Westward Expansion Guided Notes: During this unit, we will discuss basic concepts surrounding the
“Westward Expansion”. Complete the essential questions for each topic
using classroom discussions, class notes, your text book.
Introduction to the West
A. Famous Quotes:
1. What do you think the following quotes mean? “Europe stretches to
the Alleghenies, America lives beyond.” (Emerson)
“In America, there is more space where nobody is than where somebody is.” (Stein)
B. The “West”:
1. The “West” is generally considered to all the U.S. territory west of the ______________ River.
C. About the Frontier:
1. The “frontier” was: _________________________________________________________.
2. Americans are historically _______________ and are always moving _______________.
3. Those who moved west were known as ____________ and they lived a very _______________
existence on the frontier.
4. The “frontier” required settlers to be ____________ and _______________.
5. “Self-Sufficient” means: _______________________________________________________.
6. By 1850, most of the people on the frontier were under _____ years old.
D. Methods of Travel West:
1. Most of the _______________ went west by ____________. A typical ____________
would travel at about _____ miles per hour and were pulled by _______________.
2. Going by _______________ would take the pioneers about _____ months to
complete the trip west and would cost around $_____ for a family of four.
3. These trips were also extremely ___________ and settlers had to deal with weather,
disease, starvation, and even Native American attacks.
4. Some settlers who did not travel by land on the wagon trails went by sea on board ____________
ships which offered a much safer trip.
5. A voyage around South America aboard a _______________ ship would last about ____ months and
would cost about $_____ per person.
E. Why Go West?
1. Pioneers went west for a number of different reasons. List FOUR of them below:
a.
b.
c.
d.
F. Manifest Destiny:
1. “Manifest Destiny” is an idea many people had during the 1800’s which stated that Americans
had the _______________ to conquer the entire ________________ in order to spread __________
The Oregon Country
G. Oregon Country:
1. The “Oregon Country” was the territory between Northern ____________ and what is now
____________ including parts of Canada today.
2. Although it was originally claimed by four nations, during the 1840’s both the
_______________ and _______________ shared the territory and even built settlements.
3. Most of the settlers in the “Oregon Country” were _______________ traders and used to meet
up for _______________ were _______________ were traded with others.
H. The Oregon Trail:
1. Those who wished to move west and settle in the “Oregon Country” usually went by wagon
along the _______________ which was an unofficial roadway carved out by wagon wheels.
2. The “_______________ Trail” was over _____ miles long and extremely _______________.
3. Life on the trail was ______________ and _______________. Settlers usually left in the
_______________ in order to avoid traveling though the _______________ mountains in the
winter.
H. The Election of 1844:
Election of 1844 Ballot
Candidate’s Name: _______________
Candidate’s Name: _______________
Political Party: _______________
Political Party: _______________
Platform, Beliefs, Issues:
Platform, Beliefs, Issues:
_______________________________
_______________________________
Candidate’s Name: _______________
Candidate’s Name: _______________
Political Party: _______________
Political Party: _______________
Platform, Beliefs, Issues:
Platform, Beliefs, Issues:
_______________________________
_______________________________
Who did the American people vote for and why?: ______________________________________
I. Polk as President:
1. James K Polk was from the state of _______________ and was often nicknamed
“Young _______________” because he was in many ways similar to Andrew Jackson.
2. Polk firmly believed in the idea of _______________ and felt that the United
States was justified expanding its borders further west to the Pacific. This is why he
campaigned on the
slogan “__________________________”.
3. Eventually, Polk and the United States came to an __________________with England over
_______________. The “Oregon Country” would be _______________
between the two nations at the 49th parallel settling today’s border
with Canada. Polk agreed to this because at the time the United
States was at war with _______________ and did not want war with
England.
Texas (Lone Star Republic, Annexation, and Statehood)
J. Mexican Independence:
1. In 1823 the country of _______________ declared independence from ______________.
2. This new nation of Mexico included parts of what is now the _______________ such as
California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas.
3. In the 1830’s, Mexico invited many _______________ to move to Texas because the area
was very sparsely populated.
