Manifest Destiny
What term did John L. O’Sullivan coin to describe America’s divine right to expand westward?
Manifest Destiny
What 1830 law forced Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River?
Indian Removal Act
What was discovered in California in 1848, sparking mass migration?
Gold
The Missouri Compromise established what line to limit slavery expansion?
36°30′ line
Who was president during the Mexican-American War?
James K. Polk
What war was largely justified by the idea of Manifest Destiny?
Mexican-American War
What was the forced relocation route of the Cherokee known as?
Trail of Tears
What 1862 law granted settlers 160 acres of land for a small fee?
Homestead Act
What 1854 act allowed settlers to vote on slavery in new territories, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise?
Kansas-Nebraska Act
What trail was a major route for settlers traveling to the Pacific Northwest?
Oregon Trail
What 1846–1848 conflict resulted in the U.S. gaining the Mexican Cession?
Mexican-American War
What 1876 battle saw the defeat of Custer by Sioux and Cheyenne forces?
Battle of Little Bighorn
What 1869 event connected the nation’s coasts by rail?
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
What 1862 act created land-grant colleges to promote agriculture and engineering?
Morrill Land Grant Act
What American general and later president led troops to victory in the Mexican-American War?
Zachary Taylor
Which 1848 treaty ended the Mexican-American War and granted the U.S. vast western lands?
Which 1890 event marked the symbolic end of Native American armed resistance?
Wounded Knee Massacre
Which labor group, often overlooked, played a major role in building western railroads?
Chinese immigrants
What act encouraged railroad construction through government land grants?
Pacific Railway Act
What territory’s violent clashes between pro- and anti-slavery settlers earned it the name “Bleeding ___”?
Kansas
What was the main political issue reignited by westward expansion and new territories?
Expansion of slavery
What Nez Perce leader famously said, “I will fight no more forever”?
Chief Joseph
What 1859 discovery of silver in Nevada led to rapid settlement there?
Comstock Lode
What 1850 law attempted to ease sectional tensions but angered abolitionists?
Compromise of 1850
What mid-19th-century religious group migrated to Utah seeking religious freedom?
Mormons