Westward Expansion Quiz

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the US had an obvious and divine right and destiny that was to expand their territory across North America, from east coast to west coast

Reasons to move West

More jobs, economic opportunity, cheap land from the Homestead Act, the Gold Rush, and religious freedom

Donner Party

A group of 87 American pioneers who got trapped in the snow of the Sierra Nevada mountains, over half of them died from disease, illness, starvation, and the survivors resorted to cannibalism

Annex

To add to

Gold Rush

1848, a massive migration of people across the country in hopes of striking it rich by mining gold that fueled economic changes, rapid increase in population, detriments to Native Americans, and fast ascension statehood

Oregon Trail

A 2,000 mile trail that could take up to 6 months to travel that pioneers, traders, and settlers took to get to the West coast where people endured extreme hardships

Homestead Act

1862, signed by President Lincoln, granted 160 acres of Native American land to members of the public who promised to cultivate, live on, and improve the land after five years

Exodusters

Thousands of African Americans who migrated from the South to escape that dangerous society and their persecution

Agreed to by Americans in order to settle Texas

Become Mexican citizens, convert to Roman Catholicism, and adopt Spanish as their official language

Reasons by US to not annex Texas(1837)

Northerners did not want to expand slaveholding territory, the US did not want to anger Mexico, Texas was in extreme debt

The President enforced Manifest Destiny

President Polk

Negotiated US boundary of Oregon Territory with Great Britain

Secretary of State, James Buchanan

Started War between Mexico and the US

The US's idea of Manifest Destiny was threatening Mexico, and a miscommunication where Mexican Soldiers fired on advancing American troops in disputed territory

Texas War of Independence

1835 to 1836

Mexican American War

1846 to 1848

Arguments for War with Mexico

The ability to expand territory, clarifying the border, payback for firing, failed negotiations, annexation consequences

Arguments against War with Mexico

Viewed as immoral and unconstitutional, would expand slavery, was unnecessary

Westward expansion impact on Native Americans

Cultural erosion, forcible removal from territory, numerous massacred, assimilation

Westward expansion impact on Chinese immigrants

Many faced extreme racism and violence, often put in hazardous or life threatening situations, there was legal exclusion

Westward expansion impact on Mexicans

Severe discrimination, massive loss of land, cultural and legal discrimination, let to influx of violent groups founded

Positives of westward expansion

Economic opportunities for more land and jobs, mineral and industrial wealth, increased agriculture, offered safety for some minorities

Negatives of westward expansion

Extreme discrimination, worsened slavery tensions, numerous deaths, environmental destruction

Dawes Act

Allowed the government to break up Native American tribes and land into smaller private plots for individual Native Americans as a way to assimilate them into American society

Native American Boarding Schools

Federal schools established to brainwash and completely assimilate Native American children who were taken from their homes and forcibly sent to these schools where they were traumatized and abused