Terms Chapter 14
1. “Remember the Alamo”: During February and March of 1826, 187 Texans held the mission
fortress known as the Alamo against over 5,000 Mexican troops under the lead of General
Santa Anna, president of Mexico. The Texans had caused a lot of trouble for Mexico and
Santa Anna because they had fulfilled the qualifications to become a state and wanted to
become part of the Union. This caused high tensions to arise between the two countries and
war to break out. Remember the Alamo was a saying said as the Texans fought their final
battle as the fort fell in March. At this battle, all the defenders were killed including the
famous Commander William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett.
2. Juan Seguin: Juan Seguin was an extremely important person in the Mexican war because he
won the final battle for Texas that earned its independence. San Antonio, full of many
rebellious Tejanos and American settlers, was a main target of President Santa Anna’s army.
Juan Seguin was a wealthy rancher and a leader of the San Antonio community and recruited
many Tejano volunteers to join the American force inside the walls of the Alamo. During the
siege, Seguin was sent to get reinforcements, but upon his return, he found only the
smoldering remains of the fort. A month later however, Seguin let a decisive battle against
the Mexicans at San Jacinto that won independence for Texas. After Texas had gained its
independence, Seguin was appointed mayor of San Antonio.
3. Tejano: These were the Spanish-born people of Texas who had joined with American settlers
in supporting Texan independence and becoming part of the Union. The Tejano community
had descended from Spanish and Mexican settlers in the 1700s and included wealthy
rancheros that raised cattle on the short grass prairies of south Texas. These were known as
the Peones or the Vaqueros, which were the old cowboys of the West.
4. Pattern of occupation of Americans in new lands: This referred to the Americans moving
into new pockets of land and eventually meeting the requirements of statehood. The pattern
consisted of many frontiersmen that would settle new land and begin farming and cultivating
the land. Soon populations and communities would form around these areas and form towns.
From here, states flourished joined either the anti-slavery North or the planter elite south.
5. The “Metis”: The Metis was a term used to describe the interracial mixing of Native
Americans with European fur traders in the Canadian Territory. It all started with France’s
and Britain’s trading companies developed here, as a result, mixing occurred.
6. Rendezvous system: The British Fur Trade remained strong all throughout the Revolution
and past the War of 1812. It was not until the 1820s did America challenge Britain’s authority
over furs in the north. In 1824, William Henry Ashley of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
developed the Rendezvous System which was a yearly trade fair held deep in the Rocky
Mountains where fur traders gathered to exchange their catch of furs. This fair resembled a
similar Indian fair, however at this fair, fur traders from every racial strike gathered to drink,
eat, trade, and gamble.
7. Mountain men: Mountain Men were men employed by fur trade companies to go out into
the wild and retrieve valuable furs. They were friendly folk who were keen on seeking good
relations with the local Indians so as to get as much information as possible about the most
valuable furs in the land. The Mountain Men also served as a very valuable, yet indirect,
political tool, helping forge good relations with Indian tribes by marrying their women and
bringing American culture to their societies.
8. Zebulon Pike: The U.S. government played a rather large role in the exlporation and
development of the west because the level of competition Lewis and Clark set. This level set
the standards for many government financed expeditions. Zebulon Pike was an example of
one of these quasi-military expedition leaders who led a party to the Rocky Mountains in
Colorodo.
9. John C. Fremont: John C. Fremont was another example of these military explorers who
mapped the overlandtrails to Oregon and California in 1843 and 1844.
10. Karl Bodmer: Geological surveys produced by the government following the reports on
these military expeditions produced a public hunger for the pictures of breath-taking scenery
of the Far West. Karl Bodmer was a german artist who accompanied a private expedition by
the scientifically inclined German prince Maximilian in 1833 and 1834. In his pictures, he
produced stunning works of art depicting portraits of the Native Americans they met on their
journey.
11. Santa Fe Trail: The Santa Fe Trail was a trail established in 1821 and in the 1840s, the
northern part was crossed the Overland Trails to California, Utah, and Oregon. The Santa Fe
Trail was a 900-mile strech that was opened by American merchants for trading purposes
following Mexico’s liberalization from the former restrictive trading policies of Spain.
