American Republic 12 BJU 5th ed

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the U.S. should expand to the Pacific Ocean was called Manifest _.

James K. Polk

Who won the election of 1844?

Mountain men

Who were usually the first white people to arrive in western territories?

South Pass

Which pass/trail did Jedediah Smith help locate?

Stephen Austin

Who first led American settlers to Texas?

Mexico

Against which nation did Texas fight for its independence?

Santa Anna

Who became the dictator of Mexico in 1833?

Battle of San Jacinto

At which battle did Texas defeat Mexico and secure its independence?

Texas

Which state existed as the Lone Star Republic?

California

Which state briefly existed as the Bear Flag Republic?

John Tyler

Which president convinced Congress to pass a resolution allowing Texas into the Union?

James K. Polk

Who was president during the Mexican War?

Winfield Scott

Who won the Battles of Veracruz and Mexico City?

John C. Frémont

Who seized control of California with 60 soldiers?

Zachary Taylor

Who was known as “Old Rough and Ready”?

Rio Grande

After the Mexican War, which river became the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico?

railroad

The Gadsden Purchase was motivated by a desire to build a ____.

Santa Fe Trail

Which trail was primarily used for trade?

Mormon Trail

Which trail did Brigham Young use to lead his followers to Utah?

California

Which state came into the Union as a free state in the Compromise of 1850?

Manifest Destiny

The belief that the United States was meant to expand westward across North America.

mountain men

Frontier trappers and explorers who lived in the Rocky Mountains and explored the West.

Jedediah Smith

A famous mountain man and explorer who helped map western routes and trails.

Stephen Austin

A leader who brought many American settlers to Texas and is called the “Father of Texas.”

Antonio López de Santa Anna

A Mexican general and president who fought Texans and later was captured after San Jacinto.

the Alamo

A mission-fort in San Antonio where Texans made a last stand against Mexico in 1836.

William Travis

A Texan commander at the Alamo known for his “Victory or Death” letter.

Jim Bowie

A Texan fighter at the Alamo, famous for the Bowie knife.

Davy Crockett

A frontiersman and former congressman who fought and died at the Alamo.

Sam Houston

The Texan general who won independence at San Jacinto and later led Texas as its president.

Battle of San Jacinto

The decisive 1836 Texan victory that captured Santa Anna and secured Texas independence.

Lone Star Republic

The independent Republic of Texas (1836–1845) before it joined the United States.

James K. Polk

The 11th U.S. president who strongly supported westward expansion and led the nation during the Mexican War.

Zachary Taylor

A U.S. general in the Mexican War who later became the 12th president.

Mexican War

The 1846–1848 war between the United States and Mexico, ending with major land gains for the U.S.

John C. Frémont

An American explorer and officer nicknamed “the Pathfinder” who helped lead efforts in California.

Bear Flag Republic

A short-lived rebel government in California in 1846 before the U.S. took control.

Winfield Scott

A U.S. general who led the campaign that captured Mexico City in the Mexican War.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The treaty that ended the Mexican War and gave the U.S. a large amount of Mexican territory.

Mexican Cession

The huge area (including California and the Southwest) that Mexico ceded to the United States in 1848.

Gadsden Purchase

Land bought from Mexico in 1854 that became southern Arizona and New Mexico, useful for a railroad route.

Santa Fe Trail

A major trade route from Missouri to Santa Fe (in present-day New Mexico).

Oregon Trail

A long overland route used by settlers traveling to the Oregon Country.

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman

Missionaries in the Oregon Country who helped settlers on the Oregon Trail.

Mormons

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who migrated west for religious freedom.

Joseph Smith

The founder of the Mormon church.

Brigham Young

The Mormon leader who guided his people to Utah and helped settle the Salt Lake Valley.

Mormon Trail

The route Mormons used to travel from the Midwest to Utah.

California Trail

Overland routes settlers used to reach California, especially during the gold rush.

John Sutter

A California landowner whose sawmill site became famous when gold was discovered nearby.

California gold rush

The sudden rush of people to California after gold was discovered in 1848.

forty-niners

People who traveled to California in 1849 hoping to find gold.

Wilmot Proviso

A proposed law to ban slavery in land gained from Mexico (it did not pass).

Compromise of 1850

A set of laws meant to ease North–South tensions, including California as a free state and a stricter Fugitive Slave Act.

popular sovereignty

The idea that settlers in a territory should vote on whether to allow slavery.

Millard Fillmore

The 13th U.S. president who supported and signed parts of the Compromise of 1850.

Franklin Pierce

The 14th U.S. president whose time in office saw growing sectional conflict over slavery in the territories.