Manifest Destiny and Its Legacy, 1841-1848
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| 522761742 | caucus (" . . . the stiff-necked Virginian was formally expelled from his party by a caucus of Whig congressmen. . . .") | An unofficial organization or consultation of like-minded people to plan a political course or advance their cause, often within some larger body. | 0 | |
| 522761743 | royalty (". . . they were being denied rich royalties by the absence of an American copyright law.") | The payments to an inventor, author, composer, and so on, usually as a percentage of the sales or profits from their work. | 1 | |
| 522761744 | default (". . . several states defaulted on their bonds. . . .") | To fail to pay a loan or interest due. | 2 | |
| 522761745 | repudiate ("When . . . several states . . . repudiated [their bonds] openly, honest English citizens assailed Yankee trickery.") | To refuse to accept responsibility for paying a bill or debt. | 3 | |
| 522761746 | protectorate (". . . Texas was driven to open negotiations . . . in the hope of securing the defensive shield of a protectorate.") | The relation of a strong nation to a weaker political entity, which comes under its control and protection but still retains elements of autonomy. | 4 | |
| 522761747 | colony | A territory under direct ownership or control of the imperial power. | 5 | |
| 522761748 | colossus ("Such a republic would check the southward surge of the American colossus. . . .") | In politics, an entity of extraordinary size and power. | 6 | |
| 522761749 | resolution ("He therefore arranged for annexation by a joint resolution.") | In government, a formal statement of policy or judgment by a legislature, but requiring no legal statute. | 7 | |
| 522761750 | intrigue (". . . the Lone Star Republic had become a danger spot, inviting foreign intrigue that menaced the American people.") | A plot or scheme formed by secret, underhanded means. | 8 | |
| 522761751 | parallel (" . . . the United States had sought to divide the vast domain at the forty-ninth parallel.") | In geography, the imaginary east-west lines, parallel to the earth's equator, marking latitude. | 9 | |
| 522761752 | meridians | The imaginary north-south lines, marking longitude on the globe. | 10 | |
| 522761753 | deadlock ("The Democrats, meeting later in the same city, seemed hopelessly deadlocked.") | To completely block or stop action as a consequence of the mutual pressure of equal and opposed forces. | 11 | |
| 522761754 | dark horse ("Polk may have been a dark horse, but he was hardly an unknown or decrepit nag.") | In politics, a candidate with little apparent support who unexpectedly wins a nomination or election. | 12 | |
| 522761755 | mandate ("Land-hungry Democrats . . . proclaimed that they had received a mandate from the voters to take Texas.") | In politics, the belief that an official has been issued a clear charge by the electorate to pursue some particular policy goal. | 13 | |
| 522761756 | platform ("Polk . . . had no intention of insisting on the . . . pledge of his own platform.") | The campaign document stating a party's or candidate's position on the issues, and upon which they "stand" for election. | 14 | |
| 522761757 | no-man's-land (". . . Polk was careful to keep American troops out of virtually all of the explosive no-man's-land between the Nueces and the Rio Grande. . . .") | A territory to which neither of two disputing parties has clear claim and where they may meet as combatants. | 15 | |
| 522761758 | indemnity ("Victors rarely pay an indemnity. . . .") | A repayment for loss or damage inflicted. | 16 | |
| 536327811 | False (Tyler turned away from the Whig policies of Clay and Webster.) | (True/False) After President Harrison's death, Vice President John Tyler carried on the strong Whig policies of party leaders like Clay and Webster. | 17 | |
| 536327813 | False (Anglo-American hostility remained strong.) | (True/False) By the 1840s, the bitter memories of two Anglo-American wars had disappeared, putting an end to major British-American conflicts. | 18 | |
| 536327814 | True | (True/False) The "Aroostook War" over the Maine boundary was settled by a territorial compromise in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. | 19 | |
| 536327815 | True | (True/False) A primary motive driving Americans to annex Texas was fear that the Lone Star Republic would become an ally or protectorate of Britain. | 20 | |
| 536327816 | True | (True/False) Texas was annexed by a simple majority resolution of both houses of Congress because the two-thirds vote necessary for a treaty of annexation could not be obtained in the Senate. | 21 | |
| 536327817 | True | (True/False) The British claim to the disputed Oregon country was considerably strengthened by the thousands of British settlers in the region supported by the Hudson's Bay Company. | 22 | |
| 536327818 | True | (True/False) In the election of 1844, Clay lost to Polk partly because he tried to straddle the Texas annexation issue and thus lost antislavery support. | 23 | |
| 536327819 | True | (True/False) Polk's victory in the election of 1844 was interpreted as a mandate for Manifest Destiny and led directly to the annexation of Texas and a favorable settlement of the Oregon dispute. | 24 | |
| 536327820 | False (He achieved it with remarkable success completely in less than four years.) | (True/False) President Polk proved unable to implement his four-point program for his presidency because of strong opposition from anti-imperialist Whigs. | 25 | |
