The chief goal of American expansionists in the 1800s was to spread "American ideals" and values by expanding U.S. territory across North America, driven by the belief of Manifest Destiny that God intended the U.S. to control the entire continent. Expansionists first emerged after the American Revolution and pushed for acquiring Oregon Country and other lands. Key events furthering expansion included the election of James K. Polk on a platform of acquiring Oregon and settling the border with Britain.

2.  What was the chief goal of American
expansionists?

3.  Expansionists – favored territorial growth
- emerged after the American
Revolution (1775-83) because eager
to spread “American Ideals”
 Wanted to expand territory beyond the
13 original states

4.  Emerged in 1800s
 Referred to belief that God wanted the U.S.
to own all of North America
 Eager of Manifest Destiny best illustrated by
expansion into Oregon Country
- settled by United States
and Canada under
Convention of 1818

5.  In presidential election of 1844 James K.
Polk used slogan “Fifty-four Forty or Fight”
- After elected, Polk settled dispute with
Britain securing the territory (today:
Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts
of Montana and
Wyoming

6.  Close to the nineteenth century, U.S. was
able to acquire outlying territories of
Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, Midway
Islands, the Philippines, Puerto
Rico, Guam, Wake Island, American
Samoa, the Panama Canal Zone, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands

7.  What was the Oregon Trail? Which
settlers traveled along this trail, and why?

8.  Route from Independence, Missouri to
Oregon City, Oregon
 Made by mountain men of fur trade
on the 1830s and publicized by 1843
 2000 mile wagon route and emigrant
trail

9.  First only passable by foot and horseback
until 1836 when first migrant wagon
organized and trail was cleared further
 Ferries and bridges made it faster and safer

10.  1846-1869 (epoch years) trail were used by
about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, and
businessmen and their families
 Use of trail declined when first
transcontinental railroad was completed in
1869, making the trip westward
faster, cheaper and safer

11.  What was the goal of the Treaty of Fort
Laramie? How did it affect Native
Americans?

12.  By 1815 bound the Indians to territories away
from major trails.
 Signed in 1868,assigned reservations to the
Sioux and Northern Cheyennes in
Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming territories, but
restored only temporary peace to the region.
 This protected migrants by restricting Plain
Indians.

13.  Who were Antonio Lόpez de Santa Anna
and Sam Houston? How were the two
men linked?

14. • Was a pointless
general
• He was a president
who influenced
early Mexican and
Spanish politics and
governments
• He was president
for eleven non-
consecutive
periods of years.

15. • Houston was a
statesman, politicia
n and solider
• He became a key
figure in history of
Texas
• He was elected as
the first and third
president of the
Republic of Texas

16.  How did James K. Polk encourage
territorial expansion?

17.  James K. Polk was the 11th President
 He was a Democrat and was Governor
of Tennessee.
 Was running for presidency against
Henry Clay.

18.  Clay- tried to take expansionists issue
and indirectly take slavery out of the
campaign by declaring that they were
opposed to the annexation of Texas.
 Polk- Publicly asserted that Texas should
be “re-annexed” and all of Oregon re-
occupied.

19.  What was the Gadsden Purchase? Why
did the United States seek this purchase?

20.  A land purchase where the United States
obtained 29,640 square miles of land
including present day New Mexico and
Southern Arizona from Mexico.
 As a result the U.S used the land to build
railroads.

21.  What was the Wilmot Proviso? Did it Unite
or divide Congress? Explain.

22.  It was a proviso created by David Wilmot of the Whig
party
 It stated that it would ban slavery from any land won
from Mexico
 This divided the Northern and Southern Whig parties
 IT never passed senate but always passed house of
representatives for 15 years
 Every time the proviso went into court it caused
tension between the North and South
 This also led to the antislavery Republican party in
1854

23.  This proviso helped
create the
Compromise of 1850
 This stated that
California was a free
state but New
Mexico and Utah got
to choose

24.  What was the goal of the forty-niners?

25.  Forty-niners – miners who went to California
after the discovery of gold in 1848
 The new lands in the West seemed too
distant for rapid settlement
 Workers at John Sutter’s sawmill found flecks
of gold in the American River.
 The mass migration of 80,000 people was
called the California Gold Rush.

26.  Half traveled by land, the other by sea
(shortcut: Isthmus of Panama)
 Many came from South America (Chile and
Peru)
 25,000 from China in the 1850’s
 Population 1847: 14,000
Five years later: 225,000

27.  What were the causes of westward
migration?

28.  The gold rush of 1848, and the quest for land
and it’s resources.
 Land represented wealth the more land you
had, the wealthier you were considered.
 Many people believed that going west and
having more land was there manifest destiny

29.  Homestead act gave an applicant
ownership at no cost.
 People typically got 160 acres of
undeveloped land.
 Only counted for land west of the
Mississippi, to encourage people to
migrate west.
 Also there was population growth, so
people wanted to leave the busy cities
and be able to own their own farm land.

30.  How did the revolution in Texas lead to
war with Mexico?

31.  The US wanted to make the border named the
Rio Grand but the mexico didn’t want to
 President Polk sent a general with troops down
to Rio Grand to protect the border
 Polk wanted mexicans to attack so he would
gain support of the Senate to go to war
 Eventually the mexicans cross the border and
attack american soldiers and that was the start
of the mexican american war
 After two years the mexicans agreed to call
the border the Rio Grand and seeded the
california territory to the US and Us gave them
15 million dollars as a gift

32.  What were the effects of the Mexican-
American War and the California Gold
Rush?

33.  Territorial gains on the
United States behalf, an
internal conflict over
slavery, & downfall of the
Mexican Government.
 Led to disruptions in
congress and the build up
of hatred between the
North and South.
 Mexico was forced to give
up the United States
 United States Claimed over
500,000 square miles of
new territory.  After his Victory at Vera
 Stoked the flames of Cruz Scott advanced with
sectional controversy in his army toward Mexico
American national politics. City.

34.  James Wilson Marshall
found the first few pieces of
gold in Coloma, California.
 Farming Settlements were
greatly affected
 Creation of mines and
settlements led to
widespread destruction of
habit. (Animals)
 Biggest migration in history
took place.
 “ the yellow metal was a
 White and Chinese miners magnet that pulled people
hoping to strike it rich from all over the world”
during the California Gold  United states expands sea
rush ,1852 to sea, Gadsden purchase.

35.  Question 1
- "Manifest Destiny." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk.
Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2000. 598-599. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sep. 2012.
- "Expansionists." Gale Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History. Ed. Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk. Vol.
1. Detroit: Gale, 1999. 299-300. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Sep. 2012.