12. “The Indian Problem”: This was a term used by early Americans to describe the original
Native American inhabitants of the East coast land. The problem that was persistent
throughout expansion was they would keep driving them west despite many government
treaties that promised them land. The government negotiators who arranged these contracts
failed to recognize the speed at which American frontiersmen were settling the West. The
biggest problem posed to pioneers was there was only so much space the Americans could
push the Indians back upon until they had no other place to go. This problem was ignored
however until the Civil War, when America would have many battles and wars with the
Indians that ultimately resulted in them living in small patches of land, scattered throughout
the West.
13. John O’Sullivan and Manifest Destiny: This was a doctrine written by John O’Sullivan in
1845 in which he expressed that it was God’s will that the American people continue their
expansion westward, despite set borders with other countries. O’Sullivan argued that it was
the God-given right of the people in these other countries in the coveted territory to
experience the freedom of American democracy, and by force if necessary.
14. Senator Thomas Hart Benton: Following the Panic of 1837, many politicians began to
believe that the financial success of the United States laid in trade with foreign countries,
particularly with Asia. Thomas Hart Benton was a Missouri senator who greatly advocated
trade with India by way of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers.
15. Wagon Trains: As people began crossing westward to Utah, California, and Oregon; they
usually brought a wagon containing belongings and food and pulled by a certain number of
mules. However, because the elements were harsh and more than a few people were needed
to accomplish certain obstacles like fording rivers, groups of pioneers would form wagon
trains to help spread the burden of the long trip. Another reason for these trains was
protection from Indian attack which was indeed very rare, yet people still feared it
nonetheless.
16. Donner Party: This was an example of one of the traveling pioneer parties that was
attempting to cross westward by means of going up through Nevada. The party was
apparently in the Sierra Nevadas when a massive snow storm hit the area in 1846 and 1847.
At this point they were completely trapped and resorted to cannibalism. This was an example
of the types of hazards many travelers had to face as they crossed westward.
17. Oregon fever: This was the sudden obsession of the Oregon land by the American, British,
and foreign settlers who saw patriotism and free land there
18. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman: The Whitman’s are examples of the frontiers of inclusion
the soon-to-be state of Oregon had. Most permanent European settlers in Oregon were retired
fur trappers and their Indian wives and families. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman were
Congregationalists and were a part of the religious influx from the East. They were
missionaries who were set to spread their religion all over the new land. However, with the
arrival of more and more American settlers, Oregon slowly grew from a frontier of inclusion
to a frontier of exclusion because the Americans began to demand that Oregon become a
state.
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Following this, the two missionaries were killed in 1847 by a raiding party of Indians
following several years of peace between the two cultures. This triggered a series of wars
against the remaining natives in Oregon.
“Fifty four forty or fight”: As the influx of Americans into the Oregon territory grew, they
began to realize their remoteness from the rest of the settlements in America. As a result, they
wanted to become independent, thus they drew up their own constitution, taken heavily from
the State of Iowa because one settler had brought a copy with him. This caused a problem
with Britain as they found America bound by their contract to make the Oregon territory a
mutual area that both countries had equal right to. However, in 1845, President James K. Polk
(who hate the stupid Brits) started this slogan with the intention behind it that the United
States would go to war with Great Britain for the land if they weren’t granted the land south
of 54o 40’, which was the border between Russian Alaska and British Canada.
Oregon Trail: This was a trail that led from the central United States, over the Rockies and
the Oregon. It was the only travel route used by settlers planning to move West and was a
route settlers in Oregon used to send out parties of helpers to assist these oncoming settlers
brave the trip over the Rockies and into Oregon.
Old Bent’s Fort: As a result of the increase in traffic along the Santa Fe Trail to reach New
Mexico and eventually California, many trading posts and supply shops popped up along the
way there. The most famous of these suppliers was known as Old Bent’s Fort, which was on
the Arkansas River in what is not South East Colorado and sold beaver skins and buffalo
robes to prepare people for their trip over the Rockies. The fort was a model for interracial
mixing. Like all trade frontiers, it demonstrated a lot of tolerance for foreign traders and
merchants.
Mestizo vaqueros: As colonization came to the South West, many Hispanics began to divide
into their many social classes like it was in Spain. The Mestizos and Vaqueros were the most
colorful figures of the social class and were renowned for their horsemanship. These were
some of the first cowboys to come to the west, they were also known as buckaroos to many
out west.
