Manifest Destiny
This belief that the United States was meant to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific helped drive westward migration in the 1800s.
Manifest Destiny
He was the "Father of Modern Revivalism" and the Second Great Awakening
Charles Grandison Finney
This 11th U.S. president supported the expansion of the United States through Manifest Destiny and oversaw the annexation of Texas in 1845, shortly before leaving office.
James K. Polk
This war between the United States and Mexico began in 1846 after a border dispute in Texas.
Mexican-American War?
This mid-1800s political movement became America’s first effective third party, known for its secrecy—members famously claimed “I know nothing” when questioned—while promoting anti-immigrant policies and limiting voting rights for newcomers during a time of rapid social change.
Know Nothing Party?
This overland route connected Missouri to Santa Fe and became an important trade path for merchants heading into the Southwest.
Santa Fe Trail
This movement aimed to target alcohol abuse and crime by banning the use and sale of alcohol.
Temperance
This 12th U.S. president was a Mexican-American War hero nicknamed “Old Rough and Ready” and had no prior experience in elected office before becoming president.
Zachary Taylor
This treaty ended the Mexican-American War and resulted in Mexico ceding a large portion of its northern territory, including present-day California and Arizona.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Small, overcrowded, and unsanitary housing for poor families.
Tenements
This migration route was used by Mormon settlers fleeing religious persecution as they traveled toward the Great Salt Lake region.
Mormon Trail
Known as "The Father of Public Education", he helped establish the public school system that we know today. He famously said that Education was "The Great Equalizer."
Horace Mann
This 8th U.S. president was the first born after American independence and served during an economic downturn known as the Panic of 1837.
Martin Van Buren
This disputed region between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande helped spark the start of the Mexican-American War.
Texas–Mexico border region
This religious movement was founded in the 1820s by Joseph Smith after he said he translated a set of golden plates, leading to the creation of a new American faith that later faced persecution and migration westward.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and who is Joseph Smith?
his major route brought thousands of settlers to Oregon Territory, often taking months and crossing harsh terrain like rivers, plains, and mountains.
Oregon Trail
Famous advocate for the mentally ill- she helped to create and modernize hospitals and mental asylums.
Dorothea Dix
This 9th U.S. president served the shortest term in American history after delivering a lengthy inaugural address in cold weather, dying just about a month after taking office.
William Henry Harrison
This general, who later became U.S. president, led American forces to key victories in the Mexican-American War, boosting his national fame.
Zachary Taylor
In the mid-19th century, a devastating agricultural disaster struck when a staple crop failed repeatedly due to disease, leading to mass starvation, widespread poverty, and a wave of emigration across the Atlantic. The crisis exposed deep political tensions and inadequate relief efforts under foreign rule.
For double Jeopardy: Which nation was most affected?
Great Irish Potato Famine (Or Blight)
This 1848 gold discovery in California sparked a massive population boom and increased westward migration along routes like the California Trail.
California Gold Rush
Wrote Civil Disobedience, calling for peaceful resistance to unjust laws; refused to pay taxes in protest of the Mexican-American War.
Henry David Thoreau
This 11th U.S. president earned the nickname “Young Hickory” because of his close political ties to Andrew Jackson, who was known as “Old Hickory.”
James K. Pol
This frontiersman, folk hero, and former U.S. congressman died defending the Alamo during the Texas Revolution and later became a symbol of American rugged individualism, though his legend grew even larger after his death.
Davy Crockett
This practice involves a person having more than one spouse at the same time and was famously associated in the 19th century with some members of the Mormon community, leading to major conflict with the U.S. government and eventual policy changes within the church.
Polygamy