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Louisiana purchase
The United States doubled in size by acquiring the Louisiana Territory from France, opening vast new lands for settlement and expansion. -
lewis and clark expedition
This expedition explored the newly acquired Louisiana Territory, mapping the land and establishing relations with Native American tribes, paving the way for westward movement. -
War of 1812
This war against Great Britain resulted in the US gaining control of the Great Lakes region and solidifying its western borders, further enabling expansion. -
Indian removal act(1830) and trail of tears (1838-1839)
The forced displacement of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River, opening up vast territories for white settlement. -
Texas annexation
The annexation of Texas, a region that had declared independence from Mexico, as a US state, leading to the Mexican-American War and further expansion into the Southwest. -
Mexican-American
This war resulted in the US acquiring vast territories from Mexico, including California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming. -
California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in California led to a massive influx of people to the region, accelerating its development and contributing to westward expansion. -
Gadsden Purchase
The US acquired land from Mexico in what is now southern Arizona and New Mexico, primarily to facilitate the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad. -
Homestead Act
This act granted 160 acres of federal land to any citizen who agreed to live on and cultivate it for five years, encouraging westward settlement and development of the Great Plains. -
Transcontinental Railroad
The completion of the first transcontinental railroad connected the eastern and western parts of the US, facilitating trade, travel, and westward expansion.