MAJOR ERAS AND EVENTS IN U.S. HISTORY THROUGH 1877
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Manifest Destiny
o Westward Expansion
o War With Mexico
o Annexation of Texas
o Gold Rush
SIGNIFICANCE OF DATES

1803 – Louisiana Purchase (and establishment of judicial
review from Marbury v. Madison)
How the Northwest Ordinance established principles and
procedures for orderly expansion of the United States
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Orderly procedure for establishing territories and applying for
statehood
As a territory grew in population, it gained rights to self
government
To become a state, the following requirements had to be met:
o At least 5,000 men who owned at least 50 acres
o 60,000 people
o Established self-government
political, economic, and social roots of Manifest Destiny
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Economic
o New land for farmers; new trade routes and markets(
Santa Fe Trail) ; new opportunities to start a business
Political
o Expansion of our nation’s borders/ territory; expansion of
slavery
Social
o Remove Native Americans; refuge for persecuted groups
(Mormons)
relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and
the westward growth of the nation

The U.S. government and its citizens believed that the nation’s
destiny or fate was to expand westward from sea to sea
causes and effects of the U.S.-Mexican War and their
impact on the United States
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Annexation of Texas
Viewed as a “War of Aggression” by many Americans.
o Causes
 President Polk’s desire to expand the United States
(Manifest Destiny)
 Border Dispute concerning the southern boundary of
Texas (Rio Grande was claimed by Texas and
disputed by Mexico)
o Effects & Impact
 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) ends the war,
grants the United States the Mexican territory of New
Mexico, Arizona, and California
 United States paid Mexico $10 million for the Gadsden
Purchase to help repay Mexico for the annexation of
Texas in 1845.
AREAS THAT WERE ACQUIRED TO FORM THE UNITED STATES
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Louisiana Territory
Texas
Mexican Cession (New Mexico, Arizona, California)
Gadsden Purchase
Oregon Territory
Alaska Purchase (Seward’s Folly)
PLACES AND REGIONS OF IMPORTANCE IN THE UNITED STATES
DURING THE 17th, 18th, and 19th CENTURIES

Sectionalism
o Regions – North, South, Midwest, West, Slave States, and
Free States
o States – Texas, California, Kansas, Nebraska
o Cities – Washington, D.C.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND
INFLUENCE ON POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, SETTLEMENT
PATTERNS, AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES
DURING THE 17TH, 18TH, AND 19TH CENTURIES

Manifest Destiny
o Gold in California – rush of settlers to California; pushed
many American Indians off their lands; population of
California quickly rises to the amount required for
statehood
o California’s proximity to Pacific Ocean led to an increase of
immigration from Asian nations.
o Rocky Mountains’ location between eastern and western
parts of the United States; resulted in need for Gadsden
Purchase to put in railroad for train transport of goods
from East to West
CONTRIBUTIONS OF PEOPLE OF VARIOUS RACIAL, ETHNIC, AND
RELIGIOUS GROUPS TO OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY
Immigrants from Europe (ethnic)
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Growth of new and older cities
New customs and traditions (e.g., German – Christmas tree,
gymnasium, Kindergarten)
Manifest Destiny (Era: Westward Expansion)
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Art – "American Progress," by John Gast, 1872