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Westward Expansion
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Louisiana Purchase
The United States bought roughly 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi from the French. -
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Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was started by fur traders and was used by 400,000 settlers in the mid-1830s. -
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail became a vital commercial highway form 1821 to 1880. The trail connected Missouri to New Mexico. The trail was a popular route for traders and transportation of goods until the railroad was finished in 1880. -
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Republic of Texas and Annexation
After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, Texas wanted its own independence and became its own country in 1836. This lasted until 1846 when Texas joined the Union. -
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty was an agreement between the United States and Great Britain. The US got land west of the Rockies and south of the 49th Parallel, and Great Britain got the land north of the 49th. -
Mexican Cession
Mexico ceded land to the United States in the Treaty of Gaudalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The treaty granted 529,000 square miles of land in the present day southwest United States. -
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California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold in 1848 caused a gold rush that sent thousands of miners to the San Fancisco area searching for gold. The population of non-Natives went from 1000 to 100,000. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of resolutions in an attempt to seek a resolution between the North and the South. Some of the main resolutions included declaring California a free state, slave trading was banned in the District of Columbia, fugitive slave laws became stricter, and Texas surrendering land. One resolution that was denied was the Wilmot Proviso which outlawed slavery on new territories. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act was a collection of laws that allowed an applicant to acquire cheap or free land for a homestead. More than 270 million acres of land were given to 1.6 million homesteaders for free, most of the land was west of the Mississippi. -
Northern Pacific Railroad
The Northern Pacific Railroad was approved by Congress in 1864 and was given nearly 40 million acres of land grants. Constuction began in 1870 and was completed in 1883. The railroad had about 6800 miles of track and was used for shipping agricultural prducts, other goods, and transporting people. The railroad made it easier for people to move from coast to coast.
