Flashcards - Unit 3: Western Expansion

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Manifest Destiny

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A notion held by some Americans in the 1800's that the United States was destined to rule the continent, from the Atlantic the Pacific.

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Louisiana Purchase (1803)

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U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, doubling the size of the U.S. and giving the U.S. full control of the Mississippi River.

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Transcontinental Railroad

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Railroad connecting the west and east coasts of the continental United States.

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Great Plains

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A mostly flat and grassy region of western North America.

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Homestead Act of 1862

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U.S. Act that allowed a settler to acquire 160 acres of Federal land.

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Trail of Tears (1838)

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The forced relocation of the Cherokee tribe to the Western United States; resulted in the deaths of 4,000 Cherokees.

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Dawes Act of 1887

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U.S. attempt to "civilize" Native American Indians and make them more like white settlers.

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Bureau of Indian Affairs

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A government agency created in the 1800s to oversee federal policy toward Native Americans.

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Wounded Knee (1890)

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Massacre of Native Americans in South Dakota. Marked the end of the Indian Wars and the close of the western frontier.

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Forced Assimilation

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Forcing an ethnic group to adopt the culture of a dominant group.