4. Many Americans led by _______________ moved to Texas and before long
there were over 15,000 Americans and only 5,000 Mexicans living in Texas.
5. Mexicans hoped that the settlers would follow Mexican _______________ and take on
Mexican _______________ such as Catholicism. Mexico also forbad the institution
of_______________ which most American settlers ignored.
6. Many of the settlers in Texas did not follow the Mexican laws and customs
and even began to _______________ near the town of Gonzales when the
Mexicans tried to enforce the law.
This event led to a war for _______________ independence from Mexico.
K. The Alamo:
1.The most famous battle of this war took place in _______________ in an old
Spanish _______________ known as the “Alamo”.
2. The “Alamo” was surrounded by a huge Mexican army led by ____________ and was
defended by only about 200 Texans.
3. Three of the most famous defenders of the “Alamo” were (List them below)
a.
b.
c.
4. After days of _______________ from Mexican cannons, the Mexicans attacked the Alamo and
eventually _______________ all of its defenders. The defenders might have escaped, but
instead they chose to fight for _______________.
5. The “Alamo” spurred on the revolt across Texas and eventually after several other battles such as the
“Battle of _______________”, Texas won its _______________ from Mexico and was its own nation
for several years known as the _______________ because of their flag.
6. Texas was finally _______________ by the United States after much debate by president
Tyler.
7. “Annexed” means: __________________________________________________________.
War with Mexico (The Causes)
L. Timeline of Causes that led to War with Mexico:
1. In October of 1845, a _______________ dispute existed
between the United States and Mexico. The United
States claimed that the border between the two nations
was at the _______________ River, while the Mexicans
claimed that the border was really about 100 miles north of
the Rio Grande at the ______________ River.
2. In order to ensure American claims to Texas, President
Polk sent a large American army under the command of
_______________, nicknamed ______________ by his men, to camp just north of the Nueces River.
3. In November of 1845, Mexico refused to see an American diplomat named _______________
who was sent to negotiate the border dispute. This refusal greatly insulted the United States.
4. In March of 1846, President Polk ordered Taylor’s army to move south across the Nueces
River and encamp just north of the _______________ River.
5. By April of 1846, believing that Taylor and the American army had invaded their nation the Mexicans
finally _______________ Taylor and his American army.
6. Shortly after hearing about the small battle between Taylor and Mexican forces, Polk went
before Congress to ask for a _______________ with Mexico. His famous quote from his
speech to congress was “_______________”. Congress then declared war on Mexico.
7. List at least THREE other reasons why the United States went to war with Mexico below:
1.
2.
3.
M. The “Spot Resolution”:
1. Although the majority of American supported the war with Mexico, some citizens and members
of Congress including _______________ opposed the war.
2. ________________ argued where exactly was the “spot” that “American blood had been
shed”? Was that “spot” in the United States or in _______________?
3. As a result of his opposition to the Mexican War, _______________ would not be reelected
to
Congress after his term expired.
The Mexican War (Military Campaigns & Strategy)
N. American Strategy for Fighting and Winning the War:
1. The United States had many _______________ at the start of the war, however the Mexican
army usually _______________ the Americans in the field.
2. The American strategy to win the war consisted of _____ parts that included: occupying
_______________ and northern Mexico, taking _______________ and New Mexico, and
finally marching on the Mexican capital of _______________.
O. Taylor takes Northern Mexico:
1. After the start of the war, Taylor moved his
army _______________ across the Rio
Grande and was _______________ at
several battles in Northern Mexico such as
“Palo Alto”, “Monterrey”, and “Buena Vista”.
2. Taylor’s army was the first American army to travel with combat _______________ who reported
the results of each battle to the American public. As a result of this coverage, Taylor became
extremely _______________ across the nation.
P. Taking California and New Mexico:
1.Many Americans had begun to settle in ______________ even though it was part of Mexico. When
the war began, these settlers declared _______________ from Mexico and called their new nation the
_______________.
2. With the help of an American army led by _______________ and the American Navy off the
California coast, the Mexicans were driven from California and the United
States officially _______________ the territory about one month later.
