Download US History

US History
Chapter 7
1. In 1828, with John Quincy Adams as President, the Tariff Act was passed
2. Because of the Tariff Act, Andrew Jackson defeated Adams for the
Presidency in 1828.
3. Jackson wanted to help the common person. He was the first President
from the Western part of the Country. He was a war hero from the War of
1812.
4. Jackson wanted to give many ordinary citizens jobs in government. He
believe that whoever won the election should be able to give
governmental jobs to people who helped him win the election. This is
called the Spoil System.
5. The “Kitchen Cabinet” was a group of fiends of Jackson who entered the
White House through the backdoor. They discussed many matters with
the President.
6. In 1830 Jackson and Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This
took all land east of the Mississippi River away from Native Americans
and gave this to settlers.
7. The Supreme Court ruled that the Native Americans had rights to their
land and should be removed. President Jackson ignored the Court.
8. In 1838, 15,000 Cherokees were forced to walk to Oklahoma from their
settlements in the Southeast. About 4,000 died along the way. This
became know as the Trail of Tears.
Section 2
1. In 1811 the National Road was started. By the 1830’s it stretched from
Maryland to the Mississippi River. Families in covered wagons would
travel along this road.
2. In 1817 work began on the Eire Canal. It was completed in 1825. It
joined the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. This was now the best
way to move products from the Eastern US to the Midwest.
3. In April of 1830 Peter Cooper tested an invention that called for a steam
powered engine that moved on steel rails. This was the first train.
4. By 1850 the major cities of the Midwest were joined by rail to the
Eastern cities.
5. In the late 1830’s people wanted to travel from the East to the far West.
Many wanted to go to the Oregon Country of the Northwest since it had
green farmlands and thick forests.
6. A trail that stretched 2,000 miles called the “Oregon Trail” was formed.
a. it took 6 months to travel
b. it was very dangerous
c. it had deserts, rough rivers, and usually harsh weather.
7. The “Santa Fe Trail” took people to the Southwest part of the United
States.
8. The belief that America should stretch from the Atlantic Ocean (east) to
the Pacific Ocean (west) is called Manifest Destiny. This was popular in
the 1840’s.
9. In the 1820’s Moses Austin traveled to the Mexican settlement of San
Antonio. He wanted to start an American colony there.
10.Soon many Americans came and eventually the settlers wanted to be
independent of Mexico. An army was formed under the leadership of
Sam Houston.
11. In 1836, Mexican General Santa Anna wanted to show the American
Army how powerful his Army was. He led more than 4,000 Mexicans
against 200 Texans who were in a fort. The fort was called The Alamo.
12.The Texans fought very hard and held out for 13 days. On March 16,
1836 the Mexicans killed all the Texans at the Alamo.
13.The battle cry “Remember the Alamo!” was key to the Texans eventually
defeating the Mexicans. Texas declared itself an independent nation in
1836. In 1845 it joined the Union.
14.In 1846 America and Mexico fought each other over the boundary
between the two nations.
15. In 1847 US troops marched into Mexico City, the capital of Mexico and
in 1848 Mexico surrendered.
16.The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the War.
a. Mexico must give up all claims to Texas and all land west of Texas
(including California).
b. The Rio Grande will become the nations boundary
c. The US must pay $15 million for the new land.
17.Within 10 years the US had stretched it’s borders from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
Section 3
1. In 1848 California had fewer than 20,000 people living in it.
2. James Marshall, leader of a work crew near Sacremento, CA found 2
gold nuggets in the American River.
3. The discovery did not remain a secret for long. Soon people form all over
the world traveled to California looking for gold.
4. In 1849 70,000 people traveled to California. They were known as fortyniners.
5. Some struck it rich. Many thought that the work was hard, dirty and
dangerous. Some worked on farmers or ranches.
6. California soon had enough people to ask to become a state. It did in
September 1850.