Social Studies Exam: History ~ Westward Expansion and Texas Independence

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The Treaty signed in 1848 ended the Mexican-American War, sparked by the Texas Revolution. Gave the US an additional 525,000 square miles for $15,000,000.

James K. Polk

United States President during the Mexican-American War.

Juan N. Seguín

Fought for Texas independence at the battle of San Jacinto and later became the mayor of San Antonio.

Dawes Severalty Act

Divided reservation land into individual plots assigned to each male head of household.

Treaty of 1818

An agreement between the US and Great Britain to jointly occupy the Oregon territory.

Francisco Hidalgo

A Catholic priest and Spanish missionary who established the mission Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas.

George Childress

Believed to have been the primary author of the Texas Declaration of Independence.

Empresarios

Settlers given a contract by the Spanish crown given unrestricted rights to settle in a region as long as they assumed full responsibility for recruiting and governing colonists in their region.
Example: Stephen F. Austin

Mirabeau Lamar

Second president of the Republic of Texas, he established a fund to support public education in Texas.

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Spanish explorer searching for the Seven Cities of Gold. He arrived in Texas when a hurricane pushed him and his men ashore in 1529.

The Council House Fight

A fight that erupted during a peace meeting between Comanche and Texan leaders.

Trail of Tears

The mass relocation of Native Americans from East of Mississippi and the south to territories in Oklahoma. The Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee people were moved.

Alonso Álvarez de Pineda

a Spanish explorer who, in 1519, mapped the coast of Texas as well as surrounding coastlines.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

Part of the Compromise of 1850, required citizens in any individual in any state to assist in the capture and return of runaway enslaved people

Bleeding Kansas

Violent confrontations in Kansas; occurred when Congress divided Kansas and allowed each to choose whether or not it would allow slavery

The Santa Fe Expedition

A failed attempt by the president of Texas to increase trade with New Mexico.

Stephen F. Austin

led the successful settlement of Texas in 1825

Moses Austin

planned and secured approval for the settlement of what is now Austin, Texas

Antonio López de Santa Anna

The Mexican president who led the Mexican troops against Texas as Texas fought for independence.

Lorenzo de Zavala

A Mexican politician who eventually shifted allegiance to Texas; served as Vice President of Texas.

Texas Declaration of Independence

The Republic of Texas was formed with this Declaration on March 2, 1836

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Case in which the Supreme Court ruled that Scott, a former slave, was not a citizen and had no right to sue in court. This ruling denied citizenship and protection under the Constitution to any Black person in America, regardless of slavery status.

Texas Revolution

A fight between American colonists in Texas and the Mexican government between 1835 and 1836

Joshua Houston

An educated slave of Sam Houston; later freed and went on to become a politician.

William B. Travis

A lieutenant colonel in the Texas Army who fought and died in the battle of the Alamo

Indian Removal Act of 1830

Authorized the removal of Native Americans who lived east of the Mississippi River to lands in the West

Worcester v Georgia

A ruling by the Supreme Court in 1832 that said the Cherokee nation was a distinct community

San Francisco de los Tejas

A mission in East Texas was established in 1689 with the goal of converting Native Americans to Christianity. It was abandoned four years later due to hostility from the Native Americans.

Thornton Affair

1846 Mexican military attack against US forces in Texas that began the Mexican-American War

The Law of April 6, 1830

Passed by Mexico, it restricted all future immigration of Americans into Texas.

The Battle of Gonzales

the first battle in the war over Texas independence was when Mexico attempted to disarm the city of Gonzales by removing their cannon

Battle of San Jacinto

April, 1836, led by Sam Houston. The final battle of the Texas Revolution, ending in Santa Anna's defeat and the signing of a treaty granting Texas independence from Mexico. (However, Mexico disavowed Santa Anna and the treaty was contested)

Homestead Act of 1862

Gave 160 acres of land to American settlers if they would farm it. Settled the Great Plains but led to conflicts with Native Americans.