| 536327821 | False (It was a dispute over the southern boundary of Texas.) | (True/False) The immediate cause of the Mexican War was an attempt by Mexico to reconquer Texas. | 26 | |
| 536327822 | True | (True/False) Polk's primary objective in fighting the Mexican War was to obtain California for the United States. | 27 | |
| 536327823 | True | (True/False) The overwhelming American military victory over Mexico led some expansionist Americans to call for the United States to take over all of Mexico. | 28 | |
| 536327824 | False (It gave the United States large territorial gains.) | (True/False) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo added Texas to the territory of the United States. | 29 | |
| 536327825 | True | (True/False) The outcome of the Mexican War became a source of continuing bad feeling between the United States and much of Latin America. | 30 | |
| 536327826 | False (It forced the slavery controversy to the center of national politics.) | (True/False) The Wilmot Proviso prohibiting slavery in territory acquired from Mexico enabled the slavery issue to be temporarily removed from national politics. | 31 | |
| 536327827 | True | (True/False) In the dispute with Britain over Oregon, the United States repeatedly demanded control of the whole territory as far as "fifty-four forty." | 32 | |
| 536327828 | True | (True/False) The Polk administration was frustrated by its inability to purchase California from Mexico. | 33 | |
| 537215120 | b | (Multiple Choice) The conflict between President Tyler and Whig leaders like Henry Clay took place over issues of a. slavery and expansion. b. banking and tariff policy. c. foreign policy. d. agriculture and transportation policy. e. Whig party leadership and patronage. | 34 | |
| 537215121 | a | (Multiple Choice) Among the major sources of the tension between Britain and the United States in the 1840s was a. American involvement in Canadian rebellions and border disputes. b. British support for American abolitionists. c. American anger at British default on canal and railroad loans. d. American intervention in the British West Indies. e. American involvement in the prohibited international slave trade. | 35 | |
| 537215122 | e | (Multiple Choice) The Aroostook War involved a a. battle between American and French fishermen over Newfoundland fishing rights. b. conflict over fugitive slaves escaping across the Canadian border. c. battle between British and American sailors over impressment. d. battle between Americans and Mexicans over the western boundary of Louisiana. e. battle between American and Canadian lumberjacks over the northern Maine boundary. | 36 | |
| 537215123 | d | (Multiple Choice) During the early 1840s, Texas maintained its independence by a. waging constant small-scale wars with Mexico. b. refusing to sign treaties with any outside powers. c. relying on the military power of the United States. d. establishing friendly relations with Britain and other European powers. e. declaring absolute neutrality in the conflicts between the United States, Britain, and Mexico. | 37 | |
| 537215124 | a | (Multiple Choice) Which of the following was NOT among the reasons why Britain strongly supported an independent Texas? a. Britain was interested in eventually incorporating Texas into the British Empire. b. British abolitionists hoped to make Texas an antislavery bastion. c. British manufacturers looked to Texas as a way to reduce their dependence on American cotton. d. A puppet Texas nation could be used to check the power of the United States. e. An independent Texas would provide a shield for European powers to re-enter the Americas and overturn the Monroe Doctrine. | 38 | |
| 537215125 | e | (Multiple Choice) Texas was finally admitted to the Union in 1844 as a result of a. the Mexican War. b. the Texans' willingness to abandon slavery. c. an agreement that Texas would eventually be divided into five smaller states. d. a compromise agreement with Britain. e. President Tyler's interpretation of the election of 1844 as a "mandate" to acquire Texas. | 39 | |
| 537215126 | e | (Multiple Choice) Manifest Destiny represented the widespread nineteenth-century American belief that a. Americans were destined to uphold democracy and freedom. b. the irrepressible conflict over slavery was destined to result in a Civil War. c. Mexico was destined to be acquired by the United States. d. the American Indians were doomed to disappear as white settlement advanced. e. God had destined the United States to expand across the whole North American continent. | 40 | |
| 537215127 | a | (Multiple Choice) Britain eventually lost out in the contest for the disputed Oregon territory because a) the rapidly growing number of American settlers overwhelmed the small British population. b) the British recognized the greater validity of American legal claims on the territory. c) superior American naval forces made the British position in the region untenable. d) an international arbitration commission ruled in favor of the American claims | 41 | |
| 537215128 | a | (Multiple Choice) The British finally agreed to concede to the United States the disputed Oregon territory between the Columbia River and the forty-ninth parallel because a. they did not really want to fight a war over territory that American settlers might overrun. b. they recognized that the Lewis and Clark expedition has established America's prior claim to the territory. c. they determined that their own harbors at Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, were superior to those on Puget Sound. d. the Americans had concentrated superior military and naval forces in the region. e. the Hudson's Bay Company no longer considered the area economically valuable. | 42 | |
| 537215129 | a | (Multiple Choice) Henry Clay lost the election of 1844 to James Polk primarily because a. his attempt to straddle the Texas annexation issue lost him votes to the antislavery Liberty party in New York. b. his strong stand for expansion in Texas and Oregon raised fears of war with Britain. c. he supported lower tariffs and an independent Treasury system. d. he lacked experience in presidential politics. e. Polk persuaded voters that Clay would not aggressively seek to acquire California for the United States. | 43 | |
| 537215130 | c | (Multiple Choice) The final result of the British-American conflict over the Oregon country in 1844-1846 was a) an American success in winning the goal of a boundary at "fifty-four forty." b) an agreement to continue the joint occupation of Oregon for twenty years more. c) a compromise agreement on a border at the forty-ninth parallel. d) an outbreak of war between the two nations. | 44 | |
| 537215131 | b | (Multiple Choice) The direct cause of the Mexican War was a. American refusal to pay Mexican claims for damages caused by the Texas war for independence. b. Mexico's refusal to sell California to the United States and dispute over the Texas boundary. c. Mexican support for the antislavery movement in Texas. d. American determination to conquer and annex northern Mexico. e. Mexican anger at American discrimination against Latinos in Texas. | 45 | |
| 537215132 | d | (Multiple Choice) President Polk was especially determined that the United States must acquire San Francisco from Mexico because a. it was the most strategic fort on the entire Pacific Coast. b. it was the home of most of the American settlers in Mexican California. c. the discovery of gold in California meant that San Francisco would be the gateway to the gold fields. d. the harbor of San Francisco Bay was considered the crucial gateway to the entire Pacific Ocean. e. the Franciscan Catholic missionaries there were using it as a base to counteract American Protestant missions in Oregon. | 46 | |
| 537215133 | c | (Multiple Choice) The phrase "spot resolutions" refers to a. President Polk's message asking Congress to declare war on Mexico on the spot. b. the amendment introduced after the Mexican War declaring that not one new spot of land could be opened to slavery. c. Congressman Abraham Lincoln's resolution demanding that President Polk specify the exact spot, on American soil, where American blood had supposedly been shed. d. the congressional act determining which spots of Mexican land should be ceded to the United States. e. Congress's resolution declaring that the key spot America should seize from Mexico was San Francisco Bay. | 47 | |
| 537215134 | e | (Multiple Choice) The brilliant American military campaign that finally captured Mexico City was commanded by General a. Stephen W. Kearny. b. John C. Frémont. c. Zachary Taylor. d. Robert E. Lee. e. Winfield Scott. | 48 | |
| 537215135 | c | (Multiple Choice) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ending the Mexican War provided for a. a return to the status quo that had existed before the war. b. the eventual American acquisition of all of Mexico. c. American acquisition of about half of Mexico and payment of several million dollars in compensation. d. the acquisition of California and joint U.S.-Mexican control of Arizona and New Mexico. e. American guarantees of fair treatment for the Mexican citizens annexed by the United States. | 49 | |
| 537215136 | b | (Multiple Choice) The major domestic consequence of the Mexican War was a. the decline of the Democratic party. b. a sharp revival of the issue of slavery. c. a large influx of Mexican immigrants into the southwestern United States. d. a significant increase in taxes to pay the costs of the war. e. a public revulsion against the doctrines of Manifest Destiny and expansionism. | 50 | |
| 537215137 | Caroline | American ship involved in supplying Canadian rebels that was sunk by British forces, sparking an international crisis between Britain and the United States | 51 | |
| 537215138 | Aroostook War | Outbreak of fighting between American and Canadian lumberjacks over disputed Maine boundary | 52 | |
| 537215139 | Mexican Whigs | Antislavery Whigs who strongly opposed the annexation of Texas as a conspiracy by the slave power | 53 | |
| 537215140 | 54°40' | Northern boundary of Oregon territory jointly occupied with Britain, advocated by Democratic party and others as the desired line of American expansion | 54 | |
| 537215141 | Oregon Trail | Two-thousand-mile-long path along which thousands of Americans journeyed to the Willamette Valley in the 1840s | 55 | |
| 537215142 | manifest destiny | The widespread American belief that God had ordained the United States to occupy all the territory of North America | 56 | |
| 537215143 | Liberty party | Small antislavery party that took enough votes from Henry Clay to cost him the election of 1844 | 57 | |
| 537215144 | Walker Tariff of 1846 | Reduced tariff law sponsored by President Polk's secretary of the Treasury that produced substantial revenue and bolstered the U.S. economy | 58 | |
| 537215145 | California | Rich Mexican province that Polk was determined to buy and Mexico refused to sell | 59 | |
| 537215146 | Nueces River | River that Mexico claimed as the Texas-Mexico boundary, crossed by Taylor's troops in 1846 | 60 | |
| 537215147 | spot resolution | Resolution offered by Congressman Abraham Lincoln demanding to know the precise location where Mexicans had allegedly shed American blood on American soil | 61 | |
| 537215148 | California Bear Flag Republic | Short-lived West Coast republic proclaimed by American rebels against Mexican rule just before the arrival of U.S. troops in the province | 62 | |
| 537215149 | Buena Vista | Site of major victory by American troops under Zachary Taylor over Mexican troops under Santa Anna. | 63 | |
| 537215150 | Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | Treaty ending Mexican War and granting vast territories to the United States | 64 | |
| 537215151 | Wilmot Proviso | Controversial amendment, which passed the House but not the Senate, stipulating that slavery should be forbidden in all territory acquired from Mexico | 65 | |
| 537215152 | Abraham Lincoln | Congressional author of the spot resolutions criticizing the Mexican War | 66 | |
| 537215153 | Winfield Scott | "Old Fuss and Feathers," whose conquest of Mexico City brought U.S. victory in the Mexican War | 67 | |
| 537215154 | Henry Clay | Leader of Senate Whigs and unsuccessful presidential candidate against Polk in 1844 | 68 | |
| 537215155 | Nicholas Trist | Long-winded American diplomat who negotiated the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | 69 | |
| 537215156 | Daniel Webster | Whig leader and secretary of state who negotiated an end to Maine boundary dispute in 1842 | 70 | |
| 537215157 | Rio Grande | Claimed by United States as southern boundary of Texas | 71 | |
| 537215158 | John C. Fremont | Dashing explorer/adventurer who led the overthrow of Mexican rule in California after war broke out | 72 | |
| 537215159 | Aroostook War | Clash between Canadians and Americans over disputed timber country | 73 | |
| 537215160 | Santa Anna | Mexican military leader who failed to stop humiliating American invasion of his country | 74 | |
| 537215161 | Texas | Independent nation that was the object of British, Mexican, and French scheming in the early 1840s | 75 | |
| 537215162 | Zachary Taylor | American military hero who invaded northern Mexico from Texas in 1846-1847 | 76 | |
| 537215163 | David Wilmot | Congressional author of resolution forbidding slavery in territory acquired from Mexico | 77 | |
| 537215164 | James K. Polk | Dark-horse presidential winner in 1844 who effectively carried out ambitious expansionist campaign plans | 78 | |
| 537215165 | Oregon | Northwestern territory in dispute between Britain and United States, subject of Manifest Destiny rhetoric in 1844 | 79 | |
| 537215166 | John Tyler | Leader elected vice president on the Whig ticket who spent most of his presidency in bitter feuds with his fellow Whigs | 80 | |
| 537215167 | 3, 1, 5, 4, 2 | 1. ___ United States ends a long courtship by incorporating an independent republic that had once been part of Mexico. 2. ___ The first American president to die in office is succeeded by his controversial vice president. 3. ___ A treaty adding vast territory to the United States is hastily pushed through the Senate. 4. ___ American and Mexican troops clash in disputed border territory, leading to a controversial declaration of war. 5. ___ An ambitious "dark horse" wins an election against an opponent trapped by the Texas annexation issue. | 81 | |
| 537215168 | The rapid Senate ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | (Cause and Effect) Thwarted a growing movement calling for the United States to annex all of Mexico | 82 | |
| 537215169 | The overwhelming American military victory over Mexico | (Cause and Effect) Enabled the United States to take vast territories in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo | 83 | |
| 537215170 | Polk's frustration at Mexico's refusal to sell California | (Cause and Effect) Helped lead to a controversial confrontation with Mexico along the Texas border | 84 | |
| 537215171 | British support for the Texas Republic | (Cause and Effect) Increased American determination to annex Texas | 85 | |
| 537215172 | Tyler's refusal to carry out his own Whig party's policies | (Cause and Effect) Split the Whigs and caused the entire cabinet except Webster to resign | 86 | |
| 537215173 | The Wilmot Proviso | (Cause and Effect) Heated up the slavery controversy between North and South | 87 | |
| 537215174 | Strong American hostility to Britain | (Cause and Effect) Sparked bitter feuds over Canadian rebels, the boundaries of Maine and Oregon, and other issues | 88 | |
| 537215175 | Clay's unsuccessful attempts to straddle the Texas issue | (Cause and Effect) Turned antislavery voters to the Liberty party and helped elect the expansionist Polk | 89 | |
| 537215176 | The upsurge of Manifest Destiny in the 1840s | (Cause and Effect) Created widespread popular support for Polk's expansionist policies on Texas, Oregon, and California | 90 | |
| 537215177 | Rapidly growing American settlement in Oregon | (Cause and Effect) Strengthened American claims to the Columbia River country and made Britain more willing to compromise | 91 |
