APUSH Period 5 Vocab

Manifest Destiny

The popular belief among Americans that it was the divine mission of the US to extend its power and civilization across North America. The 5 causes of manifest destiny are nationaism (if you love your country of course you want more of it), increased population from high birth rates and immigration (they need somewhere to go), increased econemy, advancements in techonology specificlaly in trasportation (steamboats, railroads, cannals, roads allow you to actually move westward), reform ideas (many utopias and new religions move westward).  

Oregon Territory

Western territory previously claimed by Britain that American pioneers start migrating to during the 1820s and 30s.

Stephen Austin

Son of Moses Austin, missouri banker who aquired a land grant in Texas. Stephen brings over 300 American families into Texas starting the steady migration of white people into Texas (so that there ends up being more white people than mexicans).

Sam Houstin

Led white settelers in Texas in revolt against the Mexican dictator Santa Anna in 1836 & declared Texas independent w/ slavery being legal. He was then the 1st President of Texas and applied to be annexed into the US but was put off by Jackson and van Buren and denied by Senate under John Tyler (who tried to annex Texas) in 1844.

Webster-Ashburton Treaty

Treaty signed in 1842 between US & Britian to solve conflict between lumber workers on the American-Candaian border. It split the territory into Maine (US) and British Canada (Britian) and made the Minnesota border with the Mesabi range on the US side.

James K. Polk

Democrats ¨dark horse¨ canidate in the 1844 Presidential election (because stuck between anti-annexation Van Buren and pro-annexation Calhun), similar to Jackson, big fan of manifest destiny, wants to annex Texas, aquire California, and re-occupy the Orgeon territory all the way up to the 54th parallel which is the border with russia. 

Fifty-Four Forty or Flight!

Democratic Slogan demosnrtating the desire to expand and follow manifest destiny, refers to James K. Polk wanting to reoccupy Ogreon territory to the 54th 40 parallel which is the border with Russia.

The Alamo

Battle in San Antonio Texas in 1836 during Texas Revolution.

Great American Desert

Arid region between the mississppi river valley and pacific coast passed over in the 1850s and 60s for Orgeon & CA thus not being settled until after the coast (includes great plains). 

Mathew C. Perry

US commodore sent by gov to Japan (whom was previously closed off to trade) with a few naval ships and got Japan gov to sign Kanagawa treaty to allow two us vessels into Japan’s ports for coal which leads to a trade agreement.

Mexican-American War

War between the US and Mexico over border dispite in Texas and US wanting more land westward that was Mexicos and Mexico refusing to give it up. The US claimed Rio grande as the boarder but Mexico claimed Nueces River as the boarder and thus when Zachary Taylor moved an army into the Rio Grande, land mexico thought was their’s, mexican army killed 11 US soldiers and the House approved war, desipite whigs denying deaths on US land and being very anti-war with mexico. 

Río Grande

River in Texas south of the Nueces River which Pol and the Us argued was the southern boarder of Texas with Mexico but Mexico argyed it was the Nueces River, which is more north. Thus in 1846 when Zacahry Taylor led his army, by Polk´s orders, into Rioo Grande, mexican army killed 11 US soldiers and allowing House to declare war. 

Zachary Taylor

US general sent by Polk into Río Grande in 1846 where 11 of his soldiers were killed by Mexican army starting the war (after House approves). Him & his 6,000 men led the Mexican army out of US across Río Grande and into Mexico where they won a battle at Buena Vista in Feb 1847. Runs for President in 1848 election as a whig but with no stance on slavery and wins.

John C. Fremont

Overthrew Mexican rule in Northern California in June 1846 and declared California and indpenedent republic known as the Bear Flag Republic. 

Winfield Scott

General selected by Polk to invade central mexico (after taylor and fremont victorys). He lead an army of 14,000 and took control of city of Vera Cruz on the coast and then Mexico city in Sept 1847.

Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo

Teaty negociated in 1848 that ended the Mexican American warand stated that the Río Grande is the southern border of Texas and that Mexico would cease provinces of California and New Mexico to the US in exhcnage for $15 mill. It was opposed by whigs because they saw it as a way for southenrsrs to get more land for slavery. Some dems dissaproved the treaty because they wanted all of Mexico!

Mexican Cession

Part of treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that says the US will aquire California and new mexico provinces as a result of the Mexican American war in exhcnage for $15mill to mexico for the land. 

Wilmont Proviso

An appropriations bill proposed by David Wilmont that says all terittory aquiored from MExico would be anti-slavery to appeal to Whigs and northern anti-slavery views but also to decrease competition in the west among white farmers with enslaved people for land and labor. Passed twice in the whig majority house, denied twice by dem majority senate.

Gadsden Purchase

Small semidesert strip of land that forms the present day southern boundry of Arixona and New Mexico that Preisdnet Pierce bought fo r$10 mill from Mexico in 1853 because it was the best land in the area for building a railraod because it was flat.

Popular Soverignty

Lewis Cass proposed a solution to the debate of slavery that the people who settled each territory would vote on if they had slavery or not. Thsi was liked by many moderates and endorsed by the Democrats who ran Cass as their canidate in the 1848 election whoever he still lost to the Whigs canidate war hero Zachary Taylor.

Henry Clay

Kentucky Senator who proposed and argued for the Compromise of 1850.

Compromise of 1850

Compromise proposed by Henry Clay for what to do about the debate of Slavery. It had 6 main points and was very controverisal but was eventually adipted after the death of President Tyler who opposed it and keeps the Union together for a little while longer. It said: 1) CA admitted as a free state 2) other Mexican cession land divided into Utah and New Mexico and they have poplular sovernity to decide 3) Federal gov assumed texas debt of $10 mill 4) Ban slave trade in DC 5) allow for owning of slaves in DC 6) Adopt and enforce strict fugitive slave law.