Westward Expansion 1
15 million
1838: The Cherokee Nation is forced to march from the East Coast to Oklahoma. Many thousands die along the way.
Trail of Tears
1830: Congress passes a law to move Native Americans from the Southeast to the west of the Mississippi River.
Indian Removal Act
1803 - President Thomas Jefferson sent explorers to explore the Louisiana territory and find a route to the Pacific.
Lewis and Clark
1841: People began to travel west in wagon trains. Over the next twenty years, around 300,000 people would take the trail.
Oregon Trail
Under whose presidency was the Indian Removal Act passed?
Andrew Jackson
1803: President Thomas Jefferson buys the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. This doubles the size of the United States and provides a large area to the west of the country for expansion.
Louisiana Purchase
What country did we acquire the Louisiana territory from?
France
1805- Explorers Lewis and Clark map out areas of the Louisiana Purchase and eventually reach the?
The Pacific Ocean
1846: England signed the Oregon Treaty, handing over the Oregon Territory to the United States.
Oregon Treaty
1848: James Marshall discovers gold at Sutter's Mill. Soon, word was out, and people rushed to California to strike it rich.
Gold Rush
1849: Around 90,000 people moved to California to find gold.
"Forty-niners"
1860: The beginning of delivering mail.
Pony Express
1861:The ___________lines is finished. The Pony Express shuts down.
The First Transcontinental Telegraph
1845: Journalist John O'Sullivan first used this term to describe the United States' westward expansion. Many Americans in the 19th century believed they were divinely ordained to move west.
Manifest Destiny
1862: The United States government agreed to help fund a railroad from California to Missouri.
Pacific Railroad Act
1862: The U.S. government offered free land to farmers who agreed to live on the land for five years and make improvements. Many people rush to places like Oklahoma to claim their land.
Homestead Act
1869: The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad meet at Promontory, Utah, and the railroad is completed.
The Transcontinental Railroad is completed
This French General, who later became the first French Emperor, sold the Louisiana territory to the United States.
Napoleon Bonaparte
What was the name of the treaty that officially ended the Mexican-American War?
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
1845: Texas becomes a U.S. State - The United States officially claims Texas as a state, eventually leading to the Mexican-American War.
Texas Annexation
1836: Mexican troops attack the Alamo Mission, killing all but two Texans. This spurs the Texans on in the Texas Revolution. What was this battle called?
Battle of the Alamo
1767 - This explorer/pioneer explored Kentucky for the first time.
Daniel Boone
What port did the U.S want to control in the early 1800s that led to the purchase of the Louisiana territory?
New Orleans Port
What major river did the U.S want to control in the early 1800s that was vital for trade then?
Mississippi River