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Indian Removal Act
An act that was signed into effect by President Jackson that authorized the removal of Native Americans to the land west of the Mississippi, and allowed white settlers to live in their land. -
Period: to
Antebellum Period
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Oregon Trail
2,000 mile trail from Missouri to Oregon, used by thousands of pioneers. It encouraged settlement in Oregon territory. -
Battle of Veracruz
The Battle of Veracruz was a crucial event for western expansion. This was the battle that won Texas its independence from Mexico. However, President Martin Van Buren still didn’t annex Texas into the United States due to Mexico threatening war. -
Manifest Destiny
The idea that the United States is destined by God to expand and spread democracy across the entire North American continent. -
Texas Annexation
A few years after gaining its independence from Mexico, Texas was annexed into the United States as a full state. -
Mexican American War
War between Mexico and the United States to gain territory for the U.S. from Mexico and expand the country from Atlantic to Pacific. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Treaty that ended the two year long Mexican American War. It added 525,000 square miles to the United States territory. -
California Gold Rush
Newly discovered gold in California caused many prospective miners to travel westward into California in search of gold. -
Gadsden Purchase
Agreement between Mexico and the United States, in which the U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for 29,670 square miles of its territory. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
A bill that added both Kansas and Nebraska to the United States, and mandated popular sovereignty, which allowed the settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery was legal.
