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Louisiana Purchase
A land deal where the U.S. acquired about 827,000 square miles of land that was previously inhabited by Spanish. Only new Orleans was wanted for up to 10 million at first, due to the inability of farmers to transport their products threw the Mississippi river, but then the Spanish quickly offered the entire Louisiana for 25 million, mostly die to the fact that they thought that The united states was in cahoots with the British. (they were terrified of the power the British held) -
Acquisition of Florida
A treaty between the U.S and Spain, usually known by the name Adams-Onis Treaty, or the Florida Purchase Treaty; ceded Florida into the U.S. and set the boundry between New Spain and the U.S. -
Missouri Compromise
Missouri wanted to become a state, although if that happened, than the balance of slave states and free states would crumble. So to keep the balance between the country, a compromise that let Missouri become a slave state required Maine to become its own free state as well. -
Annexation of Texas
Owned by the Spanish, the Americans were allowed in to become a buffer for the Mexicans who lived there against the native Americans; Texas ended up being host to the Texan revolts of American settlers against the laws of Mexico. This included not being able to own slaves and having to convert from Christianity to Catholicism. The Mexicans/Spanish ended up granting us Texas.x -
Donner Party
About 90 immigrants that were heading west, to California from Illinois. They decided to take a shorter route; this caused them to encounter rough terrain, delays, and they ended up eventually being trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains because of heavy snowfall. For about half of the group to survive, they had to resort to cannibalism. A year later, that half of the group did end up arriving in California. -
Acquisition of Oregon
The Oregon boundary dispute between Britain and the U.S. was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty. Land north of the 49th parallel was given to the British, and all the land south of that became land for the U.S. -
Discovery of Gold in California
James w. Marshall saw something shiny in Sutter Creek near Coloma California. This happened while he was supposed to be overseeing a sawmill construction. This happened to confirm the previous beliefs that there had to be gold there. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Ended the american and Mexican war. It gave the United States 525,000 square miles of territory, this included land that is now Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah. -
Compromise of 1850
A set of 5 different bills that defused confrontation between slave and free states on territories that were acquired by the united states. Texas surrendered its claim on New Mexico;California was made a free state;The south ended up rejecting the Wilmont Provision(would have outlawed slavery in new territories);slave trade was banned in the district of Columbia/law was passed requiring free states to support capture/return of fugitive slaves/increasing penalties on people evading the law. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Allowed people in Nebraska and Kansas to decide whether or not they would allow slaves within their borders. This repealed the Missouri compromise which ended up not allowing salves states north of latitude 36*30'. -
Gadsden Purchase
A purchase/treaty that was an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico that had the U.S. pay Mexico $10 Million for 29,670 square miles of mexico that ended up becoming part of Arizona and New Mexico. This was land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad.