AMericans chap 9

Samuel Morse

Samuel Morse

1861, invented the telegraph. Secured $30,000 from Congress to support his experiment with "talking wires." 1844, strung wire 40 mi. from Washington to Baltimore.

Market Revolution

Change in the way Americans made, bought, and sold goods

Capitalism

An economic system based on private property and free enterprise.

entrepreneur

A person who starts up and takes on the risk of a business

telegraph

An Apparatus that's used electric signals to transmit messages

John Deere

United States industrialist who manufactured plows suitable for working the prairie soil (1804-1886)

Cyrus McCormick

Invented the mechanical reaper

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.

Treaty of Fort Laramie

Provided various Native American nations control of the Central Plains

Santa Fe Trail

A trail that began in Missouri and ended in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Oregon Trail

A 2,000-mile trail stretching through the Great Plains from western Missouri to Oregon Country.

Mormons

Church founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 with headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, religious group that emphasized moderation, saving, hard work, and risk-taking; moved from IL to UT

Joseph Smith

Founder of Mormonism

Brigham Young

United States religious leader of the Mormon Church after the assassination of Joseph Smith

"Fifty-Four Forty or Fight!"

A slogan adopted by mid-nineteenth century expansionists who advocated the occupation of the Oregon territory.Stephen F. Austin

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

Mexican general who tried to crush the Texas revolt and who lost battles to Winfield Scott and Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War (1795-1876)

Texas Revolution

War between Texas settlers and Mexico from 1835-1836 resulting in the formation of the Republic of Texas

Alamo

The mission in San Antonio where in 1836 Mexican forces under Santa Anna besieged and massacred American rebels who were fighting to make Texas independent of Mexico

Sam Houston

Commander of the Texas army at the battle of San Jacinto; later elected president of the Republic of Texas

Republic of Texas

Independent nation that was created after Texans defeated Mexico in the Texas Revolution

annex

Join or merge territory into an existing political unit such as a country or state

James K. Polk

11th President of the United States from Tennessee; committed to westward expansion; led the country during the Mexican War; U.S. annexed Texas and took over Oregon during his administration

Zachary Taylor

12th President of the United States; general in Mexican War who led the battle over the disputed territory around the Rio Grande River

Stephen Kearny

American general in war with Mexico, he captured Santa Fe without fireing a shot

Winfield Scott

"Old fuss and feathers" whose conquest of Mexico City brough U.S. victory in the Mexican War.

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848 treaty ending the Mexican-American War

Gadsden Purchase

(1853) U.S. purchase of land from Mexico that included the southern parts of present-day Arizona and New Mexico

forty-niners

People who rushed to California after the discovery of gold in 1848.

gold rush

A period from1848 to 1856 when thousands of people came to California in order to search for gold.