Manifest Destiny - AP U.S. History

To expand U.S. territory westward to the Pacific Ocean. Aimed to fulfill the continental destiny from coast to coast.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Signed February 2, 1848, ceding vast Mexican territories.

California and New Mexico territories. Included present-day Southwest and California for $15 million.

1853 purchase of land from Mexico for southern railroad route. Completed continental expansion for transcontinental railroad development.

1. Settled through compromise at the 49th parallel boundary.

Through the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. Spain ceded Florida after border conflicts and negotiations.

The Mexican-American War. Fought 1846-1848 to acquire Mexican territory for expansion.

Accelerated westward expansion and settlement. Drew thousands westward, supporting territorial expansion goals.

Native Americans and Mexican citizens. Lost lands, rights, and cultural identity to expansion.

The Oregon Treaty. Set Oregon border at 49th parallel with Britain.

A proposal to ban slavery in territory acquired from Mexico. Introduced by David Wilmot to limit slavery's expansion.

The Mormons. Fled religious persecution to establish Utah settlements.

A trade route connecting Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Facilitated trade and cultural exchange with Southwest territories.

Provided land to settlers, encouraging westward migration. Offered free land to accelerate western settlement.

U.S. claim to Oregon Territory latitudes. Referenced disputed northern Oregon Territory boundary coordinates.

Belief in American cultural and racial superiority. Justified expansion as spreading superior American values.

Intensified sectional conflict over slavery. New territories reignited slavery expansion debates.

The Cherokee tribe. Forced westward on the 1838 Trail of Tears march.

Covered wagons and the Oregon Trail. Essential for crossing plains and mountains to reach destinations.

Texas. Annexed in 1845 after nine years of independence.

General Zachary Taylor. His advance into disputed Texas territory provoked conflict.

The goal of U.S. expansion from Atlantic to Pacific. Symbolized the continental span of American territorial ambitions.

The Gadsden Treaty. Completed the continental United States through purchase.

The belief in the inevitable expansion of the U.S. across North America. Rooted in religious, cultural, and economic motives for westward expansion.

Journalist John L. O'Sullivan in 1845. He used the phrase in a magazine article about Texas annexation.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Signed February 2, 1848, ceding vast Mexican territories.

Through the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819. Spain ceded Florida after border conflicts and negotiations.

Technological and territorial advancement. Represented American destiny to civilize the continent.

Belief in American cultural and racial superiority. Justified expansion as spreading superior American values.