3. Another American army led by ______________________ marched into ___________________ New
Mexico and took the territory without a fight.
Q. On to Mexico City:
1. President Polk worried that General _______________ was becoming too popular and might run
against him for president after the war. As a result, Polk decided to _______________ Taylor and
replace him with a new general named _______________.
2.General Winfield Scott was nicknamed “______________” because of his
excessive grooming habits.
3. Rather than marching to Mexico City across the long Mexican desert, Scott
makes an “amphibious” landing at _______________.
4. An “amphibious” landing is: _______________________________________.
5. After a siege of “Vera Cruz”, Scott’s army marches to _______________
along the same path that Cortez had taken to the capital 300 years before during the “Conquista”.
6. At the final “Battle of ______________”, the American army defeated the Mexicans and took Mexico
City effectively ending the war.
R. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo:
1. Polk sent an ambassador named _______________ with Scott’s army to negotiate a peace
_______________ to end the war in which the United States would pay Mexico $30 million for
California and the Southwest. At the time, no one knew how easy it would be to win the war.
This treaty was called the “Treaty of _______________”.
2. Many people in the United States were upset with Trist, because the United States could have
taken _______________.
S. Results of the Mexican War:
1.The United States received huge amounts of _______________ know
as the Mexican ___________” as a result of the war.
2.“Cession” means:
________________________________________________________
3. The war also provided a dress rehearsal for the_______________, as
many of America’s best young officers such as Robert E. Lee and U.S. Grant
learned to fight in Mexico.
Realizing Manifest Destiny
T. The Gadsden Purchase:
1. In 1853, the United States paid _______________ $10 million dollars for a
piece of land which is now the southern portions of Arizona and New
Mexico.
2. The purchase was made, because many especially in the South wanted to
build a railroad to California around the ____________________ Mountains.
U. The Mormons:
1. The “Mormons” were a _______________ group led by _____________ who
were persecuted in the East.
2. After several moves and the death of their leader John Smith, the “Mormons”
decided to move west to the area around the Great Salt Lake into what is now
____________. Their new leader was named _______________.
V. The Gold Rush:
1. In 1848, __________ was discovered by _____________ in _______________
at a place known as _______________.
2. When news of this discovery reached the East, _______________ swept across
the nation.
3.In 1849, over 80,000 people moved west to California in order to find gold in
what was known as the _______________. Overnight, California became
_______________ with no civil authority, but eventually became a ________ in
1850.
4. List TWO ways to find gold below:
1.
2.
W. The Comstock Lode:
1. The “Comstock Lode” was the largest _______________ strike in American history. The strike took
place in 1859 in _______________.
X. The Pony Express:
1. The “Pony Express” was a _______________ company that linked California with the East.
2. The “Pony Express” could deliver a letter or package to California in less than _____ days
while the regular U.S. mail would take over three weeks.
3. The “Pony Express” used a system of numerous _______________, horses, and_______________ to
accomplish this dangerous ride.
4. After just over a year in business however, the “Pony Express” was put out of business by the
_______________.
Y. The Telegraph:
1. The “Telegraph” or _______________ was invented by _______________ and
was connected to California in 1861 allowing for quick messages to and from the East.
Z. The Transcontinental Railroad:
1.During the 1850’s, Congress debated the best route to construct_______________
to the Pacific from the eastern part of the country. Wherever the railroad was build would mean lots
of _______________ for the areas and cities near the tracks.
2. With the start of the Civil War in 1861, a _______________ was finally chosen for the railroad.
3. “Transcontinental” means: ____________________________________________________.
4.Two companies known as the _______________ Pacific and the
_______________ Pacific were given the difficult job of building railroad.
5. Many immigrants from _______________ were used to construct this
monumental accomplishment and the work was not only difficult but
_______________.
6. Finally the two companies met at _______________ in Utah and the
nation was connect by rail.
7. During the construction of the “Transcontinental Railroad”, there were many _______________
associated with its completion.