Homestead Act

Law passed by Lincoln in 1862 that gave out free land in the Midwest to settlers.

49ers

Nickname given to gold prospectors who headed to California in 1849 during the Gold Rush.

The Compromise of 1850

Agreement that allowed California in as a free state.

The Alamo

Fort/mission in Texas that was the site of an attach by Spanish forces on rebelling settlers.

Manifest Destiny

The term for the belief that began in the 1800’s that the US should span from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts.