Chapter 10
Why didn't a lot of Spaniards settle in Texas?
There was no gold or political or religious freedom and everyone was expected to become Catholic.
What started the Mexican-American War?
A disagreement over the border between the new state of Texas and Mexico.
What people made the most money in California?
The storekeepers who sold the gold-seekers their food, clothing, tools and tents.
What did the Missouri emigrants under Stephen Austin promise to the Spanish/Mexican government when they moved to Texas?
That they would become Catholics and obey the laws of Spain.
Henry David Thoreau went to jail as "an act of conscience"; what did he do to get himself arrested and why did he do it?
He refused to pay his taxes because he didn't want his tax money to go to what he believed was an immoral war.
What attracted Chinese men to America - and especially California - in the early 1850s?
The opportunity for good jobs and the terrible living conditions at home in China.
Why was Texas not made part of the US from 1836-1845?
Texas wanted to be accepted as a slave state; this meant that the southern states would have had more votes in Congress than the northern states
After the Mexican-American war, where was the Texas-Mexican border set?
At the Rio Grande River.
What were three ways to travel to California from the east coast?
To sail around Cape Horn at the tip of South America
To sail to Panama, go overland to the Pacific then up the Pacific coast
To go overland the entire trip
What happened at the Alamo?
Santa Anna and his army of over 3000 men attacked the not quite 200 Americans who had holed up there, killing everyone inside except for a few women and children.
What does it mean when the author says that the Mexican War was a "training school" for another war?
Many of the soldiers in the Mexican War would be fighting as friends and enemies int eh next big war for the US; the Civil War.
James Marshall couldn't prospect alone any more, people swarmed him, he became a drunk and died a broken man.
John Sutter's land was trampled and he lost the wealth he had accumulated. He died in poverty.
Who was Sam Houston?
He lead an attack and captured Santa Anna, made him sign a treaty that made Texas and independent nation, and then was elected president of the new Republic of Texas.
What land did the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo give the US and what was so lucky about gaining some of that land?
California; which stretched from modern day Texas to California and as far north as Wyoming. California had gold.
What is the significance of the California Gold Rush?
It brought tons of people to the area from around the world and it brought so many people so quickly that California was able to become a state more quickly than any other.