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Winfield Scott

U.S. general who captured Veracruz and Mexico City in the Mexican–American War.

Webster–Ashburton Treaty

1842 treaty with Britain settling the Maine–Canada border and ending the Aroostook dispute.

John Tyler

10th U.S. president; pushed Texas annexation and supported territorial expansion.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 treaty ending the Mexican–American War; Mexico ceded the Mexican Cession and accepted the Rio Grande border.

Aroostook War

Bloodless conflict over the Maine–Canada timber region; resolved by the Webster–Ashburton Treaty.

"How to do a timber country"

Phrase describing how U.S. and Canadian lumbermen rushed into disputed Aroostook forestland to claim territory.

Nicholas Trist

U.S. diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo despite Polk recalling him.

Texas–Oregon

Paired expansion issues of the 1840s; acquiring both regions became central to Polk and Manifest Destiny.

James K. Polk

11th president; strongly pro-expansion; achieved Texas annexation, Oregon settlement, and victory over Mexico.

Manifest Destiny

Belief that Americans had a God-given mission to expand across the continent.

U.S.–British tensions in the 1830s

Included the Caroline Affair, Aroostook dispute, Oregon claims, and leftover hostility from earlier wars.

Why Texas was finally admitted

Public support for expansion, Tyler’s push, southern desire for a slave state, and Polk’s election signaling approval.

Oregon boundary resolution

1846 agreement with Britain dividing Oregon at the 49th parallel.

Causes of the Mexican–American War

Texas annexation, border dispute, Polk’s desire for California, and clashes in disputed territory.

Polk’s real goal in Mexico

Acquire California and the Mexican Cession, not just settle the Texas border.

Californios

Mexican residents of California before U.S. control; ranch-owning elite with a distinct culture.

Domestic effect of the Mexican War

Heightened sectional conflict over slavery in new territories and moved the nation closer to the Civil War.

Wilmot Proviso

Proposal to ban slavery in lands gained from Mexico; passed the House but failed in the Senate.

Ways the U.S. manifested destiny in the 1840s

Annexed Texas, acquired Oregon, defeated Mexico, expanded settlement, and pushed westward migration.