AP®︎ US History: Topic 5.2 Flashcards

Mid-19th-century belief that Providence and American superiority destined the United States to expand westward to the Pacific

Democratic journalist who coined “Manifest Destiny” in 1845 while advocating the annexation of Texas

Belief that the United States possesses uniquely superior institutions and a special national mission

Expansionist Democratic president elected in 1844 who pursued American claims to Texas and Oregon and oversaw major territorial acquisition

Mass migration after California’s 1848 gold discovery that accelerated settlement, commerce, statehood, environmental damage, and Native dispossession

The international wave of gold seekers who migrated to California in 1849

Westward movement of persecuted Latter-day Saints who established a religious refuge in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847

Leader who guided Mormon migrants west and established their settlements in the Great Salt Lake Valley

Major overland route carrying migrants from the Missouri River region to farms and settlements in the Pacific Northwest

Overland trade and migration route connecting Missouri with Santa Fe and the Southwest

The 1845 addition of the former Republic of Texas, which heightened slavery concerns and the boundary dispute with Mexico

President who secured Texas annexation through a joint resolution of Congress shortly before leaving office in 1845

Resource-rich Pacific Northwest region jointly occupied and claimed by Britain and the United States until 1846

Expansionist slogan demanding all Oregon territory south of latitude 54°40′ rather than compromise with Britain

The 1846 agreement that peacefully divided Oregon at the 49th parallel while Britain retained Vancouver Island

The vast California and Southwestern territory acquired from Mexico in 1848, reopening conflict over slavery’s western expansion

The 1853 purchase from Mexico of land in southern Arizona and New Mexico suited to a southern railroad route

Federal policy that confined Native nations to restricted areas while opening their former lands and resources to non-Native settlement

Belief that ordinary people should advance through their own work and gain independent farms or businesses rather than depend on slavery

The 1862 law offering 160 acres of public land to eligible claimants who lived on and improved it for five years

The 1862 and 1864 laws funding a transcontinental railroad through federal loans and large land grants

Union Pacific and Central Pacific line completed in 1869 that cut cross-country travel to about a week and integrated western markets

The 1862 law granting federal land to states to finance colleges teaching agriculture and mechanical arts

The 1844 treaty granting the United States trading privileges in China similar to those previously obtained by Britain

American naval officer whose show of force in 1853–1854 pressured Japan to open ports to American ships

The 1854 agreement opening Shimoda and Hakodate to American ships and permitting an American consul in Japan

The 1867 American purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, extending expansion and strategic interest in the Pacific

Secretary of state who negotiated the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia

John Gast’s 1872 painting portraying westward expansion as civilization and technological progress while Native peoples and bison retreat

Union Pacific built west with much Irish immigrant labor; Central Pacific built east from California with much Chinese immigrant labor

Large-scale mining method that washed away hillsides, severely disrupting western landscapes and waterways