America's Journey West

  • Louisiana Purchase

    THe Louisiana Purchase spread from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
  • Missouri Compromise

    Slavery was allowed in Missouri, but not in Maine, Balanced congress. Not applicable to western states that weren’t included in the Louisiana Purchase.
  • Manifest Destiny

    People who lived in trans-Appalachian West moved west seeking economic opportunity
  • Texas Annexation

    The settlers in Texas won independence from Mexico and joined the US. (slave state)
  • Oregon Treaty

    America took over Oregon from England, confirming the UK-American border separating America and Canada.
  • Mexican-American War starts

    More and more people continued to move west, crossing into the Mexican territory. Soon after, a war began when Mexico invaded US.
  • Treaty of Guadalupe

    The Treaty of Guadalupe ended the Mexican-American War.
  • Mexican-American War ends

    The Mexican-American War resulted in an attempt to pass a law saying no slavery in Mexico that the US could ever obtain. This failed, but resulted in more westward expansion.
  • Fugitive Slave Act

    The Fugitive Slave Act stated that slavery was not allowed in the north and was freedom for slaves of the south, but Southerners could reclaim runaway slaves.
  • Gadsden Purchase

    Mexico and America signed a treaty confirming that the US bought land from Mexico, which later became New Mexico and Arizona. THis treaty helped ease the tension between Mexico and America after the Mexican-American War.
  • Bleeding Kansas starts

    Slavery was still a huge question. State settlers could decide themselves if they slavery would be legal in their state. Northerners were angry. Kansas and Nebraska were struggling in deciding. Other states attempted to influence the state’s vote. Things went crazy and a civil war begun in Kansas.
  • American Civil War starts

    The Bleeding Kansas led into the National Civil War.