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Louisiana Purchase
This land was originally owned by Spain, and it was later sold to France. Because the U.S. needed New Orleans for access from the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and France didn't let them use it, the U.S. decided to negotiate with Napoleon Bonaparte. This led to France selling the Louisianna Territory to the U.S. -
Lewis and Clark Complete Trip
(May 14, 1804- September 23, 1806) Starting from near St. Louis, the Lewis and Clark's Expedition's goal was to discover information about geography, people, and natural resources. The explorers traveled up the Missouri River and through the plains. -
Texas Independence
Texas fought a war to become independent from Mexico. That year, the Mexican army attacked Texan soldiers at the Alamo, where Texans lost. But soon later, the Texan troops defeated the Mexican army under Sam Houston, leading to Texas's independence. -
Texas Becomes a State
Because Texas found it very difficult to run an independent government, they wanted to become part of the U.S. Once Texas got admitted into the union, Mexico disagreed with the U.S. about what their border would be, leading to a war. -
Oregon Territory part of U.S.
Although the British agreed to share the land, the U.S. claimed Oregon for itself. Instead of going to war, Britain decided to accept the deal, agreeing on the 49-degree parallel as the border between the U.S. and Britain. The Oregon territory was Washington, Oregon and part of Idaho. -
The Mexican War
(1846-1848) This war was caused by the disagreement between Mexico and the U.S. for what the new border would be. During the two years of the war, the U.S. took control of most of California and of Mexico City. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the war. -
California Becomes a State
A few days before Mexico gave up California when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, a lot of gold was found in this region. This attracted many people to come and settle into California. The high population it had after the gold rush led California to become accepted into the union. -
Gadsden Purchase
The U.S. paid Mexico an additional $10 million for the Gadsden Purchase. This territory was the strip of land along the southern edge of present-day Arizona and New Mexico. This purchase was made in order to complete the U.S.'s image.
