Manifest Destiny
Belief that Americans were destined to expand across the continent.
Oregon Treaty
Treaty signed in 1846 that settled the boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain.
Texas annexation
The incorporation of the Republic of Texas into the United States in 1845.
Mexican-American War
Conflict between the U.S. and Mexico from 1846 to 1848, resulting in significant territorial gains for the U.S.
James K. Polk
11th President of the United States, known for his expansionist policies.
54°40’ or Fight
Slogan used by expansionists who wanted the U.S. to control the entire Oregon Territory.
Mexican Cession
Territory ceded to the U.S. by Mexico in 1848, including present-day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Colorado and New Mexico.
Wilmot Proviso
Proposed amendment to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
1848 treaty that ended the Mexican-American War and ceded vast territories to the U.S.
Free Soil Movement
Political movement that opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories.
Popular Sovereignty
The principle that the settlers of a territory should determine its status regarding slavery.
Compromise of 1850
Series of laws aimed at resolving tensions between slave and free states, including California’s admission as a free state.
Bleeding Kansas
Violent conflicts in Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the 1850s.
Dred Scott v. Sandford
1857 Supreme Court case that ruled enslaved people were property and Congress could not regulate slavery in territories.
Lincoln-Douglas debates
Series of debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas over slavery and its expansion.
Emancipation Proclamation
1863 executive order by President Lincoln freeing enslaved people in rebelling states.
Homestead Act
1862 law that provided 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee.
13th Amendment
Constitutional amendment that abolished slavery in the United States.
14th Amendment
Constitutional amendment granting citizenship and equal protection under the law.
15th Amendment
Constitutional amendment that granted voting rights to Black men.
Sharecropping
Agricultural system that replaced slavery but kept Black families economically dependent.
Jim Crow
Laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States after Reconstruction.
Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
Huge pro-slavery ruling; nullified Missouri Compromise.
Ex parte Merryman
Habeas corpus controversy during the Civil War.
