-
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of imperial rights to the western half of the Mississippi River basin from France by the United States in 1803. The deal granted the United States the sole authority to obtain the land from its indigenous inhabitants, either by contract or by conquest -
U.S. declared war on Britain over Britian's interference and prevention of American shipping to Europe and over their interference of America's westward expansion. -
The French Revolution was fought, Marie Antoinette was guillotined and Napoleon rose to power and conquered most of Western Europe. -
Construction began on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This is the first public railroad in the U.S. It was a key factor in America's westward expansion and it made trade much easier and less expensive. This threw America into the Industrial Revolution as well as changed the face of this once primitive land. -
Guided by policies favored by President Andrew Jackson, who led the country from 1828 to 1837, the Trail of Tears was the forced westward migration of American Indian tribes from the South and Southeast. Land grabs threatened tribes throughout the South and Southeast in the early 1800s -
After gaining independence from Spain in the 1820s, Mexico welcomed foreign settlers to sparsely populated Texas, and a large group of Americans led by Stephen F. Austin settled along the Brazos River. -
The Mexican-American War of 1846 to 1848 marked the first U.S. armed conflict chiefly fought on foreign soil. It pitted a politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S. President James K. -
The Gold Rush had a profound impact on California, dramatically changing its demographics. Before the discovery of gold, the territory's population was approximately 160,000. According to estimates, more than 300,000 people came to the territory during the Gold Rush. -
The Civil War was the conflict between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy) over the expansion of slavery into western states and over the preservation of the Union. This war was had a higher fatality rate out of all of the wars fought in America combined. This sad event shaped our government for the better and opened the eyes of Americans to the brutality of slavery. -
11 states had seceded from the U.S. and the Confederate states were formed. Jefferson Davis was elected as president of them a day later.