Manifest Destiny Part I
This term refers to the idea that Americans were pre-destined by God to expand westward until they reached the Pacific Coast of North America.
Manifest Destiny
This is the name given to land agents or contractors in Mexico (and later in the Republic of Texas) who were granted large tracts of land in exchange for recruiting settlers to colonize the area.
Empresarios
In what year did the Mexican-American War begin?
1846
In what year did the Mexican-American War end?
1848
This man owned the mill where gold was first discovered in 1848, sparking the California Gold Rush.
John Sutter
This battle officially started the Texas Revolution.
Battle of the Alamo
He is the name of America's 11th president. His entire campaign and presidential term was centered around Manifest Destiny.
James K. Polk
What is annexation?
The formal act whereby a country proclaims its sovereignty over a territory.
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo established the US-Mexico border along which river?
Rio Grande
This is the nickname given to gold seekers who arrived in California during the year 1849.
Forty-Niners
He led the Americans during the Battle of San Jacinto.
Sam Houston
This journalist is credited for first coining the term Manifest Destiny.
John O'Sullivan
This is the name of the military general who advanced American troops past the Nueces River. His action is said to have initiated the Mexican-American War.
Zachary Taylor
This is the name of the diplomat sent by James K. Polk to make a deal with the Mexican government.
John Slidell
This group, infamous for its ill-fated westward journey, helped establish California as a destination for settlers even before gold was discovered.
The Donner Party
DAILY DOUBLE
What two requirements did the Mexican government have for immigrants who wanted to enter Texas?
1) They had to follow Roman Catholicism (and not Protestantism).
2) They should not own slaves.
This treaty officially established the border between British territories and American territories in North America at the 49th Parallel.
Oregon Treaty
DAILY DOUBLE
Why was the Wilmot Proviso such a big deal, despite the fact that it was never passed?
It exposed just how divided America was regarding the issue of slavery.
According to the Southern slave states, the Wilmot Proviso violated which law?
The Missouri Compromise (Compromise of 1820)
DAILY DOUBLE
This term describes the act of searching for valuable minerals, such as gold, typically done by hand or using simple tools like pans and sluices.
Prospecting
John O'Sullivan personifies this word in his quote about Manifest Destiny in order to insinuate that westward expansion was permitted to Americans by God himself.
Providence
DAILY DOUBLE
This law allowed settlers who were living on federal land (squatters) to purchase up to 160 acres at a minimum price of $1.25 per acre before the land was offered to the general public.
Preemption Act of 1841
One of the major effects of the Mexican-American War was the Mexican Cession. What does cession mean?
It is when a nation voluntarily gives up legislation over a territory to a another nation.
DAILY DOUBLE
In what way would the Wilmot Proviso, if passed, have affected representation of slave states and free states in the federal government?
If passed, the Wilmot Proviso would have broken the balance between slave states and free states in the Senate.
These miners used techniques such as panning and sluicing to extract gold from riverbeds and streams, relying on water to separate gold from dirt and gravel.
Placer Miners