Texas Government Chapter 2

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century doctrine that it was the divine right of the United States to expand across the continent.

James K. Polk

11th President of the United States (1845-1849) who advocated for the annexation of Texas and the Oregon Territory.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, granting the U.S. significant territories including California and New Mexico.

Annexation of Texas

The process in which Texas joined the United States as a state in 1845.

Secession

The act of withdrawing from an organization or federation; in this context, the withdrawal of Southern states from the Union.

Rio Grande

The river claimed by the United States as the southern border of Texas during the Mexican-American War.

Compromise of 1846

Negotiation between the U.S. and Great Britain over the Oregon Territory that resulted in the 49th parallel as the border.

Zachary Taylor

American general and military leader during the Mexican-American War who commanded troops in disputed territory.

Fort Sumter

The site in Charleston, South Carolina, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired.

Juneteenth

June 19, 1865, the day that commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas.

Andrew Johnson

The 17th President of the United States who oversaw the Reconstruction era after Lincoln's assassination.

Edmond Davis

The first Reconstruction governor of Texas who worked to protect the civil rights of newly freed slaves.

Ku Klux Klan

A white supremacist group that used intimidation and violence against African Americans and their allies during Reconstruction.

U.S.-Mexico Border Dispute

Conflict over the boundary between Texas and Mexico that contributed to the outbreak of the Mexican-American War.

Cession

The act of giving up territory, as in the Mexican Cession to the United States following the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

Abolitionist

A person who advocated for the end of slavery.

The 5440 or Fight slogan

A slogan used by those who wanted the U.S. to take all of Oregon up to the latitude of 54 degrees, 40 minutes.

Civil War

A war in the United States from 1861 to 1865, primarily about the issues of slavery and states' rights.

Sam Houston

A key figure in Texas history, he was the governor who opposed Texas's secession from the Union.