Stephen F. Austin: Stephen F. Austin was the son of Moses Austin, who was assigned by
the Mexican government 18,000 square miles of land within the territory of Texas to increase
the Mexican-American buffer zone. Stephen Austin because the first American land agent
(empresario) who inherited the land after his father died. Austin was one of many Hispanic
land owners who were assigned parts of land from Texas, fully legally, by Mexico. The catch
was that these empresarios agreed that all of their colonist living in their land would have to
become Mexican citizens and would have to adopt the Catholic religion.
James Bowie: In Texas, most Americans would go off and form their own communities of
other Americans, creating frontiers of exclusion with the Spanish. With their faster rising
population, they were becoming the dominant race. However, there were exceptions. For
example American exclusiveness met an exception in San Antonia where a handful of
wealthy Americans married into the Tejano elite with ease. James Bowie was a legendary
fighter from Louisiana who invented the Bowie knife. Bowie married the daughter of the vice
governor of Texas and came to be a big supporter of the Anglo-Texan independence and then
going on the fight and die in the Alamo.
General Sam Houston: General Sam Houston was a general in command of a large army
during the Mexican revolution of 1836. Following the disastrous defeat at the Alamo, General
Santa Anna planned to crush the remaining army of the American and Tejano volunteer
soldiers. Santa Anna, having caught up to Houston and thinking he had him trapped, allowed
his men to rest one April afternoon without any guards. Houston’s men wanted to rush the
troops, but he advised against. Despite his warnings, Houston’s men charged Santa Anna’s
army resting and won a massive victory, completely surprising them and forcing Santa Anna
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to sign a treaty that changed the southern boundary of the newly independent Republic of
Texas at the Rio Grande River.
Texas Annexation: Because Texas remained such a disputed territory between the United
States and Mexico and was an independent state, most Texans wanted to annex Texas to the
United States, thus making it a 27th state, but upsetting the balance between slave states and
free states in congress. An Martin Van Buren came into office in 1837, he was very cautious
to raise the touchy issue, but Texans were pushing the issue and making the idea of an
independent and expansionist republic becoming part of the United states. As the issue
dragged on into 1844 with the death of William Henry Harrison and the rise of John Tyler;
Tyler saw annexation as a leverage point to get him reelected in 1844. This plan soon
backfired and he was shunned aside, his career ruined.
James K. Polk: As the issue of Texas annexation began to escalate towards the beginning of
the election of 1844, John C. Calhoun began to hint at Texas becoming a slave slate. This
created great antislavery protest against the issue and compelled the Whigs to shun John
Tyler’s treaty and himself for a better candidate: Henry Clay. Henry Clay’s strategy to make
a noncommittal stance on Texas, favoring annexation, but only if Mexico approved. To
counter what was considered a weak political attempt, the Democrats jumped on the issue by
getting rid of Marin Van Buren and putting James K. Polk as their candidate with their
strategy to go balls to the floor in support of Texas annexation. Polk eventually won the
election against Clay by only a small margin.
Dark Horse candidate: This was the candidate term used for an unexpected nomination by a
party that became a big candidate and eventually wins an election.
James G. Birney & Liberty Party: This was the third party in the election between Henry
Clay and James K. Polk. The Liberty Party nominated James G. Birney as their candidate,
polling only 62,000 votes, but it gave a political sign of the growing strength of antislavery
opinion in the North.
Mexican-American War: Following the formation of Oregon as a state in 1846 and the
addition of Texas as another state in 1845, Mexico cut all diplomatic relations with the
United States and recognized a border dispute with America about Texas’ position of land on
the Rio Grande. This created a border dispute which eventually broke out as a full scale war
between Mexico and America, with America ultimately ending up on top and claiming the
whole state of Texas and one of its own.
General Zachary Taylor: Because of the border disputes between Mexico and the United
States, James Polk sent General Zackary Taylor with 3,500 men to Texas to defend against a
possible Mexican invasion of the land.
John Slidell: In November of 1845, Polk sent John Slidell to Mexico as a secret Envoy to
offer $30 million for the border to be moved officially to the Rio Grande. Mexico full
heartedly refused this offer. As a result, an angry Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor and
his 3,500 men to advance south of the Rio Grande, into the territory the Mexicans claimed as
their soil.
Henry David Thoreau: Opposers of the war claimed that Polk deliberately manipulated
congress, falsely claiming Mexico invaded United States territory to get into an unnecessary
war with Mexico. Many northern states hated the war, Massachusetts declared the war
unconstitutional. Henry David Thoreau refused to pay taxes that supported the war and ended
up in jail as a result. His martyrdom was short lived however with the rescue from his Aunt
who quickly paid his fines, got him out of jail and allowing him to return to Walden Pond.
