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Treaty of Paris
Date: Sept. 3, 1783
President: There wasn't a president yet.
Other nations involved: Great Brtain, United States, France, Netherlands, and Spain.
With the help of Franc e, American colonists won against the British for the Revolutionary War. Great Britain acknowledged the Americans' independence by signing the Treaty of Paris. This treaty granted the U.S. land, expanding our boundaries further north, south (not to Florida), and westwards up to the Mississippi River. (see picture on left) -
Louisiana Purchase
Date: July 4th 1803
President: Thomas Jefferson
Other nations involved: France
The pruchase allowed the expansion of the U.S - past the Mississippi River (westwards). The U.S. orginally wanted this purchase because they wanted control of the Mississippi Rivier. With this, the U.S. had the power to control trading and shipping on the river. The Native Americans were forced to move, forced to give up their land and instead given an unusable reservation land to live off of. -
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Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea Expedition
Date: 1804-1806
President:Thomas Jefferson
Other Nations Involved: American Indian Natives
Lewis and Clark went on an expedition that was funded by the government, for the purpose of gaining more information about the unfamiliar landscape and Native Americans living there. The two explorers were accompanied by a woman named Sacagawea, who was their guide and translater. This journey didn't help the U.S. earn any land, but led to the pesecution and genocide of American Indians. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
Date: February 22, 1819
President: James Monroe
Other nations involved: U.S., Spain. This Treaty was an agreement between the U.S. secretary, John Quincy Adams and Spain Minister, Don Luis de Onis, over territorial control (in the U.S.). The U.S. paid 5 million to obtain Florida and the Pacific Northwest. Our country wanted the territory because they needed to get rid of the Indians that were inhabited there. -
Santa Fe Trail
Date: 1821
President: James Monroe
Other nations involved: Mexico, Spain
After gaining independence from Spain during the Mexican War of Indepence in 1821, Mexico gained the Santa Fe trail. This trail stretched 780 miles between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. U.S wanted to participate in this gain, so therefore, trading was a huge part of this trail, allowing the Missouri (U.S.) traders to be the first to enter the Mexican land of New Mexico. -
Indian Removal Act
Date: 1830
President: Andrew Jackson
Other nations involved: Indian Nations
As our country continued to expand south, an "obstacle" appeared. Andrew Jackson wanted to remove the Indians that were inhabited there. Even when the court opposed this idea, Jackson refused the enforce the law. Eventually, most Indians were worn out defending their land and signed a treaty saying they approved of their removal. The U.S. gained the Indians' Eastern land to use for white settlement and slavery. -
Oregon Trail
Date: 1836
President: Andrew Jackson
Other nations involved: (just within U.S. - Oregon).
This trail was from Idependence, Missouri to Portland, Oregan, in the Willamette Valley. The U.S. expanded more because of this trail. American settlers who had arrived in Oregon were farming the luscious, fertile soil at Willamette valley. Although, the Native Americans were taken to mission schools to convert them to Christianity and 'educate' them. -
Annexation of Texas
Date: February 28, 1845
President: John Tyler
Other nations involved: (just within U.S - Texas)
The British intentions were to take unclaimed U.S. land, so this led the U.S. to make use of unclaimed-Texas as a slave state because then, the "slavehoding South" would expand westward, instead of upwards for the interest of not crossing the border between the North and the South. The U.S. gained this land because of Polk's presidency (after Tyler). Native Americans were expulsed from area. -
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Mormon Trek
Date: January 4, 1846 to 1847
President: James Polk
Other Nations Involved: Mormons
The mormons were members of the LDS Church. Their practices were hated by other people, forcing them to trek(travel) west seaching for a peaceful place. They ended up settling in Utah, where some Indians were inhabited. It seems that they both lived in peace together. This event didn't result in any U.S. land gain(s). -
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Mexican-American War
Date: April 25, 1846 to March 10, 1848
President: James Polk
Other Nations Involved: Mexico
Caused from Annexation of Texas and US dispute over where the Texes border legitly ended. Even though Mexicans "attacked first"(saysPolk) the Americans easily gained victories and invaded Mexico. The war resulted in more than 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory, gained by US, extending westward from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean. Many American Indians were killed and/or suffered from violence. -
Oregon Treaty following "54 40' or Fight!" campaign
Date: January 15, 1846
President: James Polk
Other nations involved: Great Britain Increased American immigration on the Oregon Trail to the Oregon territory caused a border issue. President James Polk , a believer of the Manifest Destiny, really wanted to claim southwest Mexico and California. The Oregon treaty was then compromised with Great Britain in 1846. Indians were again relocated to reservations, and their land holdings were reduced more. -
California Gold Rush
Date: 1849
President: James Polk
Other nations involved: (just within U.S - California)
A lot of men spent their life savings just to travel to California for a chance to obtain gold. This caused the U.S. to expand because now that gold was being found by the hundreds of people, nearly everyone who came, stayed in California. The purpose of Americans coming was for the gold. Indians were used as slave diggers for the White people, getting unfair share of their finds, and being killed later. -
Gadsden Purchase
Date: December 30, 1853
President: Millard Fillmore
Other nations involved: (just within the U.S. - AZ / NM )
The Gadsden purchase is named after James Gadsden and was the last piece of Mexican land - south of the Gila River, including Arizona and New Mexico land (see picture) that the U.S. obtained for a price 10 million dollars. Our country bought this land in order to complete a railroad and to make it seem like the American dream, "manifest destiny", was fulfilled. -
The Sand Creek Massacre
Date: November 29. 1864
President: Abraham Lincoln
Other nations involved: Colorado; Indians
Back then, north of the Arkansas River to the Nebraska border was land that belonged to Indians. However, new settlers came in search of gold from the Rocky Mts. The Indians, led by Chief Black Kettle, had to move to settle near Sand Creek. Chivington also moved his troops there and made a surprise attack. 148 of Kettle's people were massacred and the village was burnt down.The Cheif survived though. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
Date: May 10, 1869
President: Andrew Johnson
Other nations involved: (just within the U.S.) It used to cost about 1000 dollars in order to travel across the country; however, with the completion of the Transcontinental railroad, the cost dropped to 150 dollars. The people had a better advantage to get to California for gold, rather than travel around by boat/ship. Most people wanted to travel because of the manifest desnity belief too. -
The Battle of Little Bighorn
Date: 1876
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Other nations involved: Native American Indians
The Battle of Little Bighorn was a battle between about 2000 Indians (consisting of the Sioux and Cheyenne), against the United States Army because the Indians had left their reservations and the US wanted to force them back. Sitting Bull led the Indians into battle and succeeded. However, him and his tribe were fored to another reservation years after. The US didn't gain any land from this event. -
Dawes Act
Date: 1887
President: Grover Cleveland
Other Nations Involved: Native American Indians
This act was created and named after Henry Laurens Dawes, in attempt to solve the "Indian problem" by providing Indian reservation land for white men. Under this law, the Indians suffered disease, filth, poverty. This event didn't help the US gain any land, but it sure did allow the whites to obtain 2/3 of the 138,000,000 acres of what was once Indian land. -
The Massacre at Wounded Knee
Date: 1890
President: Benjamin Harrision
Other Nations Involved: Native American Indians
Lakota Indians were escorted to the Wounded Knee Creek by a US Cavalry led my Sameul Whitside. Once on camp, the Indians were forced to surrender their weapons and be transported somewhere else. Tension increased, and soon the Calvalry opened fire, killing children to adult Indians, even killing their own soldiers. The Lakota who survived fled, but the US cavalrymen killed the rest. US didn't gain any land
