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Period: to
Westward expansion
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Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was made to force Native American's out of their home lands and move them to the west so settlers could settle in the area. This act made it so the US had more area to expand into even if the natives had to lose their land. The Trail of Tears was a result of this Act. -
Texas Declaration of Independence
The Texas Declaration of Independence was made similar to that of the US Declaration of Independence. Though the Texas Declaration stated that slavery was legal. This declaration started the war between Texas and Mexico. -
Start of the Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a period of time in where the natives of multiple areas in the southern region were forced to move over a thousand miles in terrible conditions. This was mainly forced by the US in the form of military. Due to this around 12,000-17,000 natives died. -
"Manifest Destiny"
"Manifest Destiny" was first coined in 1845 by John L. O'Sullivan as a way of describing the belief that it was a god-given right of the settlers to expand westward. This belief made settlers more eager to move to the west forcing natives to move westward to the ocean till there was no more land. -
Texas Joins the US
On March 2nd 1836 Texas had declared independence from Mexico. The act of doing this started a war between Mexico and Texas in where Mexico lost due to the Mexican president Santa Anna allowing his soldiers to sleep in the afternoon. The Texans had used this opportunity to capture Santa Anna and 700 soldiers forcing Mexico to end the war. -
Mexican-American War
The American-Mexican war started when territory disputes of where the boarder of Texas should be in 1845 lead to the US sending an envoy to try and purchase the land, however the president of Mexico had not allowed the envoy to meet him. From there the Pres. Polk had soldiers go passed the point where Mexico said the boarders should be. After multiple decisive victories including the taking of Mexico City, Mexico had surrendered to the US. Allowing the US to have Texas and other territories -
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ended the American-Mexican war. In the treaty the US would get multiple territories as well as Mexico would annex Texas. In turn the US would pay 15 million dollars. The acquisition of the territories made it so that settlers could go further west to the coast. -
The Forty-Niners Gold Rush
In 1848 gold was discovered in the foothills of Sierra Nevada, California by James W. Marshall. By 1849 more than 80,000 Forty-Niners had moved to California in the search of gold. This then made it possible for California to apply for statehood in the US. -
Homestead Act of 1862
The Homestead act was an act that granted 160 acres of public land to settlers if they lived on the land and cultivated it for 5 years. This Act gave settlers more motivation to move to the lands in the west as they could get a large amount of land for doing work on the land. -
The Transcontinental Railroad of 1869
The Transcontinental Railroad made it possible for eastern businesses to get materials from the west far easier. The railroad also allowed settlers to move to the west faster and safer. This caused many things to change in the US as production and settling of the west was made far easier as well as more profitable.