-
original 13 colonies
The American colonies revolted against Britain due to the acts and regulations that Parliament imposed on them. Other states in this territory were added due to Manifest Destiny, which is the belief that God gave Americans the right to spread across North America. This shows that Westward Expansion was inevitable because Americans believed that they were destined to expand to the west. Some reasons why Americans migrated were to farm, trap, gain inexpensive land, or gain religious freedom. -
Lousiana purchase
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States in 1803. It was unknown if this was permitted by the Constitution, but the Senate approved it. Also, in the process of negotiating the price, the American ministers agreed to buy all of Louisiana without permission. The Westward Expansion was inevitable because Americans were eager to expand that America cut corners and disregarded rules in order to do so. -
Spanish cession
In 1819, Spain ceded its colonies due to rebellions. The colonies became American territories, then were eventually annexed by the United States. This shows that expansion into the Spanish territories was inevitable because the United States did not have to purchase this land and only had to annex it. -
Trail of tears
In 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, forcing Native Americans to migrate to the Great Plains. This migration is known as the Trail of Tears in which multiple Native Americans died. The Trail of Tears shows that expansion into Native American land was inevitable because even though the Supreme Court ruled that it was unlawful to take Native American land, Georgia continued to violate this ruling by auctioning off Cherokee land. -
Texas aqquisition
A war started between the American immigrants in Texas and Mexico because Mexico forced them to pay for imported goods. After a year, Texas declared independence from Mexico and became its own republic. Americans in Texas voted to be annexed by the United States, but they were not annexed until 1845. This shows that expansion into the Texas territory was inevitable because the citizens of Texas wanted to be part of America. -
Mexican cession
A war between the United States and Mexico occurred over the border of Rio Grande. In 1848, after surrendering, Mexico gave up about 500,000 square miles of territory and agreed to the Rio Grande border. Expansion into this territory was inevitable because it was needed to fulfill the American dream of Manifest Destiny. -
Gasden purchase
The Gadsen Purchase of 1853 was a territory that the United States bought from Mexico for $10,000. This purchase was written into a treaty by James Gadsen. The expansion into this territory was unavoidable because it was necessary for the United States to build a railroad line in the South.