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Period: to
Westward Expansion
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Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was a belief that the United States was destined by God to expand and spread Democracy and capitalism across the entire continent of North America, this justified Westward Expansion and the displacement of Native Americans. -
Texas Annexation
Texas was annexed by the United States and created the 28th state. The annexation funded Westward Expansion by adding a large territory to the Union and helping reinforce the belief of Manifest Destiny -
The Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty resolved a boundary dispute between the U.S. and Great Britain. The treaty created the 49th parallel as the border west of the Rocky Mountains which gave the U.S., there were no payments made for this treaty. -
California Gold Rush
A migration to California in 1848 and 1849 because of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. This led to a surge in population and transformed the economy in California. These events eventually caused California to achieve statehood in 1850 because of the population size and the economy. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is what officially ended the Mexican-American War in 1848. The treaty caused Mexico to cede a large portion of land to the United States in exchange for $15 million and the assumption of debts owed to citizens. The territories ceded created the current day states of California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. -
Compromise of 1850
Five bills that were an attempt to resolve disputes over slavery in the new territories in the United States. It made California a free state, and left Utah and New Mexico to decide whether or not they would become a slave state or a free state. -
Gadsden Purchase
An agreement between the United States and Mexico, where the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that will become Arizona, and New Mexico. This purchase provided the land that was needed for a Southern Transcontinental Railroad -
"Bleeding Kansas"
"Bleeding Kansas" was a period of violent conflicts in the Kansas Territory which was a result from the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The conflict was over slavery and whether or not it should be legal or not. About 56 people died in the "Bleeding Kansas" conflict. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. This act created violence and rose national tensions over slavery, which eventually would lead to the Civil War -
Transcontinental Railroad
The first Transcontinental Railroad was the first continuous railroad that went across the United States. It started in Omaha, Nebraska, and ended in Sacramento, California spanning 1,911 miles. The purpose of the railroad was to connect the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, which contributed to Westward Expansion. It also provided a way to transport people and goods quickly across the country.