KEY TERMS Key Terms and People to Know for the Regents Exam
Manifest Destiny
The term Manifest Destiny was first used to support westward expansion to the Pacific Ocean. In the 1840s, the term Manifest Destiny was used by many Americans to justify westward expansion into lands claimed by other nations.
Oregon Trail
In the early 1800s, fur trappers and explorers helped establish a trail through the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains to the rich farmland on the West Coast. Throughout the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of settlers moved west to build farms and start new lives for themselves.