Westward Expansion and Immigration in the 1800s

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Oregon Trail

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2,000 mile long trail from Independence, Missouri to Oregon used by many pioneers during the 1840s, longest trail west.

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Mormon Trail

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In 1847, about 1,600 Mormons followed part of the Oregon Trail to Utah to escape religious persecution in the east. They built a settlement by the Great Salt Lake.

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Santa Fe Trail

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Trail from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the mid-1800s.

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Manifest Destiny

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1800s belief that God ordained America to spread across the North American continent.

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Mexican Cession 1848

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Land that Mexico ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. This territory included CA, NM, NV, AZ, UT, TX, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848

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Ended US Mexican war, made the Rio Grande official boundary of Texas, paid Mexico $15 million in exchange for the Mexican Cession, Mexico recognized Texas as part of the U.S.

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Northwest Ordinance 1787

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Established a series of steps for each of the Northwest territories to become new states.

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James K. Polk

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11th president of the US focused on Westward Expansion, Oregon territory, and war with Mexico.

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Mexican-American War

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Causes: Annexation of Texas to US, Border dispute (Rio Grande & Nueces River), & U.S. desire to purchase Mexico's land to California.

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Gadsden Purchase 1853

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Acquired additional land from Mexico for $10 million to facilitate the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad.