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Lewis and Clark Expedition
President Jefferson asked his private secretary, Merriweather Lewis, to do an expidition through the Louisiana Territory to survey it's natural resources, and to find a "practical water communication route" across the continent. -
Louisiana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. This purchase more than doubled the amount of land in America, secured a route from the Mississippi river to New Orleans, and forced France out of North America. -
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War of 1812
America was paired against British Canada and the Shawnee leader, Tecumseh. The Americans saw themselves as liberators for the Canadians, but after the first few battles, they soon learned that they didn't want to be "liberated". As most other conflicts ended in the progressive frontier-- the native tribes were the clear loser to the war. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement to settle the rising debate between those who wanted the expansion of slavery, and those who opposed it. From then on, if one slave state were to be admitted into the Union, another free state must be added as well. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine stated that America would see any expansion from a European country on North American soil as an act of agression. -
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Indian Removal Act/Trail of Tears
The Indian Removal act was an attempt to legally relocate the five "civilized" tribes (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Seminole). The movement of the tribes into reservations in Oklahoma was supposed to be voluntary, but negotiations were more forceful than originally expected. The major movements ended with the Cherokee and the Trail of Tears in 1838. -
"Manifest Destiny"
This term created by John O'Sullivan was the driving force for 19th century expansion. The term followed the idea that Americans were morally superior and therefor should be morally obligated to the land in the west. -
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Transcontinental Railroad
The first plans for a cross-country railroad system was by Asa Whitney in 1845. Congress passed the first of five Pacific Railroad Acts that provided funding to each railroad as they were built. The last stake was driven in a ceremony in 1869 -
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Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American war was used mostly to expand America's reaches into the south, which most Americans saw as problematic. Polk was leading the war into the south, and most believed that his ultimate objective was to expand slavery into the southern territories gained by the war. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead act was intended to make it easier for a wider array of settlers to own land. This act opened up squatters rights after 14 months, and a three-step process for most other settlers to obtain 160 acres of land.
