300px northwest territory usa 1787

Development of the frontier from the time of the Northwest Ordinance to the 1890s

By StudentWithRamen

  • Northwest Ordinance

    Passed by Congress to establish laws in the Northwest territory.

  • Enabling Act

    Passed by the 7th Congress of the united State, the Enabling Act set the rules and procedures for adding new states.

  • Louisiana Purchase

    Purchase of the Western territory from the French.

  • Lewis and Clark Expedition

    Expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the western area bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

  • Lewis and Clark's Expedition Ends

    Lewis and Clark come back home with treasure troves of new information.

  • Indian removal Act

    Signed by President Andrew Jackson to relocate Indian tribes to unsettled lands in exchange for the area the tribes currently lived within the state borders.

  • Gold Rush

    Gold is discovered in California.

  • Oregon Trail Established

  • Homestead Act

    Signed by President Abraham Lincoln to encourage Western migration by promising 160 acres of land to settlers in exchange for a small filing fee.

  • Frontier disappears

    Fences cage in the open space and make it harder to move cattle.