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Westward Expansion
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Proclamation of 1763
In an attempt to keep the situation under control, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763 which was established to halt westward expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains. There were two main reasons why the Proclamation of 1763 was created. First, the British wanted to keep the colonist closer to English colonial authorities by confining them to the coast, in order to protect them from Native Americans. Secondly, Britain was in massive debt due to the Seven Year War so keeping the colonis -
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Ordinance, officially known as the Ordinance of 1787, created the Northwest Territory, organized its governing structure, and established the procedures by which territories were admitted as states to the Union. It guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states. There was no slavery allowed in the Northwest territory. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana purchase was the territory sold by France to the U.S. in 1808 which created the western part of the Mississippi in America. This was a very vital transaction in American history because it doubled the size of America. Also, the U.S. gained New Orleans which was significant because it was the most important shipping port in the south. This would lead to further expansion because America needed more people to go west of the Mississippi and inhabit the land. -
Red River Basin:
The United States signed the Convention of 1818 with Great Britain in order to gain the territory known as the Red River Basin. America gained the territory by compromising with Great Britain. The new treaty stated that Britain and the United States would jointly occupy Oregon Territory , and clarified the northern border of the Louisiana Purchase. The land acquired by the United States in the treaty would ultimately become part of the states of Minnesota and North Dakota. -
West and East Florida
In 1819, Spanish minister Do Luis de Onis and U.S. Secretary of State John Quincy Adams signed the Adams-Onís Treaty, in which Spain agreed to cede the remainder of Florida to the United States. Spain agreed to transfer Florida to the U.S. in exchange for a payment of Spanish debts. The Spanish ruled Florida for nearly three hundred years but, Florida was now an important acquistion for America. -
Webster-Ashburton Treaty
The Webster-Ashburton Treaty was an agreement that settled the long-disputed boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada in 1842. The agreement was agreed with by the United States who was represented by Secretary of State Daniel Webster, and Great Britain, represented by Alexander Baring. The treaty settled the Northeast Boundary Dispute, which had caused serious conflicts, such as the Aroostook War. -
Texas Annexation
In 1845, the United States of America annexed the Republic of Texas and admitted it to the Union as the 28th state. The U.S. thus inherited Texas border dispute with Mexico this quickly led to the Mexican-American War, during which the U.S. captured additional territory extending the nation's borders all the way to the Pacific Ocean. -
Mexican Cession
The Mexican Cession was the result of the Mexican-American War from 1846-1848.The Mexican Cession was the vast area of land consisting mostly of the present Southwest United States. The lands were ceded to the US in 1848 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War. The cession amounted to more than 1/3 of the total area of pre-war Mexico, including all or part of the current US states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. -
Oregon Territory
The Oregon Territory stretched from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains, including present-day Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and western Montana. On August 14, 1848, Congress created the Oregon Territory. In 1819, under terms of the Transcontinental Treaty, Spain ceded its claims to the territory to the United States.The Oregon Territory quickly became a popular place for various groups of immigrants and settlers. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase, or Treaty, was an agreement between the United States and Mexico, finalized in 1854, in which the United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. Gadsden’s Purchase provided the land necessary for a southern transcontinental railroad and attempted to resolve conflicts that lingered after the Mexican- American War. -
Alaska
In 1866 the Russian government offered to sell the territory of Alaska to the United States. Secretary of State William H. Seward was excited about American Expansion, negotiated the deal for the Americans. Edouard de Stoeckl, Russian minister to the United States, negotiated for the Russians. On March 30, 1867, the two parties agreed that the United States would pay Russia $7.2 million for the territory of Alaska. -
Hawaii
In 1840s, keeping European powers out of Hawaii became a principal foreign policy goal. Americans acquired a true piece in Hawaii as a result of the Sugar Trade. The sugar planters rebelled against the Queen and marines stormed the island leaving the Queen no choice but, to give up Hawaii. Hawaii remained a territory until granted statehood as the fiftieth state in 1959.
