Westward Expansion Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary terms and definitions related to the Westward Expansion period in United States history.

assimilate

to absorb one culture into another

adaptation

changing an item for a new purpose

invention

something newly designed or created

reservation

lands Indigenous Americans were forced to live on after being pushed from their native territories

exoduster

A large-scale migration of Black Americans from the South to Kansas during Reconstruction

sodbuster

a person who moved to the Great Plains to start a homestead under the Homestead Act (homesteader)

erode

to wear away land by the action of water, wind, or glacial ice

boomtown

a town that grew very quickly due to sudden prosperity (seemed to “pop up” overnight near mining areas)

Buffalo Soldiers

African Americans soldiers who served in the western U.S. post Civil War - name given to them by Indigenous Americans - a compliment

Great Plains

middle of the US - area known for flat lands and prairies

perception

the way a person thinks or feels about something

treaty

a formal agreement between countries