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Westward Expansion
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Texas Revolution
American settlers and Tejano (Texans of Spanish origin) fought with the government of Mexico to win independence to become the Republic of Texas. -
Trail of Tears
The “trail where they cried” as it is called by members of the five tribes forcibly removed from their native land. This includes the deaths of approximately 4,000 members of the Cherokee Nation during the 1200-mile forced march to reserved land in Oklahoma. -
Oregon Trail
On May 16, 1842, a group of more than 100 pioneers left Missouri to travel 2,200 miles as the first major wagon train on the Oregon Trail. More than 400,000 people migrated west on the Oregon Trail. -
Oregon Territory
James Polk narrowly won the Presidency on a platform of national expansion. During his presidency, he negotiated with Britain to divide the Oregon Territory along the 49th parallel in exchange for free navigation on the Columbia River for the Hudson Bay Company. -
Mormon Migration
After Mormons experienced religious persecution, Brigham Young led 5,000 Mormons on a relocation to Utah. -
The Mexican-American War
A war between Mexico and the United States. It resulted in the U.S. paying Mexico $15 million for land that would become California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of several other states which added more than 1 million square miles to the country. -
Gold Rush
On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in the American River by Sacramento, California. Word of gold spread and in 1849, approximately 90,000 "forty-niners" came to California hoping to get rich by finding gold. -
Compromise of 1850
Following the acquisition of land at the end of the Mexican-American War, the Compromise of 1850 was written by Henry Clay in an attempt to appease both slave states of the South and free states of the North. The agreement admitted California as a free state and New Mexico and Utah, could allow the people living there to decide about slavery in their state. -
Transcontinental Telegraph
The first telegram in the U.S. was sent by Samuel Morse in 1838. In 1843, Congress funded construction for a telegraph line from Washington, DC, to Baltimore and by 1861 the first transcontinental telegraph line was finished which revolutionized communication across the country. -
Transcontinental Railroad
In 1845, merchant Asa Whitney, presented a plan to Congress for a transcontinental railroad. The railroad was completed in 1869, which brought an end migration on trails with wagons and further restricted Native Americans.
