Chapter 9 - US History

What route westward is used to get the Oregon territory?

The Oregon Trail. (Independence, MO →Portland Oregon)

Who is Stephen F. Austin? What did he do for settlers in Texas?

Stephen F. Austin was empresario meaning he help settle families in Texas

What is the definition of Manifest Destiny?

to express the belief that the US destiny was to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican land

What were the 3 objectives of the Slidell Mission

To buy California, New Mexico, and to move the border to Rio Grande instead of the Nuece River

Where was gold first found in California? What is its significance?

The first gold was found in Sutter’s Mill, and this discovery caused many Americans to move west and live in California

Describe Alamo, and its significance

Alamo occurred after Mexico decided to seal its borders. Americans were mad about no longer having Texas, so they decided to go to Alama and try to push Mexicans out of their land. Mexico was angered by this, so they decided to fight back and capture the Americans who settled in Alamo, and killed almost all the Americans living in Alamo. This is significant because this was the start to the Texas Revolution

Understand what the cartoon is saying about the effects of the Mexican-American war.

This cartoon demonstrators Mexico losing in the Mexican American war even though both sides signed a treaty. America won 35 of the 43 battles while Mexico only won 3 battles. Mexico also ended up losing a lot of their land which is now California and New Mexico

How many organized territories did the U.S have in 1850, what are they?

4 organized territories. Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon, and Utah

what was the most important impact of the canal building era for trade?

The canal building era help reduce transportation costs

What is the significance of the gold rush?

It caused a lot of Americans to move out west.

What territories are ceded to the U.S through the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty

California and New Mexico

What is the main reason the annexation of Texas was delayed

Congress would not ratify it

Who are the Empresarios, what did they do?

Attracted American settlers, who eagerly bought cheap land in return for a pledge to obey Mexican laws and observe the official religion of Roman Catholicism.

What slogan does Polk use in his campaign related to the Oregon Territory?

“Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

Which group played a major role in the setting of the American West?

The Mormons

Name social improvements that take place in the first half of the 19th century

The Market Revolution,

who were the Forty-Niners?

the prospectors who flocked to California in 1849 in the gold rush,

describe the Republic of California gaining their independence from Mexico

A group of American settlers, led by Frémont, seized the town of Sonoma in June 1846. Hoisting a flag that featured a grizzly bear, the rebels proudly declared their independence from Mexico and proclaimed the nation of the Republic of California.

How did General Kearney get the nickname “the long marcher”?

He got his nickname from marching 800 miles with his men on barren ground

Who is General Zachary Taylor, what did he do?

defeated a detachment of the Mexican army in a two-day battle at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. This victory forced Mexican troops across the Rio Grande river to Matamoros 

Why did the Mormons move west?

In order to grow their religious group and create peace

Who was the President during the Mexican American War?

James K. Polk

Who is Joseph Smith?

Mormon leader that brought his religious group out west

What is the treaty of Fort Laramie? Who is it between? Who violates the treaty?

The 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie provided various Native American nations control of the Central Plains, land east of the Rocky Mountains that stretched roughly from the Arkansas River north to Canada. In turn, these Native Americans promised not to attack settlers and to allow the construction of government forts and roads. The government pledged to honor the agreed upon boundaries and to make annual payments to the Native Americans. The US Government repeatedly violated the terms of the treaty

What did Mexico lose in the Mexican American War?

New Mexico and California. (Present Day California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming)

Who invented the mechanical plow, what is its purpose?

John Deere

Who is Charles Goodyear? What did he do?

an American inventor that invented the vulcanized rubber in 1839

What officially established the lower borders of all 48 states?

the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

What is the significance of the battle of San Jacinto?

Lead to the Independence of Texas

Who was the most in favor for seizing land from Mexico?

President James K. Polk

What was the main appeal for settlers to move to Texas?

Cotton flourished on the fertile Texas plains, Mexican authorities offered free land, Mexican government offered some local autonomy