Chapter 11 Study Guide
1. What were the main reasons why American Settlers moved to the Oregon Country? Attracted by the mild
climate, rich natural resources, and fertile soil.
2. Name 3 key difficulties settlers faced on the Oregon Trail besides the length of the journey?
1. Shortage of food, supplies, and water. 2. Crossing the Rocky Mountains.
3. The high cost of the wagon trip.
3. About how long did the Oregon Trail Journey take and where did the trail begin (name the city & state)?
A) Around 6 months. B) Independence, Missouri
4. Why did the Mexican government invite American Settlers to move into Texas?
In order to populate the area. Improve the land by building homes, farms, and ranches Texas.
Help defendthe area against Native American attacks.
5. The Battle of the Alamo was a defeat for the Texans against the Mexicans, so how did it become important in
the war for Texas Independence?
The brutal loss at the Alamo at the hands of Santa Anna became a rallying cry for the Texans at the
Battle of San Jacinto.
6. What were the 2 main reasons why President Andrew Jackson refused to “annex” Texas?
1. Didn’t want to anger the Mexican government. 2. Concerned about the political fighting that
would occur over adding a large slave holding state to the Union.
7. What is the literal translation of the words “Manifest Destiny?” Obvious - Fate
8. When Americans demanded Fifty-Four Forty or fight (54 40)? What did they mean?
Many Americans wanted the U.S. to take possession of the entire Oregon Country which extended to
that latitude line in the North.
9. If Andrew Jackson refused to annex Texas when he was president, then which president annexed Texas?
James K. Polk
10. Which country both then and today would likely claim that theirland was wrongly taken (stolen)?
Mexico
11. What was the Treaty of GuadalupeHidalgo? The official end of the Mexican-American War. And how
did it impact the size of the United States? It increased the land area of the U.S. by almost 25 percent .
12. What states today were made out of the Mexican Cession (Part or Whole)?
California, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, & Wyoming .
13. Who or what is a “Forty-Niner?”
Gold-seekers from America and other parts of the world who migrated to California
14. Name 2 ways how the Gold Rush impacted California. Rapid population increase & Increase in crime.
15. For a short time Texas was an independent nation. What was it called?
Lone Star Republic or The Republic of Texas
16. For a short time, this former Tennessean was the President of Texas? Sam Houston
17. This word means to add on land, like when we added on Texas as a state. Annex
18. Most of the famous Western Trails, (Oregon, California, Santa Fe, etc..) started in which state? Missouri
19. When was gold discovered in California? (Year) 1848
20. What treaty ended the American - Mexican War? Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
21. What term refers to the belief that the U.S. should expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, spreading
American Culture and democracy along the way? Manifest Destiny
22. Which country did we make an agreement with in order to settle the boundaries of the Oregon Country?
Britain/England
23. What was Mexico forced to give up to the United States after the Mexican War?
The Mexican Cession – representing almost half of it’s land.
24. Who was fighting in the Mexican War? (Name the sides) The U.S. & Mexico
b) Which side lost? Mexico
25. Before it became a famous battle site during the Texas Revolution, what was the Alamo? Spanish Mission
26. Who were the men who opened up the West (they were hunters and trappers)? Mountain Men
27. About how long could settlers expect their journey to take on the Oregon & California Trails? 6 Months
28. Which area was quickly made a state following the Mexican War? California
29. Starting in the 1840s, America rapidly expanded West. This led to serious and heated debates over what
issue? Slavery .
30. Which president and Tennessean would best be described as the “Manifest Destiny” president? Why?
James K. Polk – He ran on the promise of annexing Texas and acquiring the Oregon Country taking
theU.S. to the Pacific Coast. He accomplished these goals, plus the Mexican Cession, in his one and
only presidential term.