Brinkley Chapter 13: The Impending Crisis Overview

Manifest Destiny

U.S. belief in destined westward expansion.

Stephen F. Austin

Businessman who led American settlement in Texas.

General Santa Anna

Military dictator of Mexico during Texas Revolution.

Battle of the Alamo

Texan defeat symbolizing resistance against Mexico.

Sam Houston

Leader of Texan forces at San Jacinto.

Texas Annexation

Texas joined the U.S. in 1845.

Oregon Trail

Route for westward migration to Oregon.

Santa Fe Trail

Trade route connecting Santa Fe and Missouri.

James K. Polk

Expansionist president who added Texas and Oregon.

Mexican-American War

Conflict over U.S. expansion into Mexican territory.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Ended Mexican-American War, ceded land to U.S.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in Mexican Cession.

Popular Sovereignty

Territorial residents decide on slavery legality.

California Gold Rush

Mass migration to California after gold discovery.

Forty-Niners

Gold seekers who flocked to California in 1849.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws addressing slavery and territorial issues.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law requiring return of escaped slaves.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska.

Bleeding Kansas

Violence between pro- and anti-slavery factions.

John Brown

Abolitionist who led violent anti-slavery actions.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling denying citizenship to slaves.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Debates focused on slavery's expansion.

John Brown's Raid

Failed slave revolt at Harper's Ferry.

Republican Party

Political party formed in opposition to slavery.

Charles Sumner

Senator beaten for anti-slavery speech.

Roger Taney

Chief Justice who ruled in Dred Scott case.

Election of 1860

Lincoln elected, leading to Southern secession.

The Lone Star Republic

Independent Texas before joining the U.S.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting Pacific and Atlantic coasts.