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Period: to
Antebellum
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Texas Becomes An Independent Republic
After defeating Mexico in the Battle of the Alamo, Sam Houston became Texas’s first president. Without Texas declaring their independence from Mexico, the U.S. would never have gotten to annex it. -
Indian Relocation/Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act implemented to the Cherokee nation in 1838 and 1839. They were forced to give up its lands east of the Mississippi River and to migrate to an area in present-day Oklahoma. The Cherokee people called this journey the "Trail of Tears," because of its devastating effects. -
Manifest Destiny
The term "Manifest Destiny" was coined by John L. O'Sullivan in 1845. It implied that the U.S. had the God-given right and obligation to expand westward, spread their beliefs and culture, and obtain new land. -
Texas Annexed into the US
Texas becoming the 28th state was very controversial due to disputes about southern power verses northern power among other things. Texas, being the big state it is, gave way to much westward expansion. Yet Mexico still considered parts of Texas as their own. These land disputes were one of the causes to the Mexican-American War. -
Oregon Trail
A 2,170 mile wagon route that connected the east and west of the United States. About 400,00 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers, and business owners and their families traveled on the Oregon Trail. Though It have many offshoots and misleading tracks, which sadly some families followed and did not reach their intended destination. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Originally known as the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits and Settlements between The United States of America and the Mexican Republic, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed to end the Mexican-American War of 1846. The US gains great territory from Mexico, including California, New Mexico, and Arizona. This provided more land for settlers and gave way to more commerce routes. -
The Gold Rush of California
In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill. Once the news of the discovery spread, some 300,000 people came to California. These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners" traveled to California by sailing ship and in covered wagons across the continent. While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush also attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia. -
Gadsden Purchase
In this purchase the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. It also provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican-American War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This Act allowed settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state’s borders. This was called popular sovereignty, which was a new solution to the debate of slavery. This expanded slavery west greatly. -
The Homestead Act
Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration, by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land.