Missouri Compromise

The document allowed Missouri to be inducted into the Union as a slave state and Maine to be inducted as a free state. Designed by Henry Clay to ensure a balance of slave and free states.

José de Escandón

A Spanish explorer who settled the land that is now northern Mexico and southern Texas.

Compromise of 1850

A group of bills which alleviated conflict between the North and South regarding slavery in new states. Designed by Henry Clay.

Treaty of Cordoba

the treaty recognizing Mexico's independence from Spain

Louisiana Purchase / Louisiana Territory

The contract between President Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon that acquired the land from the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains for $15,000,000.

General Agustín Iturbide

one of the leaders of Mexico's fight for independence and first leader of Mexico following independence

Manifest Destiny

The belief during the nineteenth century that the US was destined to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

James Bowie

A soldier in the Texas Revolution who was killed at the Battle of the Alamo and is considered a hero

Henry Clay

American lawyer and statesman. Masterminded the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Sometimes called the Great Pacificator or the Great Compromiser.

Sam Houston

A leader in the Texas Revolution (won surprise attack over Santa Anna and his troops at the Battle of San Jacinto). Elected the first president of the new republic.

Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Though unenforced, it established Illinois as a free territory, officially outlawing slavery.

Surrender at Goliad

Overrun and outnumbered, Colonel James W. Fannin and his men surrendered to Mexican forces. All captured rebels were killed.

Seminole Indian Wars

A series of wars in Florida between the US and the Seminole Native Americans. Resulted in Seminole being pushed out of their homelands into the Everglades or West of the Mississippi.

Fredonian Rebellion

An unsuccessful rebellion against Mexico in a failed attempt at Texas independence.

Mary Maverick

A Texas settler who kept detailed journals of her experiences throughout the fight for Texas independence.

José María Morelos

a priest and leader in Mexico's fight for independence

Florida Purchase Treaty / Adams-Onis Treaty

The treaty signed in 1819 between Spain and the U.S that gave the US the Florida territory

James Fannin

Died leading a group of Texas rebels in the battle of Goliad during the battle for independence.

Indian Territory

Established in 1830, land in modern-day Oklahoma where Congress planned to move Native Americans

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that all powers of government ultimately rest in the people

Mexican-American War / Mexican War

1846 - 1848. A war between the United States and Mexico over western territories (specifically sparked by annexation of Texas).

Davy Crockett

Joined the Texas Revolution to fight against Mexico and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo

Missouri Compromise Line

A line located at 36 degrees 30'; according to the Missouri Compromise, states south of this line inducted into the union would be slave states; states above the parallel would be free states.

Miguel Hidalgo

One of the first leaders in the Mexican fight for independence from Spain. His attempt was unsuccessful and he was executed.

Lewis and Clark

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the first Europeans to explore the Louisiana Territory.

Alcalde Vicente Córdova

Leader of the rebels at the Cordova Rebellion.

The Battle of The Alamo

The attack led by Santa Anna on the mission of the Alamo began on March 6, 1836. Remembered for the Texans who died, including Colonel William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. A devastating defeat of Texas fighters by Mexico, but was seen as a turning point in the war, leading to Texas achieving independence.

Jack Coffee Hays

Captain of the Texas Rangers during the early 1840s, a leader during the Mexican-American War, and later became a prominent Democratic politician.

Córdova Rebellion

A rebellion of Native Americans and Mexican settlers in Nacogdoches against the newly independent Texas in 1838.

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Established by Congress to manage the removal of Native Americans to the West

Fray Damián Massanet

A Catholic priest and Spanish missionary who established the mission San Francisco de los Tejas in 1689.

Plan of Iguala

plan to guide Mexico after it gained independence from Spain in 1821
1) the official adoption of Catholicism
2) the equality and unity of all Mexican citizens
3) the creation of a constitutional monarchy

Nuestro Padre San Francisco de los Tejas

A mission established years later in the same location as the failed mission San Francisco de los Tejas.