Unit 3: Westward Expansion & Sectional Tension

Louisiana Purchase

Land purchased from France in 1803 that doubled the size of the U.S.

War of 1812

Fought against Britain over trade restrictions and impressment; increased nationalism

Northwest Ordinances

Set rules for organizing new territories and admitting states; banned slavery north of the Ohio River

Cotton Gin

Invented by Eli Whitney; increased cotton production and reliance on slavery

Market Revolution

Economic transformation with industrialization, canals, railroads, and national markets

Lowell Mills

Textile factories in Massachusetts employing young women

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain balance

Spoils System

Practice of rewarding political supporters with government jobs

Indian Removal Act 1830

Law forcing Native Americans off their lands in the Southeast

Trail of Tears

Forced relocation of Cherokee and other tribes, causing thousands of deaths

Andrew Jackson/Democracy

Expanded white male suffrage and increased presidential power

Manifest Destiny

Belief that the U.S. was destined to expand westward

US-Mexico War causes

Border disputes, Texas annexation, and Manifest Destiny

US-Mexico War effects

Territorial gains for the U.S., increased sectional tensions

US-Mexico War geography

Fought in Texas, California, and Mexico

Gold Rush

Discovery of gold in California leading to mass migration west

Wounded Knee Massacre

1890 killing of Lakota Sioux marking the end of Plains Indian resistance

Buffalo & Plains Indians

Buffalo were essential to Plains Indian life; destruction disrupted their culture

Homestead Act

Gave free land to settlers willing to farm it

Dawes Act

Divided tribal lands to encourage assimilation of Native Americans