-
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was passed by the Second Continental Congress and claimed land west of the Appalachian Mountains for the Union. People moved west to the new territory due to overpopulation of the east, and for a chance of wealth from farming. -
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Jefferson purchased 828,000,000 square miles of North American land from France. The new territory spread west from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the southern border of Canada. Settlers moved into the territory immediately after the purchase in order to claim land for farming. -
Lewis And Clark
Jefferson commissioned a group of adventurers, lead by Lewis and Clark, to explore the newly purchase Louisiana Territory. The Corps of Discovery traveled 8,000 miles in total, starting in St. Louis and travelling west to modern-day Oregon, and then back east to end in St. Louis. Along the way, Lewis and Clark wrote detailed journals about the expedition, and mapped out the land as well. These documents would later aid in westward expansion. -
The Erie Canal
DeWitt Clinton lead the project to build a waterway from Lake Erie to the Hudson River.the 425-mile long canal was used for transportation of goods and people to and from the "west". Settlers immediately started flooding into the western states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and Illinois. The canal made transportation of goods faster and cheaper than it had been before. People moved west along the canal looking to find wealth and land along the man-made river. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act was passed by Andrew Jackson, and forced millions of Native Americans to relocate from their lands in the East to unsettled land west of the Mississippi River. A few tribes went peacefully, but most fought against the act. The tribes were forced to sign treaties that gave their land to the US government and the white settlers. This act allowed for settlers to spread further west into the newly-procured lands. -
Popular Sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty was a political doctrine which stated that people of a region should be able to decide what kind of control the government should have over them. This was important during the 1840s and 1850s when states were being brought into the union. territories and new states wanted to be able to decide whether they were a slave or frees state themselves. This was important in adding states to the union, and therefore effecting westward expansion. -
Oregon Trail
Thousands of settlers headed west using the Oregon Trail or others like it, such as the Santa Fe trail. Most settlers left from Independence, Missouri, and traveled through the country on covered wagons for months until they reached their destination, usually the west coast or Southwest. People faced many hardships on the trail, but it was still a popular way of migrating West, until its gradual decline due to the increase of railroads. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was an ideology in the 19th century which stated that the United States not only could, but was destined to, stretch from coast to coast. This term and ideology was used as a reason for westward expansion throughout the late 1800s. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War began as a skirmish between the two countries over the territory of Texas. In 1844, J. Polk decided that Texas should become part of The US. War broke out between The countries due to this, and lasted two years. In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico recognized the newly annexed state of Texas, and sold California and all of its territory north of the Rio Grande. This new territory gave the Us land from coast to coast, and settlers began heading west shortly after. -
California Gold Rush
In 1848, gold nuggets were discovered in Sacramento Valley, CA. People began moving west immediately in hopes of gaining wealth through the precious metal. Between 1848 and 1849, the non-native population of California grew from less than 1,000 to around 100,000 people. This rush of Americans to the West expanded the US boundaries from coast to coast, and brought economic growth tho both sides of the country.
