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Westward Expansion
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Indian Removal Act
Congress and President Jackson passed a law that moved Native Americans from the eastern US, to the west of the Mississippi River. This led to harsh moving conditions, like the Trail of Tears, which relocated and caused the death of thousands of Cherokees. All tribes were sent to “Indian Territory,” around present day Oklahoma and Kansas, away from their traditional homelands. This was for the settlement of European Americans who wanted their land to expand the US and continue agriculture. -
The Oregon Trail
Looking for fertile land, in 1843, about a thousand Americans set out on the Oregon Trail. It was a 6 month journey and about 2,000 miles. After the first pioneers, thousands more settlers flooded through the Oregon Trail in years to come. Though originally a path to Oregon, many settlers went to other states in the western US. By 1860, 250,000 Americans had gone on the Oregon Trail, resulting in 34,000 dead, mostly from disease and exposure. The trail was a success in western settlement. -
Manifest Destiny
In 1845, John L. O’Sullivan, a newspaper editor of the Democratic Review, created the term Manifest Destiny. This was used to describe the idea of expansion out west of the US. It was based not only on continental expansionism, but also on the belief that white Americans were destined by God to be superior and conquer North America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Manifest Destiny justified taking over Native American land and taking violent action against them to conquer the country. -
Texas Annexation
Texas won independence from Mexico in 1836 and remained independent until December of 1845 when it was annexed into the US. After voting in the Senate and House of Representatives, it was decided that Texas would join the US and the annexation bill was signed by President Polk. It was controversial whether to add Texas as a state, as it would extend slavery and could spark a war with Mexico. -
Oregon Treaty
From the Oregon Trail, thousands of Americans were moving to Oregon, which both the US and Great Britain had claims in. Britain attempted to keep US settlers south of the Columbia River, but settlers resisted and claimed they could settle where they wanted in the territory. To avoid a battle, in 1846, the US and Britain made a boundary that separated their land from one another by extending the 49th parallel across to the Pacific Ocean. -
Mormon Settlement of Utah
With Brigham Young leading, the Mormons fled religious persecution in the US. They traveled from their former home in Illinois and went into Mexican territory in the Great Salt Lake Valley, or in present day Utah. The US later acquired this territory in 1848 and Congress set up the Utah territory which was governed by Brigham Young. -
California Gold Rush
In January of 1848, flecks of gold were discovered in California. Thousands of people from all over the country flocked to California in search of gold. By the end of 1849, more than 80,000 people came to California. The harsh conditions of mining caused disease and death to spread quickly. Most of the gold was found early, so the majority of those in search of it got with nothing. It did greatly increase the population of California, many people staying there after the rush was over. -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846-1848. Mexico surrendered the war and made negotiations with the US. In the treaty, the US paid Mexico $15 million and in return they gained more than one third of Mexican territory. This included the current states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and parts of Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. -
The Gadsden Purchase
The United States bought nearly 20,000 square miles from northern Mexican territory for $10 million. It makes up the current southern areas of Arizona and New Mexico. The United States bought this land after there was interest to build a transcontinental railroad that traveled from New Orleans to Los Angeles. -
Homestead Act
During the Civil War the Homestead Act was created, which gave adult citizens of the US a chance to claim 160 acres of surveyed government land in the western US. To get this, they had to have never borne arms against the government and they were required to live on, cultivate, and improve the land. All they had to do was pay a small filing fee and live on the land for five years, then it was theirs. This pushed many US residents to go out west where they could get cheap and open land.