Who were mountain men?
Explorers and frontiersmen
What impact did mountain men have on westward expanison?
They carved (blazed) trails for others
to move westward.
What is Manifest Destiny?
- Belief that the US was destined to span the entire Continent
- Used to justify taking land
- Phrase came from John O’Sullivan when it was printed in his paper
What did Manifest Destiny encourage people to do?
Move west
What were the major trails west?
- Oregon Trail
- Santa Fe
- Mormon Trail
What was the Oregon Trail?
Trail from Independence, MO to the Oregon Territory
Why would people make the journey of the Oregon trail?
Settlers traveled in covered wagons to make a new life
What were decisions people needed to make on the Oregon Trail?
- When to leave
- How much and what to bring
- How to cross difficult terrain
- When to rest
- how fast to move
What hardships did people encounter on the Oregon Trail?
- Diseases
- Geography
- Weather
- Wagon trouble (oxen or broken part)
- Robbers
- Accidents (crushed by wagon, snake bite)
What were the reasons people traveled westward?
- Religious freedom (Mormons led by Joseph Smith and then Bringham Young)
- Escape financial problems (Panic of 1837)
- New Markets for goods/make money (Levi Strauss’ Jeans, 49’ers)
What caused the Texas Revolution?
Texans were unhappy with Mexican control:
1. Taxes
2. Outlawed slavery
3. Forced to convert to Catholicism
4. Speak Spanish
5. Closed Texas to further immigration
Why was the Battle for the Alamo so important?
Despite the loss, the Texans used this and Goliad as a means to unite and rally “Remember the Alamo”
What caused Santa Anna to attack the Texans?
Conflict over a canon in Gonzales, TX (Come & Take It)
(Texas revolution)
Why did the US take 10 years to annex Texas?
- Concern over upsetting the balance b/t free and slave states (TX would have been a slave state)
- Arguments over slavery spreading into territories
What happened once the US annexed Texas?
- Angered Mexico- they considered it an act of war
- One of the major causes of the Mexican American war along with border disputes
What ended the Mexican American War?
Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo
What was the Mexican Cession?
Part of the Treaty where Mexico turns over large amount of land in the American SW including CA, NM, AZ
What was Gadsden Purchase?
Purchase to make RR tracks. Made the US borders in SW what they are today
What was the impact of the California Gold Rush?
- 1849- Contributed to the California economic growth
- San Francisco becomes a major city
- California is ready for statehood by 1850
4.Most do not make it rich from gold
