the painting is portrayed as a dark and savage place, especially when compared to the eastern side of the painting.
What was John O Sullivan’s idea of Manifest Destiny?
John Louis O’Sullivan, a popular editor and columnist , articulated the long-standing American belief in the God-given mission of the United States to lead the world in the transition to democracy. He called this America’s “manifest destiny.” This idea motivated wars of American expansion.
How did the geographic features of the West impact westward expansion?
Mountains, rivers, plains made travel take longer. Native American attacks were a problem.
Lewis and Clark
two explorers that led a group called Corps of Discovery to find a route to the Pacific Ocean thru the newly purchased Louisiana Territory. Sent by President Jefferson.
Missionaries Blaze the Oregon Trail
By the 1840s, the Manifest Destiny had Americans in the East eager to expand their horizons. While Lewis and Clark had made their way west from 1804 to 1806, merchants, traders and trappers were also among the first people to forge a path across the Continental Divide.
What was the Oregon Trail and why was it important?
The Oregon Trail, which stretched for about 2,000 miles (3,200 km), flourished as the main means for hundreds of thousands of emigrants to reach the Northwest from the early 1840s through the 1860s. It crossed varied and often difficult terrain that included large territories occupied by Native Americans.
Why did they go to Oregon during Manifest Destiny?
There were many reasons for the westward movement to Oregon and California. Economic problems upset farmers and businessmen. Free land in Oregon and the possibility of finding gold in California lured them westward.
What were the requirements of the Homestead Act?
- You had to be the head of your household or at least 21 years old.
- You had to live on the land for 5 years.
- You had to build a home on the land.
- You had to make improvements and farm the land.
- You had to pay an $18 filing fee.
What is the Louisiana Purchase and why is it important?
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of imperial rights to the western half of the Mississippi River basin from France by the United States in 1803. The deal granted the United States the sole authority to obtain the land from its indigenous inhabitants, either by contract or by conquest.
Why did Thomas Jefferson buy the Louisiana Purchase?
When France offered to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States in 1803, Jefferson wanted to seize the opportunity to double the size of the nation and to provide future generations with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of new farmland.
The Northwest Ordinance
Land agreement that created the Northwest Territory, enabling the United States to expand into the Great Lakes area. States created from the Northwest Territory included Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The Ohio river would separate slave states from nonslave states. It was bad for native Americans in the area. Native Americans fought back. They were defeated. 1787.
What was the Mexican-American War and why was it fought?
From 1846 to 1848, U.S. and Mexican troops fought against one another in the Mexican-American War. Ultimately, it was a battle for land where Mexico was fighting to keep what they thought was their property and the U.S. desired to retain the disputed land of Texas and obtain more of Mexico’s northern lands.
What happened in the Mexican Cession?
Under the terms of the treaty negotiated by Trist, Mexico ceded to the United States Upper California and New Mexico. This was known as the Mexican Cession and included present-day Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado (see Article V of the treaty).
Why was Sitting Bull so important?
Sitting Bull was the political and spiritual leader of the Sioux warriors who destroyed General George Armstrong Custer’s force in the famous battle of Little Big Horn. Years later he joined Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show.
battle of little bighorn
On June 25, 1876, Native American forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeat the U.S. Army troops of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer in the Battle of the Little Bighorn near southern Montana’s Little Bighorn River.
What was Buffalo Bill most famous for?
But he is probably best known as the man who gave the Wild West its name. He produced a colorful show called Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Congress of Rough Riders of the World, which had an international reputation and helped create a lasting image of the American West.
indian removal act
The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. A few tribes went peacefully, but many resisted the relocation policy.
What is the main purpose of the Indian Removal Act?
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was approved and enforced by President Andrew Jackson. This act enabled the forced removal of Native American Tribes from their already claimed lands to land west of the Mississippi River. The reason for this forced removal was to make westward expansion for Americans easier.
