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Treaty of Paris
It ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on one side and the United States of America and its allies on the other. It was acquired during the westward expansion in 1783. -
Second Great Awakening
Major religious revival movement that inspired people in other areas of American life. Examples: prison reform, temperance, public education, and abolishing slavery. It does not have an actual date but it was in the 1790. -
Marshall Court
Supreme Court under chief justice John Marshall. It made key decisions that strengthened the federal government's power over that of the states' power. -
Louisiana Purchase
The US purchased Louisiana from France for 15 million dollars. It was part of the westward expansion. It was in 1803 but there is no specific date. -
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a 32-month military conflict between the United States and the British Empire and their Indian allies, which resulted in no territorial change between the Empire and the US, but a resolution of many issues which remained from the American War of Independence. -
Jacksonian Democracy
Created political party to speak for ordinary people, not wealthy people. -
Spoils System
Jackson rewarded his loyal supporters of his election with government jobs. The term was named from those who lost their jobs. It comes from an ancient wartime saying "to the victor belongs the spoils of war". -
Indian Removal Act
Law passed by congress in 1830 to clear Indians from lands east of the Mississippi and to move them west to the Indian territory, later known as Oklahoma. -
Manifest Destiny
Belief held by many Americans in the 1840s that the U.S was destined to expand across the continent and beyond. It means "obvious fate". It is inspired by nationalism and expansionism. -
Texas Annexation
The annexation of Texas to the United States became a topic of political and diplomatic discussion after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and became a matter of international concern between 1836 and 1845, when Texas was a republic. In September 1836 Texas voted overwhelmingly in favor of annexation, but when the Texas minister at Washington, D.C., proposed annexation to the Martin Van Buren administration in August 1837, he was told that the proposition could not be entertained. -
Donner Party
The Donner Party was traveling through the west when they tried to take a short cut but they had many obstacles. They had no food so they turned to cannibalism. -
Mexican Cession
It got its name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S. in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. It was acquired during the westward expansion. -
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was held in Seneca Falls, NY. It was a women's movement launched in 1848. The goal was equality under the law of men and women. -
Oregon Territory
Along with territorial disputes with Spain and Mexico over the Southwest, the fate of the Oregon territory was one of the major diplomatic issues of the first half of the 19th centry. The territory became a focus of those who believed that it was the United States’ obligation and right to extend its rule and liberties across the North American continent. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which 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. Gadsden’s Purchase provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican-American War.
