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The Oregon Trail is created
-A trail used for American pioneers who wanted to emigrate west. It went through Missouri and into Oregon.
-People wanted to emigrate west to start a new and better life. The Oregon trail made it easy for them to do so, although the trip took up to a year or more. The trips were long and miserable. Many deaths also occurred.
-Without the trail, American pioneers would have been slower to settle west. https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/oregon-trail -
The Alamo
-A group of Texan volunteer soldiers occupied the Alamo. A Mexican force numbering thousands of men, led by Santa Anna began a siege on the fort. The Texans held out for 13 days until the Mexicans overpowered them.
-It was a fight for independence from Mexico developed between Texans and Mexicans.
-For many years afterwards, the U.S. Army quartered troops and stored supplies at the Alamo. The state of Texas eventually purchased the Alamo. https://www.history.com/topics/mexico/alamo -
Texas Declaration of Independence
-The formal Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution.
-A lot of Mexicans that lived in Texas wanted to break away from Mexico. They didn't like the laws made by Santa Anna. They decided to fight for Independence.
-Mexico and America got into war, American won. America won the land of Texas and that's how Texas was finally annexed into the U.S. https://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/books/content/ilessons/51/ils_gr5CA_u5_c11_l3.pdf -
Battle of San Jacinto
-During Texas’ war for independence from Mexico, the Texas militia under Sam Houston launched a surprise attack against the forces of Mexican General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto, near present-day Houston, Texas
-Texas had to fight for their land and their independence.
-Texas won the battle and their land. https://www.history.com/topics/mexico/battle-of-san-jacinto -
James K. Polk becomes President
-People did not expect him to win presidency over Henry Clay. Because of this, he was known as the "dark horse".
-He was an experienced writer and unexpectedly ran for president.
-He reduced tariffs, reformed the national banking system and settled a boundary dispute with the British that secured the Oregon Territory for the United States. https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/james-polk -
Annexation of Texas
-The Republic of Texas declared independence from the Republic of Mexico. Texas was annexed into the U.S., which was admitted to the Union as the 28th state.
-People who wanted to annex Texas said it was manifest destiny of the United States to spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
-After Texas was annexed, the Mexican war started because Mexican didn't want to lose Texas. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/texas-annexation -
Zachary Taylor crosses the Rio Grande River
-James K. Polk ordered Zachary Taylor to move U.S. troops to the border of the Rio Grande River to defend it. Mexican General Mariano Arista viewed this as an invasion of Mexican territory and took his army over to attack.
-The U.S. wanted to protect the Rio Grande River border.
-Taylor ended up leading into two fights, and won both battles. He crossed the river into Mexican territory and won 4 battles.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/zachary-taylor-fights-the-battle-of-palo-alto -
Annexation of California
-California was under U.S. control and formally annexed and paid for by the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
-Californians sought statehood and after a heated debate in the U.S. congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, non-slavery state.
-California became the most powerful economic and political force in the far West. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/california-becomes-the-31st-state-in-record-time -
Mexican Cession
-It refers to lands surrendered, or ceded, to the United States by Mexico at the end of the Mexican War. Because the U.S. gained territory, the question of extending slavery became a political issue.
-The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo recognized Texas as a U.S. state , and ceded a large chunk of land.
-The U.S. gained California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. https://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h245.html -
California Gold Rush
-When people found out the discovery of gold, thousands of gold miners traveled by sea or land to San Francisco, California. The 49-niners came to California, many men left everything behind.
-Many people wanted to become rich.
- Gold started disappearing and a new technique of hydraulic mining was made. This made profit go up, but it made the landscape look very poor. The state's population also boosted but thousands. https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/gold-rush-of-1849 -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
-After the war ended, the Mexico held the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty caused the U.S. to gain a lot more territory.
-The treaty was signed to end the Mexican-American war.
-The impact is that the U.S. gained and additional 525,000 square miles of territory. Which are present-day: Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo -
Gadsden 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 provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican-American War.
-Afterwards, a new border dispute caused tension over the United States’ payment and the treaty failed to resolve the issues. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/gadsden-purchase -
Oregon becomes a free territory
-The signing of the Oregon Treaty settled the dispute between the U.S. and Britain. Britain gained possession of the land north of the 49th parallel and all of Vancouver Island, with the U.S. receiving the territory across that line.
-Different countries were fighting over the Oregon land.
-The impact is that they all agreed on dividing the territory along the 49th parallel. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/oregon-territory -
Homestead Act
-The act allowed any American, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land.
-It set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers.
-The grants gave new opportunities to many impoverished farmers from the East and Midwest. The growing mechanization of American agriculture led to the replacement of individual homesteads with a smaller number of much larger farms. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/homestead-act -
Transcontinental Railroad is completed
-This railroad made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history. Western-bound travelers no longer had to take the long, dangerous journey by a wagon.
-It was made to make it easier for people who wanted to emigrate west.
-No one no longer had to take the long and dangerous trails to emigrate west. They could take the train and get there so much faster. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/transcontinental-railroad-completed