Civil Disobedience: At his cabin in Massachusetts, Thoreau wrote the classic essay “Civil
Disobedience” which justified the individual’s moral duty to oppose an immoral government.
It was essentially mock of the Declaration of Independence; it was his means of making
people remember their roots. Many further writers like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
based their speeches off of this document to make points.
35. Mr. Polk’s War: This was the term used by Whigs to describe the Mexican American War
because they decided they would have nothing to do with it because it was essentially
committing party suicide by supporting it. Though the Whigs called it this, there was a lot
more opposition towards the war because it sucked up a large amount of cash and was
responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people.
36. General Winfield Scott: General Winfield Scott was a famous general during the TexanAmerican war whose subordinate happened to be the famous Robert E. Lee who would play a
massive role in the coming civil war. During the Mexican-American War, Scott won many
victories but was renowned for his famous amphibious attack on the coastal city of Veracruz,
which he captured with ease and dealt a heavy blow to the Mexicans.
37. Nicholas Trist: Nicholas Trist was the special envoy sent by James Polk to deliver the terms
of the United States’ victory over Mexico. The treaty formed was known as the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo which compelled Mexico to cede its lands of modern day Arizona, Utah,
California, Nevada, and parts of Colorado to the United States. However, upon returning to
Washington D.C., Polk was livid with Trist because he had avoided a recall upon hearing of
Scott’s tremendous victory. Polk instead wanted the whole nation of Mexico to cede itself to
the United States now that they had more leverage. Though the idea of such vast
expansionism seemed like a good idea, many opposed it, claiming that Mexico would
“poison” the United States with its ways because it was simply not a good compliment to the
new nation. Following some consultation and reasoning, Polk reluctantly accepted the terms
of the treaty
38. Gadsden Purchase:
39. Gold Rush of 1849: The California Gold Rush was first started by James Marshall when he
noticed small flakes of gold in the millrace at Sutter’s Mill. The Gold Rush was incredibly
important to history because it was a major migration of American citizens to California in
order to strike gold and become rich. The immigrants who came to California in search of a
fortune were not all Americans. Only eighty percent of the total number of immigrants was
actually American, the other 20 came from all around the world, including China, which
played a large role in search of Gold as well.
40. Bear Flag Revolt: Johann Augustus Sutter was the focal point at which most American
settlers came to California in search of a new life during the 1840s. As these Americans came
to California, they began to realize they were merely interlopers on Mexican territory. Sutter,
being a Mexican citizen and holding a massive land grand in the Sacramento Valley was an
attractive place for these settlers to go in order to seek safe refuge. As they came to
California, they were strictly exclusive, making sure to not intermarry with the Mexicans.
This led to an eventual taking over of the territory in June of 1846 in the Bear Flag Revolt.
California was taken over by the United States, but not officially until the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo.
41. Levi Stauss: Strauss was the first man in California to realize that making a fortune did not
lie in striking gold, but in making textiles, clothing, food, and other commodities for the gold
diggers. Strauss was the first man to bring back the idea of Denim, and eventually came to
invent jeans, which were a strongly threaded pants for the diggers to wears so they would not
tear easily.
42. Wilmot Proviso: This was a proposition put forth by David Wilmot, who was a congressman
of Pennsylvania. He felt that slavery was not to be a choice for any further states that would
join the Union. This proviso triggered strict opposition from the Whigs and the Democrats
who saw the amendment as unfair to the Southern states.
43. Free Soil Party: This was a new party that extended from the sole purpose of the Liberty
Party to solely abolish slavery off of moral principles. The reason for the formation of this
party was to try and appeal more to the southerners because they believed the whole South
would break away from the Union if an amendment was put forth totally abolishing slavery in
any future states. In the free soil argument, it focuses on how the continuation of slavery
would prevent northern expansion in many ways. This was an issue almost all Americans
opposed and helped soothe some tensions between the two halves.
44. Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: This was the treaty that concluded the end of the MexicanAmerican War in 1848. The terms were for Mexico to cede all of their northern land and
eventually California.
45. Popular Sovereignty: Lewis Cass was the Democratic nominee from Michigan who was
solely bent on becoming president. He wanted to make an appeal to all the people by
proposing Popular Sovereignty in which he proposed it would not be his decision as the
president to declare a state slave or not, but the peoples’ decision.