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Period: to
Westward Expansion 1845-1860
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Manifest Destiny
John L. O'Sullivan coined the term when he published it in his newspaper in the July-August issue of 1845. Manifest destiny was described as the American citizen's right to expand westward and to conquer this continent. This lead to many people heading westward to follow their manifest destiny. -
Texas becomes a state
The addition of Texas as the 28th state lead to more people travelling to texas. This also expanded slavery as Texas became a slave state. -
49th Parallel Agreement
Before 1846 Great Britain and the United States had joint occupation of the Oregon Territory. The countries no longer wanted to share so after some dispute they agreed to divide it at the 49th parallel. Even though American citizens had travelled there before there was an influx of people after this desicion. -
Brigham Young leads Mormons to Utah
In 1846 Brigham Young led Mormon followers to Utah to escape from the social pressures. They settled in what is now today Salt Lake City. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
In 1848 Mexico ceded a large amount of land to the United States as part of the Treary of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Spanish-American War. The apprehension of new lands cased more people to migrate westward. -
Gold Discovered in California
When gold was discovered by James Marshall at Sutter's Mill in California, they tried to keep it quiet. But they failed and once others learned of the gold they rushed to California. These people became known as the 49ers. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 allowed the lands gained from Mexico to decide about slavery using popular sovereignty along with addressing other issues. This lead more people to venture into those lands, the Southerners trying to promote slavery and the Northerners trying to prevent it. -
Indian Appropriations Act
The Indian Appropriations Act consolidated Western tribes onto agricultural reservations. This freed up even more land into which the whites could expand. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 added more land to the territories recieved from Mexico. This land was ued to create a railroad to California. This made travelling West much easier. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed which organized the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It allowed the slavery question to be ruled by popular sovereignty, meaning the people could chose.
