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Period: to
Western Expansion
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Proclamation of 1763
Happened in 1763, after winning the French and Indian War, the British took over a lot of land in the Ohio Valley Region. To try to make sure there was no fighting between the colonists and the Native Americans, the British did not allow the colonists to move west of the Appalachian mountains. As the original thirteen colonies were becoming overpopulated, and the Ohio Valley Region was looking more and more promising, many colonists disobeyed the proclamation line and moved westward -
Northwest territory
Happened in 1785 and 1787. Established a way to divide the land in the Ohio Valley Region, and put a strong emphasis on education. Provided for a structure for mass populations to form states. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, Jefferson sent men to speak to Napoleon to purchase the territory of Louisiana, he said do not go over 10 million dollars. They ended up settling at 15 million dollars, and with the purchase America doubled in size and gained control of the Mississippi river. -
Red River Basin
In 1818, America received the Red River Basin in a treaty with Great Britain. This clarified where the northern border of the Louisiana Purchase was. -
West and East Florida
In 1819, in the Adams-Onis treaty, America received Florida in exchange for 5 million dollars. This came after Andrew Jackson invaded Florida and took over a lot of it. Spain did not have the army to fight back, so they settled on just selling it to America. This made it so Seminole Indians could not attack America and then run back to Florida, and it also took away Florida as a safe haven for runaway slaves who were free once they crossed the border. -
Texas Annexation
In 1844, America annexed Texas, a momentous victory for those pro-slavery because Texas would represent another slave state. Texas added a lot of valuable land to America. The annexation led to the Mexican war in 1846. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
In 1845, the treaty settled the border dispute between Britain and America concerning the northern border of Maine. It also settled border disputes between America and Canada in the great lakes region. The treaty set the example for future peaceful settlements between Britain and America. -
Oregon Territory
In 1846, America acquired the Oregon Territory which consisted of the current US northwestern borders, including the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. This gave America a lot of valuable farmland as well as valuable ports off of the Pacific Ocean. -
Mexican Cession
In 1848, America acquired present day California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as northern Arizona and New Mexico. This spurred the American Gold Rush, as California and Nevada proved to be filled with gold. The Mexican Cession also gave America a ton of land to set up important ports along the Pacific coastline. -
Gadsden Purchase
In 1853, America acquired what is present day southern New Mexico and Southern Arizona. It clarified boundaries that the treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo left unclear. It also helped the south lay claim to a transcontinental railroad because the land above the Gadsden purchase was too mountainous to build a railroad on. -
Alaska
In 1867, America bought Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars. Alaska turned out to be rich in resources such as gold, copper and oil. -
Hawaii
In 1898, America annexed Hawaii. Hawaii proved to be in a very strategic military location, as it is right in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The annexation of Hawaii was also important because of the high quality sugar grown throughout the islands.
