APUSH 5

Manifest Destiny

used to justify territorial expansion through a sense of American exceptionalism, economic opportunity, and a belief in the superiority of American culture and government,

John O’ Sullivan

most famous for coining the term

"Manifest Destiny" in 1845.

Californios

often wealthy, elite Mexican ranchers who developed a unique culture centered on cattle ranching before the Mexican-American War and the Gold Rush

Comanches

a powerful Southern Plains tribe, known as the "Lords of the South Plains," who were skilled horsemen and fierce warriors

Lakota Sioux

subdivision of the larger Sioux Nation and are historically significant for their resistance to U.S. expansion

Henry Clay

crafted the Compromise of 1850 to defuse tensions over slavery after the Mexican-American War

James K. Polk

main goals were territorial expansion, driven by his belief in Manifest Destiny. His presidency is defined by annexing Texas, settling the Oregon border dispute with Britain at the 49th parallel, and provoking the Mexican-American War

Oregon Country

the vast territory in the Pacific Northwest that was jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain until the 1846 Oregon Treaty

Oregon Trail

the 2,000-mile overland route from Missouri to the Oregon Territory, used by American pioneers in the mid-1800s to migrate west in search of land and opportunity

Franciscan Missions

the religious outposts established by Spanish Franciscan friars throughout the 16th-18th centuries in New Spain, primarily in California, Texas, and the Southwest

“Forty-Niners”

the 80,000 to 100,000 people who migrated to California in 1849 after gold was discovered in 1848

Santa Fe Trail

it represents westward expansion and the economic and cultural interactions that came with it, particularly those involving Mexico after its independence

Election of 1844

a pivotal U.S. election that centered on Manifest Destiny, with the main issues being the annexation of Texas and a dispute with Great Britain over the Oregon Territory. Democrat James K. Polk won the presidency by promising to annex Texas and resolving the Oregon boundary, a platform that appealed to both Southern and Northern interests. 

54-40 or Flight

was a popular 1840s slogan for the Democratic party and a campaign promise of President James K. Polk, advocating for the U.S. to claim all of the Oregon Territory up to the parallel of 54°40′ north latitude

Stephen F. Austin

bringing the first 300 families to settle in Texas in the 1820s, fulfilling a land grant from Mexico.

Sam Houston

led Texas to independence from Mexico and became the first president of the Republic of Texas

General Santa Anna

the Mexican general and president known for crushing the Texas Revolution at the Alamo

Great American Desert

the 19th-century term for the Great Plains, the area between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains, which early explorers and settlers viewed as arid, treeless, and unfit for agriculture

Texas- The Alamo

A small Texan garrison, including frontiersmen like Davy Crockett, was besieged and ultimately overwhelmed by a larger Mexican army led by General Santa Anna

Mexican American War

a conflict between the United States and Mexico fought over territorial disputes, primarily concerning the U.S. annexation of Texas and expansionist desires under the ideology of Manifest Destiny

John C. Fremont

significant for his role in the Bear Flag Revolt in California, his anti-slavery stance as the first Republican presidential candidate in 1856

John Sidell

U.S. diplomat sent by President James K. Polk in 1845 to Mexico to negotiate the purchase of California and New Mexico. His mission was a failure

Zachary Taylor

a national hero from his military career, particularly for his victories in the Mexican-American War

Nueces River & Rio Grande River

represent the conflicting claims over the southern border of Texas between the U.S. and Mexico

Bear Flag Republic

a short-lived, independent republic established by American settlers in California in June 1846 during the early days of the Mexican-American War

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

As a result, Mexico ceded a vast territory (the Mexican Cession) to the United States,

Slave power conspiracy

a theory prominent in the antebellum period, particularly among abolitionists and the Republican Party, that a small group of wealthy Southern slaveholders (the "Slave Power" or "Slavocracy") secretly controlled the federal government

Wilmot Proviso

a 1846 proposal to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico during the Mexican-American War

Oregon trail, Mormon Trail, Santa Fe Trail

The Oregon Trail was a westward migration route to the Oregon Territory, primarily for settlers seeking land and opportunity. The Mormon Trail was a specific path taken by members of the Latter-day Saint movement to escape religious persecution, moving from Illinois to their settlement in Utah. The Santa Fe Trail was a commercial and trade route connecting Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico, which also saw some use by westward settlers. 

Gadsden Purchase

an 1854 agreement where the United States bought about 30,000 square miles of land from Mexico for $10 million

Free Soil Movement & Free Soil Party

a political movement that opposed the expansion of slavery into new U.S. territories, particularly those acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War

Zachary Taylor

His short presidency (1849–1850) was dominated by the issue of slavery and territorial expansion, as he urged states like California and New Mexico to draft constitutions and favored a strong national government over Southern sectionalism, a stance that aligned with his military background. 

Popular Sovereignty

the doctrine that the people of a territory should decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, rather than having the decision made by the federal government

Compromise of 1850

a series of five laws passed to ease tensions between the North and South over slavery following the Mexican-American War. The key provisions were admitting California as a free state, enacting a stricter Fugitive Slave Act, allowing popular sovereignty in the New Mexico and Utah territories, abolishing the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and settling a boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

required all citizens, including those in free states, to assist in the capture and return of escaped slaves to their owners

Uncle Toms Cabin

1852 anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that vividly depicted the brutality of slavery, particularly the splitting of families.

Personal Liberty Laws

statutes enacted by Northern states in the mid-19th century to counteract the Fugitive Slave Act by protecting the rights of escaped slaves and free blacks

Whigs

colonists who supported the American Revolution or the later 19th-century Whig Party that opposed Andrew Jackson

Ostend Manifesto

a 1854 U.S. government proposal written by American ministers in Europe that recommended the U.S. buy Cuba from Spain, and if Spain refused, the U.S. should take the island by force. The manifesto was supported by Southern expansionists who saw it as a way to create more slave territory but was fiercely opposed by Northerners who feared it would expand slavery and further escalate sectional tensions. 

Kansas-Nebraska Act

created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and established the principle of popular sovereignty, allowing residents to vote on whether to allow slavery

Republican Party

founded in the 1850s to

oppose the expansion of slavery into new territories. 

“Bleeding Kansas”

the period of violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the Kansas Territory from 1854 to 1859

Charles Sumner

a prominent Massachusetts senator and radical abolitionist known for his powerful oratory, which condemned slavery and its expansion, most notably in his speech "The Crime Against Kansas".

Buchanan

15th President of the United States (1857-1861) whose presidency was defined by his inability to prevent the secession of southern states and the coming of the Civil War

Dred Scott v. Stanford

a 1857 Supreme Court ruling that stated African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be citizens and therefore could not sue in federal court.

Irish Famine

a crucial "push factor" driving Irish emigration, significantly increasing the Irish population in American cities and contributing to social and cultural shifts, including nativism. 

Chain Migration

large numbers of immigrants came from Northern and Western Europe, primarily from Ireland and Germany.

Navitism

the anti-immigrant movement that favored native-born Americans over immigrants, particularly Irish and German Catholics. It was fueled by fears that immigrants took jobs, lowered wages, and threatened American culture and religion

Know-nothing Party

a prominent political organization that embodied nativism, aiming to restrict immigrant rights and influence. 

John Brown’s Raid

1859 abolitionist attack on the federal armory at

Harpers Ferry, Virginia, led byJohn Brownto seize weapons and start a slave rebellion.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

a series of seven formal political debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during their campaign for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois

. They are most accurately defined in a historical context as a pivotal series of debates over the expansion of slavery in the United States

Election of 1860

deepened sectional divides over slavery, culminating in the election of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent secession of Southern states

. The split in the Democratic Party, with four candidates on the ballot, allowed the Republican candidate, Lincoln, to win the presidency despite receiving less than 40% of the popular vote

Secession

the formal withdrawal of states from the Union, most notably by 11 slave states between 1860 and 1861

Border States

the slave states that did not secede from the Union: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia.

Battle of Ft. Sumter

the first military engagement of the American Civil War, occurring from April 12–14, 1861