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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the gain of imperial rights to the west half of the Mississippi River for $15 million in 1803; bringing the United States about 828,000 sq. mi. of territory from France. The deal granted the U.S. the authority to obtain the land from its indigenous peoples, either by contract or by conquest. This Purchase established the expansion westward and set in motion sectional conflicts between the North and South over slavery that led to the Civil War. -
Lewis & Clark Expedition
In 1805, President Jefferson sent explorers Meriwether Lewis and Willam Clark, to explore the area west of the Mississippi River. Their mission was to explore the unknown territory, establish trade with the Natives and affirm the sovereignty of the United States in the region. Their expedition provided better geographic knowledge of the west and from this the westward movement and set the boundaries of land, which later conflict arise leading to tensions between the Northern and Southern states. -
Indian Removal Act
On May 28, 1830 the Indian Removal Act was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson. It gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi. The Indians were to give up their land in exchange for land to the west. This removing tens of thousands of Indians from their land caused large migrations, like the “Trail of Tears”. This act expanded the growth of slavery in the South and westward causing conflicts between slave and free states. -
The Great Migration on the Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route from Missouri, to Oregon, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers starting in 1843 to emigrate west. Reasons for the westward movement to Oregon and California were: Free land in Oregon and the possibility of finding gold in California lured pioneers westward. The large emigration of people to Oregon a future free state and greed for gold propelled the division of people in the U.S. contributing to a cause of the Civil War. -
Manifest Destiny
The Manifest of Destiny, was a phrase conceived in 1845, was the idea that the United States is descended by God. It’s advocates wanted to expand, spread democracy and capitalism across all North America. Manifest Destiny was a key factor in the westward expansion because it was used as reason for acquiring more land. This ideology inspired a variety of ways designed to remove or destroy the native population. It inflamed sectional tensions over slavery, ultimately leading to the Civil War. -
Texas Statehood
In 1844, the Republic of Texas entered into a Treaty of Annexation with the United States. In 1845, Congress passed resolution in favor of annexing Texas, officially becoming a state. The statehood of Texas was a large step in the westward expansion movement because it provided a lot of land for cash crops and farming for Americans. Texas entered the Union as a slave state, broadening the differences in the U.S. over the issue of slavery and being a large future contributor to the Civil War. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was the United States vs. Mexico, fought from April 1846 to February 1848. The U.S. forces were consistently victorious in battles vs. Mexico, resulting in the gain of more than 500,000 sq. mi. of Mexican territory extending westward from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean. The war was a key event in the fulfillment of westward expansion. Territories obtained in the war caused further sectional strife over the expansion of slavery being a leading cause to the Civil War. -
California Gold Rush Begins
The California Gold Rush was sparked by the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848. News spread of the gold, thousands of gold miners traveled by sea or land to San Francisco and the surrounding area. By the end of 1849, the non-native population of the California territory was some 100,000 compared to the pre-1848 number of less than 1,000. The gold rush brought many Americans to the territory, thus bringing slavery with them causing more unease amongst activists. -
California Statehood
In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850. California officially became a state in 1850, just two years after being ceded to the United States by Mexico via the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The statehood of California provided the Union with another free state and much of the future financial funding of the Union’s side of the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act became law on May 30, 1854; repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. It also produced an uprising known as “Bleeding Kansas” as proslavery and antislavery activists flooded the territories to sway the vote. The controversial bill raised the possibility that slavery could be extended into territories where it had been banned. Its passing raised the debate over slavery in the U.S., which later lead to the Civil War. -
Oregon Statehood
Oregon Country officially became a state in 1859, after being ceded to the United States by England in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty. The land was valuable to both the U.S. and Britain because it provided large amounts of raw materials. The signing of the treaty was important to U.S. because it showed they were willing to fight for westward expansion. Oregon would come into the Union as a free state opposing the expansion of slavery and adding to the high tensions between the free and slave states.