Growth of US
What 19th-century belief held that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent?
Manifest Destiny
What 1836 battle became a rallying cry for Texan independence, where a small group of defenders was overwhelmed by Mexican forces?
The Alamo
Who is Dred Scott, and what did he do?
A slave who sued for his freedom
What war broke out between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, primarily over territorial disputes?
Mexican-American War
Who was running under the Republican ticket in the Election of 1860?
Abraham Lincoln
What was the name of the route taken by thousands of settlers moving west to the west in the mid-1800s?
Oregon Trail
Who was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna during the Texas fight for Independence?
Mexican Dictator who led troops in battle
What law required people to assist in capturing escaped slaves, even in free states?
Fugitive Slave Act
What 1854 law allowed settlers in new territories to decide the issue of slavery through popular sovereignty?
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Who was the Illinois senator responsible for the Kansas-Nebraska Act and a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln?
Stephen A. Douglas
Which river did the United States claim as the southern border of Texas, sparking tensions with Mexico?
Rio Grande
At what battle did Texan forces capture Santa Anna, effectively ending the Texas Revolution?
Battle of San Jacinto
Which two congressmen became symbols of sectional tensions after one physically attacked the other on the Senate floor?
Charles Sumner and Preston Brooks
What was the name of the legislative agreement that admitted California as a free state and introduced a stricter fugitive slave law?
Compromise of 1850
Which general became a national hero after victories in the Mexican-American War and later became president?
Zachary Taylor
What geographic line was agreed upon as the northern boundary of the Oregon Territory between the U.S. and Britain?
49th parallel
Who was the military leader and president of the Republic of Texas who played a key role in Texas independence from Mexico?
Sam Houston
What 1857 Supreme Court case ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories?
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
What treaty ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in the U.S. acquiring vast southwestern territories?
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Which U.S. president strongly supported westward expansion and led the country during the Mexican-American War?
James Polk
Who was sent by President Polk to Mexico to negotiate the purchase of California and New Mexico before the Mexican-American War began?
John Slidell
Who was known as the "Father of Texas" for leading American settlers into Mexican-controlled Texas?
Stephen Austin
What violent episode involved abolitionist John Brown killing pro-slavery settlers in Kansas?
Potawatomie Massacre
What secret plan proposed the U.S. purchase Cuba from Spain, with the threat of force, to expand slaveholding territory?
Ostend Manifesto
Which president failed to prevent the deepening sectional crisis and is considered ineffective in the face of Southern secession?
James Buchanan