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Treaty of Paris
In the Treaty of Paris, Britain gave the United States control over land east of the Mississippi River. -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson bought land west of the Mississippi from the French. -
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Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark expedition explored the new Louisiana Territory that was recently purchase by Thomas Jefferson. -
Treaty with Britain
49th parallel was agreed as the border between Canada and the US east of the Rocky Mountains. -
Treaty with Spain
The border between the Spanish colonies and the US became the 42 parallel. The US also attained Florida. -
Missouri Compromise
Slavery in the US was made illegal north of the 36th parallel. -
Mexican Independence
Mexico got independence from Spain and allowed Americans to settle it. Texas was colonized in the same year. -
Texas Revolt
The Texans revolted against Mexico and became a separate nation called the Republic of Texas. -
Texas Admittance
Texas was admitted into the Union and claims land to the west and north. Mexico did not like this development. -
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Mexican War
Mexico did not accept the fact that so much of the land that had been claimed by them had been taken away by Texas. The Mexicans and Americans fought and eventually the US captured Mexico City and ended the war in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The US was given the area that is now Nevada, Arizona, and California. -
Extension of Canada Border
The border between Canada and the US was extended at the 49th parallel past the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The Oregon Territory became part of the US. -
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Mormon Trek
The Mormans settled near Salt Lake in current Utah. This settlement later became part of Utah. -
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California Gold Rush
Gold was discovered in California. Soon, people began to travel to California to get their hands on some gold. The gold rush brought 300,000 people to California. -
Texas Reduction
Texas was reduced in size -
Gasden Purchase
The US purchased land in current day Arizona from Mexico. This purchase finalized the land that the 48 continuous states would be on. -
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Civil War
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina seceded from the Union to preserve slavery. Northwestern Virginia stayed with the Union and became West Virginia. This began the Civil War. Eventually, the Union won, but it was the bloodiest war in US history. -
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Railroad Construction
Railroads were built all across the country, helping make the US the largest economic powerhouse in the world -
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Readmittance
All of the confederate states were readmitted by 1870. -
Alaska Purchase
Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867. -
Hawaii Addition
Hawaii is added to the US.