Unit 51790s – 1860s
Westward Expansion
Study the words
Vocabulary
Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise: 0 of 21 Words Mastered
21 words still to learn. You choose what counts as mastered — you can always move a word back.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Impressment
Impressment is the act of Britain forcing American sailors into their navy. During the 1800s, the British navy was the strongest in the world and would stop American ships at sea, board them, search for sailors and kidnap them. The men were forced into service in the British Navy.
Cause
Britain needed more sailors for war.
Effect
Americans became angry.
Why it matters
Helped cause the War of 1812.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
War of 1812
A war between the U.S. and Britain (1812–1815).
Cause
Britain was impressing American sailors, limiting trade, and supporting Native Americans on the frontier. The US was interested in expanding into British land in Canada.
Effect
War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Both sides agreed to go back to pre-conditions. No land or money changed hands, but U.S. confidence grew.
Why it matters
The U.S. proved it could stand up to a world power and gained confidence, a stronger national identity and national pride.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Nationalism
Pride and loyalty toward one’s country.
Why it matters
Encouraged unity and expansion.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought land from France west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.
Cause
The U.S. wanted control of New Orleans and the Mississippi River for trade routes and defense.
Effect
The country doubled in size.
Why it matters
Opened land for exploration and settlement.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Florida Cession
In 1819, the U.S. gained Florida from Spain through the Adams-Onís Treaty.
Cause
Runaway enslaved people fled to Florida, where Native American groups (like the Seminole) protected them, and Spain could not control the area. President Andrew Jackson was sent to the region and used military force to pressure Spain.
Effect
Spain gave Florida to the U.S., and the U.S. agreed to pay $5 million and set clear boundaries.
Why it matters
Showed how the U.S. used both military pressure and diplomacy to gain land.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Oregon Territory
Land in the Northwest claimed by both the U.S. and Britain until 1846.
Cause
Both nations wanted the land.
Effect
Divided at the 49th parallel (line of latitude) and led to increased migration by pioneers and settlers looking for new opportunities and farmland.
Why it matters
Prevented a third war with Britain.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Texas Annexation
In 1845, the United States added Texas, which had been an independent country after breaking away from Mexico in 1836.
Cause
American settlers in Texas wanted to join the U.S., and the U.S. wanted more land and slave states.
Effect
Mexico refused to recognize Texas as independent and tensions rose.
Why it matters
Directly led to war with Mexico.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Mexican Cession
Land in the Southwest (including California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of several other states) that Mexico gave to the United States in 1848 after losing the Mexican American War.
Details
The U.S. paid $15 million for the land in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to make the land transfer official. This helped secure legal control of the territory, avoid future conflict, and convince Mexico to agree to peace.
Cause
Mexico was defeated in the war.
Effect
The U.S. gained about 500,000 square miles of land.
Why it matters
Greatly expanded the U.S. and raised major questions about whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Gadsden Purchase
In 1853, the United States bought a strip of land from Mexico in present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico.
Details
The U.S. paid $10 million for about 30,000 square miles of land. It was named after James Gadsden, who negotiated the deal.
Cause
The U.S. wanted flat land for a southern transcontinental railroad route.
Effect
The southern border of the continental U.S. was finalized.
Why it matters
Marked the last major land acquisition in the lower 48 states and supported future transportation growth.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
54 40 or Fight
A campaign slogan used by James K. Polk, who ran for president in 1844 promising to take all of the Oregon Territory for the United States. The number 54°40′ refers to a line of latitude that marked the northern boundary of the territory claimed by the U.S.
Cause
Americans wanted control of Oregon for land, trade, and expansion.
Effect
After Polk was elected, the U.S. avoided war with Britain and instead agreed to divide the land at the 49th parallel.
Why it matters
Shows that while Americans strongly supported expansion, leaders sometimes chose compromise over war.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Mexican American War
A war between the U.S. and Mexico from 1846–1848 after the U.S. annexed Texas.
Cause
Disagreement over the Texas border (Rio Grande vs. Nueces River) and U.S. expansion.
Effect
The U.S. quickly defeated Mexico and occupied its capital.
Why it matters
Allowed the U.S. to take a large amount of land.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The 1848 treaty that ended the Mexican American War between the U.S. and Mexico.
Cause
The U.S. won the war and forced negotiations.
Effect
Mexico gave up land and the U.S. paid $15 million; Mexicans in the territory were promised rights.
Why it matters
Completed the Mexican Cession and expanded the U.S. significantly.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Indian Removal Act
A law passed in 1830 under President Andrew Jackson that forced Native American nations in the Southeast (especially the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole) to move west of the Mississippi River to land in present-day Oklahoma.
Cause
White settlers wanted fertile land for cotton farming, and gold was discovered on Cherokee land in Georgia.
Effect
Native Americans were removed from their homes and forced onto new land in the West at gunpoint.
Why it matters
Led to loss of land, rights, and culture, and directly caused events like the Trail of Tears.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Trail of Tears
The forced removal of about 15,000–16,000 Cherokee from their homes in the Southeast to present-day Oklahoma in 1838–1839. The name comes from the extreme suffering and deaths along the journey.
Cause
The Indian Removal Act and the U.S. government’s desire for land, including areas where gold was found.
Effect
About 4,000 Cherokee died from disease, hunger, and exhaustion during the journey.
Why it matters
Shows the human cost of expansion and how Native Americans were forced off their land despite resistance.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Reservation
Areas of land set aside by the government for Native Americans, often far from their original homes.
Why it matters
Native Americans lost control of their land and were forced into smaller, less valuable areas.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Oregon Trail
A 2,000+ mile route from Missouri to Oregon used by settlers moving west in the 1800s.
Why it matters
One of the main paths of westward migration.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Mormon Trail
A route used by members of the Mormon religion to move west to Utah for religious freedom.
Why it matters
Shows that people moved west for reasons beyond land and money.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Santa Fe Trail
A trade route from Missouri to New Mexico used in the early–mid 1800s to transport goods between the United States and Mexico.
Why it matters
Increased trade and cultural exchange, connected different regions, and helped open the Southwest to American influence and expansion.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
The Donner Party
A group of settlers traveling west who became trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1846–1847.
Cause
Took an untested shortcut and were caught in early winter storms.
Effect
Many died, and survivors faced extreme conditions.
Why it matters
Shows the serious dangers of westward travel.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
California Gold Rush
A large movement of people to California after gold was discovered by James Marshall in the American River at Sutter’s Mill in 1848.
Effect
Over 300,000 people, mostly men, rushed to California from the United States and around the world hoping to become rich.
Why it matters
Rapid population growth allowed California to quickly apply for statehood, and it entered the Union in 1850 as the 31st state and a free state, increasing tensions between the North and South.
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Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
Forty-Niners
People who traveled to California in 1849 during the California Gold Rush to search for gold.
Why it matters
Represent both the opportunity and risk of westward expansion.
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Mastery by standard
The same colours as your packet. Pick a standard to practice just the words you are still learning in it.
Standard 7.6a — Motives for Territorial Expansion
0 / 3 Mastered
Standard 7.6a — Motives for Territorial Expansion: 0 of 3 terms mastered.Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise
0 / 21 Mastered
Standard 7.6b — Conflict and Compromise: 0 of 21 terms mastered.Standard 7.6c — The Movement of People Westward
0 / 8 Mastered
Standard 7.6c — The Movement of People Westward: 0 of 8 terms mastered.Other Vocabulary — Not listed under a standard
0 / 13 Mastered
Other Vocabulary — not listed under a standard: 0 of 13 terms mastered.