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U.S. acquires land
The U.S. acquires nearly two million square miles of territory
from France in the Louisiana Purchase, nearly doubling the
size of the country. -
Indian removal act
On May 28, President Andrew Jackson (D, 1829-37) signs the
Indian Removal Act, which allows the government to offer
Indians land in the west in return for the lands they currently
occupy in the east. Indian tribes that reject the offer are later forcibly removed; thousands
will die along the forced march to the new Indian territory in the
west. -
Anexation of Texas
John O'Sullivan, editor of the United States Magazine and
Democratic Review publishes an article calling for the U.S.
the annexation of Texas, which had declared independence from
Mexico a decade earlier. In his article, O'Sullivan argues that
God has destined the U.S. to spread its rule across the
continent, and coins the term "Manifest Destiny" to describe
that phenomenon. -
establishing bounderies
The U.S. and Britain agree to establish the boundary between
American and British holdings in the Oregon territory at the
49th parallel. The U.S. had initially demanded all land up to the
54th parallel, which extended well into present-day Canada -
Gold
On January 24, gold is discovered in California, prompting tens
of thousands of settlers to flood California to prospect for gold. -
Purchasing Cuba
Three American diplomats seek to negotiate the purchase of
Cuba from Spain, without the knowledge of President Franklin
Pierce (D, 1853-57). Upon hearing of the mission, Pierce
renounces it. -
Joining Union
In December, South Carolina becomes the first Southern state
to secede from the Union. Other Southern states follow suit,
leading to the outbreak of the Civil War (1861-65). Those
developments bring the era of Manifest Destiny largely to a
close. -
Cuba's Ours
In the Spanish-American War, the U.S. liberates Cuba from
Spanish rule.