Westward Expansion in American History

Spanish explorer who searched for the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola (present-day New Mexico) but failed to find them. He also explored the southwestern U.S., including Arizona, where he encountered the Grand Canyon.

Diseases introduced by Spanish colonists devastated Native American populations, significantly reducing their numbers.

The Spanish forced Native Americans to abandon their cultural practices and languages, leading to the loss of diverse traditions and customs.

The Spanish established missions and churches to convert Native Americans to Catholicism, attempting to replace their traditional beliefs.

A system under Spanish rule where Native Americans were assigned to specific settlers (encomenderos) in exchange for protection and religious instruction. However, it often involved exploitation and forced labor.

The encomienda system often subjected Native Americans to harsh working conditions and abuse, resembling slavery.

Due to population decline from diseases and the encomienda system, Spanish colonists turned to Africa for labor, initiating the transatlantic slave trade.

A system of labor where individuals agreed to work for a specific period, often in exchange for passage to the Americas. This system played a significant role in Spanish colonization.

A historical narrative emphasizing the westward expansion of the United States, seeing it as a defining aspect of American identity and progress.

This metaphor portrays land as a passive, nurturing female entity waiting to be dominated by male colonizers.

The practice of using racial and class divisions to prevent unity among marginalized groups, ensuring the dominance of the ruling elite.

A tactic employed by the American elite during the revolution, portraying England as a common enemy to unite the colonists despite internal social inequalities.

The struggle to unify marginalized groups, often prevented by the elite's tactics of division and exploitation.

A complex and problematic historical phenomenon involving the displacement and assimilation of native populations, driven by the ideology of Manifest Destiny.

The process of American settlers claiming and settling new lands in the West, primarily after the Mexican-American War and the discovery of gold in California.

A series of laws passed by the US government to encourage settlement and development of western lands. These laws focused on granting land ownership through different mechanisms, with the intention of turning wild land into farms and settlements.

A landmark law passed in 1862 that offered 160 acres of free land to any citizen who agreed to work the land for a minimum of five years. This encouraged individual farming and homesteading.

A law passed in 1887 aiming to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society by dividing their communal lands into individual allotments. This led to forced relocation and loss of traditional lands and way of life.

A crucial role in westward expansion, these groups of armed men accompanied settlers on their journey into the wilderness, providing protection against dangers and ensuring safe passage.

A group of people who traveled ahead of settlers, exploring new territories and creating safe pathways for future travel. Pioneers like Daniel Boone are well-known trailblazers who opened up new lands for settlement.

A type of transportation commonly used by settlers venturing westward, consisting of a line of wagons pulled by animals, often oxen or horses. These trains carried belongings, families, and supplies across vast distances.

A simple, sturdy housing commonly built by settlers along the way. They were made from readily available materials like wood, logs, and mud, providing basic shelter during the perilous journey.

The Dawes Act aimed to make Native Americans individual land owners and farmers, but the allocated plots were often too small and unsuitable for farming.

The Dawes Act placed Native American tribes under the guardianship of the federal government, effectively stripping them of their sovereign status.

While aiming to 'civilize' Native Americans through farming, the Dawes Act resulted in the loss of vast lands, diminishing their land base and pushing them further into poverty.

The Dawes Act aimed to assimilate Native Americans into mainstream society, but it effectively promoted a form of internal colonization by confining them to reservations and subjecting them to assimilation efforts.

Thomas Jefferson's belief that Native Americans should become farmers instead of hunters reflected a desire to acquire their land for white settlement, dismissing their traditional way of life.

The Dawes Act was a significant step towards stripping Native Americans of their sovereignty and undermining their cultural values by attempting to force them into a way of life that was not suitable for their traditional practices.

The Dawes Act was aimed at 'civilizing' Native Americans by breaking up their lands and encouraging individual farming, but it ultimately led to the loss of land and economic hardship, undermining their sovereignty and cultural identity.

The idea that land is seen as female, often described as nurturing or virginal, helping colonists overcome anxiety and treat the unknown as less threatening.

The idea that the land was seen as inanimate, not because it was empty, but because the natives were not acknowledged as part of the landscape.

It suggests that Native Americans were seen as an obstacle to expansion and, therefore, had to be eliminated or assimilated to the colonizers' culture.

The Puritan belief that Native American epidemics, like smallpox, were a sign of God's will, paving the way for colonists to take over the land.

The goal of assimilation meant forcing Native Americans to adopt the culture of white settlers, becoming farmers, and relinquishing their traditional ways.

Jefferson's policy aimed at making Native Americans dependent on the colonizers by putting them into debt, ultimately forcing them to sell their lands.

Any refusal by Native Americans to become farmers was seen as stubborn barbarism, justifying further control and suppression by the colonizers.

The idea that Native American societies and cultures were seen as remnants of the past, lacking the progress and modernity of the colonizers' culture.

The belief that Native Americans were inherently incapable of self-governance and that their traditional way of life was incompatible with modern society.

John Collier, appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs in 1933, rejected the assimilationist policies of the past and embraced a new philosophy of respecting Native American culture and autonomy.

The Indian New Deal, initiated by John Collier, aimed to protect Native American land rights, promote self-government, and encourage cultural preservation.

Collier criticized the allotment policy, which divided communal Native American lands into individual plots, arguing that it destroyed the traditional tribal way of life and weakened Native American communities.

The allotment policy aimed to assimilate Native Americans into white society by breaking up tribal lands into individual plots, forcing them to adopt individualistic practices.

The vision of Africans as monstrous and evil was prevalent in early European discourse, with descriptions of them as lacking human features and being associated with darkness and wickedness.

The concept of blackness was linked to negative connotations, representing sin, evil, and inferiority, while whiteness was associated with purity, righteousness, and superiority.

Early European travelers' accounts of Africa, heavily influenced by biblical interpretations and classical historians, depicted Africans as monstrous and inherently different from Europeans.