Studied by 17 people
Oregon Country
A huge area located north of CA, between the Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains. It includrd Oregon, Washington, and Idaho + parts of Montana and Wyoming, along with about half of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia. Four nations (US, Great Britain, Spain, and Russia) had claims on this territory, and wanted it in order to have access to the Pacific Ocean.
Mountain Men
Beaver trappers and fur merchants who spent most of their time in the Rocky Mountains. Over time, they could no longer make a living off trapping and some moved to Oregon and settled on farms, but some found work as guides.
Vigilantes
Citizens who formed committees to protect themselves. They took the law into their own hands and acted as police, judge, jury, and sometimes Executioner.
Oregon Trail
2,000 mile long trail from independence Missouri to Oregon used by many pioneers during the 1840s in order to get to the Oregon Territory for use of the fertile land.
Ranchos
Huge properties for raising livestock set up by Mexican settlers in California
Sam Houston
Led American settlers to make peace with Mexican leaders, who's efforts failed. He was later named commander in chief of the Texan forces and gathered an army of 900 at San Jacinto. They led a surprise attack. In 1836, he was elected president, and sent a delegation to Washington DC to ask the US to annex Texas.
Californios
Mexicans who lived in California
Jim Bridger
A mountain man who found work as a guide due to his knowledge of the western lands. He led parties of settlers heading west.
Kit Carson
Found work as a guide because of his knowledge of the western lands after mountain men could no longer make a living by trapping.
Almo
A mission building near San Antonio where the Texans and the Mexicans fought, with the Mexicans coming out victorious.
James K Polk
A candidate who won the 1844 Presidential campaign. He won due to supporting both the south wanting control of Texas and the north favoring gaining all of Oregon. After he won, Congress passed a resolution to annex Texas, which joined the union in 1845.
Mormons
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded by Joseph Smith. Their religion faced much backlash due to the fact that they believed in having many wives, and they found refuge in the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
California Gold Rush
When gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848, people travelled to California in search of riches the year following. These people were called forty niners, and the gold rush drew people from America, Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia, and even China.
Joseph Smith
Founded Mormonism in New York in 1830, and published the Book of Mormon. He supported polygamy, and formed a community in New York. They were forced to leave and settled in Illinois, and in 1844, a mob of local residents killed him.
Manifest Destiny
A notion held by a nineteenth-century Americans that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.
Brigham Young
Took over as head of the mormons after Joseph Smith was killed, and decided they would move west to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Here, they flourished and came up with ways to become self sufficient. He was later named governor when Congress established the Utah Territory.
Santa Fe Trail
Trail from independence Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico routed by William Becknell. The trail was mostly flat, and soon became a busy trade route.
Mormon Trail
In 1846, about 12,000 mormons migrated to the Great Salt Lake along a trail which later became known as the Mormon Trail.
Junipero Serra
Began a chain of missions that extended from San Diego to Sonoma, and aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity and Spanish Culture.
Missions
Religious settlements dedicated to convert the Native Americans to Christianity and Spanish culture. They learned European ways of farming, weaving, and other crafts.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Defeated on Feb 2, 1848, Mexico's leaders signed this agreement and gave the US more than 500,000 square miles of territory, gaining $15 million in return. This ended the Mexican American War.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The official name of the Mormon church, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830.
Levi Strauss
A Jewish German Immigrant who sold the gold rush miners (forty niners) sturdy pants made of denim. His innovative "Levi's" were "riveted for strength" and their popularity among miners earned him a fortune.
James Marshall
A carpenter who came to California to build a sawmill, but instead found gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, sparking the gold rush. His mill fell into disrepair and failed.
Stephen Austin
Brought 300 American families to settle in Texas, and his success made him a leader among the American settlers. He, along with Sam Houston, led the settlers to try to make peace with the Mexican leaders and failed.
Deseret
The land near the Great Salt Lake in which the Mormons settled. It was dry and wild, but they made the land flourish through hard work and determination.
Narcissa Whitman
Among the first settlers of the Oregon Country. She and her husband were missionaries who built a mission among the Cayuse people near the present site of Walla Walla, Washington, and wanted to provide medical care and convert the Cayuse to Christianity. After an epidemic killed many Cayuse children, the tribe blamed the Whitmans, and they were later killed.
Henry Clay
The opponent of James K Polk in the 1844 election. He did not take a strong position on the Oregon issue, and lost the election because Whig support was not united behind Clay.
John Jacob Astor
A merchant of New York who organized the American Fur Company in 1808. It was the country's leading fur company, and traded on the East Coast, Pacific Northwest, and in China.
John Quincy Adams
Secretary of State in 1819, he got Spain to approve the Adams-Onís Treaty. In 1818, he worked out an agreement with Britain for joint occupation. (Both of the Oregon Territory.) When he became president in 1825, he proposed that the two nations divide Oregon along the 49 N line of latitude.
South Pass
A pass through the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, used by early settlers to travel west.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
An expedition sent by Thomas Jefferson to explore the northwestern territories of the United States after the Louisiana Purchase.
