People
The nickname given to the people who came to California in search of gold
Forty-Niners
The purchase of this territory nearly doubled the size of the United States.
Louisiana Purchase
The most common trail to the West, that about 50,000 people used between 1840 and 1860 to find fertile land for farming. It followed a similar route that Lewis and Clark used in 1803.
Oregon Trail
This territory gained its independence from Mexico and became a Republic.
What is Texas
Why was the cattle industry important to the rest of the United States?
As population grew we needed a bigger food supply.
Former slaves from the South who settled on farms in the Great Plains.
Exodusters
This law passed by Congress gave free land in the west for people to farm.
Homestead Act
This trail started in Independence Missouri and ended in New Mexico, and was used mainly as a trade route.
What is the Santa Fe Trail
This battle took place in San Antonio Texas and was considered motivation for future battles of the Mexican-American War
What is the Alamo
Name 3 affects of the transcontinental railroad.
- faster transportation
- more raw materials are shipped East
-more manufactured goods shipped to the West
He was the founder of the Mormon religion. Later he would be killed, and the Mormons would migrate to Utah.
Joseph Smith
The belief that the United States was meant to expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
Manifest Destiny
This trail ended in Salt Lake City, Utah and was used by people seeking religious freedom.
Mormon Trail
He led the Texans in their fight against the Spanish Army at the Battle of the Alamo.
William Travis
This law passed by Congress broke apart the Indian Reservations into smaller pieces of land so individual families could own land.
Dawes Act
These two immigrant groups made up the majority of the work force on the transcontinental railroad
Chinese and Irish Immigrants
This large region in the Central United States is made up of flat, grassy terrain and is located between the Rocky Mountains and Mississippi River
The Great Plains
As the west grew and expanded many trails were established by this group of riders to deliver mail and packages.
Pony Express
The dictator of Mexico who was overthrown by soldiers such as Sam Houston
Who is Antonio Santa Anna
Name 3 inventions that made farming more efficient.
- Steel plows
- Windmills
- Barbed Wire
- Mechanical Reapers
He was the leader of the Lakota Sioux who defeated General Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Sitting Bull
Name 3 reasons why people wanted to move West.
-Job/economic opportunities
-Religious Freedom
-Sense of Adventure
-Start a new life
A famous cattle trail cowboys used to move their cattle from the plains to the railroads.
Chisholm Trail
This treaty marked the end of the Mexican-American War and gave the United States territory in the Southwest
What is the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
How did the U.S. government attempt to "Americanize" Native American children?
Sending them to special schools and having them give up their traditional customs/culture.