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The Louisiana Purchase
The U.S. doubled their land for only 4 cents an acre. At the time, France was in debt and desperatly needed money to fund their wars with Britain. They offered to sell us all of the Louisiana territory. Thomas Jefferson could not turn down a deal like that- so he bought it. He was unsure whether or not he was violating the Constitution with the purchase, but bought it anyway. The Louisisna Purcchase was a great deal and helped Americans fulfill their dream of Manifest Destiny. -
Corps of Discovery Expedition
After purchasing the Louisiana territory, Thomas Jefferson sent out a group of men to try and find a waterway to the Pacific ocean from the Mississippi river that could be used for trade. On their journey, they also made treaties with Native American tribes and observed many new plant and animal species. They did not find a waterway, but their journey was successful in finding if there was one or not. The Corps of Discovery expedition paved the way for American settlers to move west. -
War of 1812
From 1812 to 1814 America was at war with Britain- again. This war was called the War of Poor Communication becasue one of the largest battles of this war happened 15 days after the treaty to end the war was already signed. Also, the Star Spangled Banner was written during this war when Francis Scott Keyes was watching the Battle of New Orleans. The war ended in a stalemate, but gave the Americans a new sense of nationalism. -
The Florida Territory
In 1819, the Adams- Onis treaty was signed, giving the Florida territory to the U.S. for 5 million dollars. Until then, the U.S. was trying to get the territory so that settlers could move down there and use the good land. Eventually, Andrew Jackson marched his troops into Florida and overthrew many of the Spanish colonies there. The Spanish leader agreed to sign the treaty. The Florida territory was an important addition to the U.S.. -
The Monroe Doctrine
James Monroe, the 5th President of the United States, wrote the Monroe Doctrine. It was created to keep European countries from trying to form territories in the Americas. The doctrine also said that any European countries that did come over would be considered in an act of agression and the U.S. would get involved. The Monroe doctrine successfully avoided many possible wars that could've happened. Overall, the Monroe Doctrine has helped the U.S. and continues to today. -
Indian Removal Act & The Trail of Tears
Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. This exiled many Native Americans from their homelands into what is now Oklahoma. The tribes affected were the Chocktaw, Chickasaw, the Creek, the Seminoles, but mainly the Cherokee. Although many of the tribes had signed previous treaties with the U.S, they disregarded that and exiled the tribes anyway. The Indian removal Act was an unfortunate peice of our nation's history. -
Texas
Texas became a state in the U.S. in 1845. Before then, it was Spanish territory. Texas fought for its independence from Mexico and won Later, Texas decided to join the U.S. and then became a state, Ever since then, the people of Texas have had a strong sense of pride in their state. -
Teh Mexican American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Mexico and America went to war in 1846. They had been disagreeing over borders and decided to got to war because of it. The U.S. took over California. Then, they signed the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war. The U.S. also recieved that land that was west of Texas. -
The Oregon Territory
"54 40 or Fight!" This phrase was used by James K. Polk to show that we wanted all of the Oregon territory. The U.S. and Britain got along with joint claim over the Oregon Territory for only 15 years. James K Polk convinced the American people that we would go to war if we didn't get all of the territory. The U.S. and Britain comprimised and the U.S. got all of the Oregon territory to the 49 degree latitude line. The U.S. was willing to fight for the land, but agreed to comprimise.
