The Oregon Country

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts from the lecture on the Oregon Country.

Oregon Country

A vast area located north of California, between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, including parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.

William Henry Ashley

Famous mountain man and leader of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who explored the Oregon Country in the early 1800s.

Adams-Onís Treaty

An agreement in 1819 where Spain set the limits of its territory at California’s northern border and relinquished all claims to Oregon.

Mountain Men

Fur trappers who explored and lived in the Oregon Country; they were known for carving out trails and engaging in the fur trade.

Manifest Destiny

The belief that Americans were destined to expand across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

Oregon Trail

The most popular route for settlers heading west to the Oregon Country, crossed the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

A slogan used in the 1844 presidential election, advocating for the U.S. claim to the entire Oregon Country up to latitude 54°40'.

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman

Missionaries who settled in Oregon in 1836; they aimed to convert Native Americans and provide medical care but faced tragedy due to disease.

Economic decline of fur trapping

The result of overtrapping and changing fashion preferences, leading many mountain men to seek new livelihoods.

John O'Sullivan

New York newspaper editor who coined the term 'Manifest Destiny,' advocating for American expansion across the continent.