Inevitable Expansion West

The Lousiana Purchase

1803

In my opinion, The Louisiana Purchase was the biggest event that led to inevitable of expansion west for Americans. This purchase, made by Thomas Jefferson, doubled the land area of the United States and made it possible for settlers to find huge open spaces west of the Mississippi River. This early event meant that Americans with a pioneering spirit now had land to settle and maybe call their own. That was irresistible for many in the new nation.

The Indian Removal Act

1830

This event was important because native tribes had large areas of land that were in the path of westward expansion. The State of Georgia wanted to remove them but the Cherokee won a supreme court decision to keep the land. The Indian Removal Act allowed Native American relocation off of their land by force to the areas west of the Mississippi. This caused great suffering for the tribes,but it opened up westward expansion for Americans with government approval, which now seemed inevitable.

Manifest Destiny is Declared

1845

John L. O’Sullivan, the editor of a popular magazine, creates the term Manifest Destiny to claim the Americans have the right to all lands west to the Pacific Ocean. Texas is Controlled by Mexico, but O'Sullivan argues that it should be a part of the United States. The idea of Manifest Destiny becomes popular.

The Mexican-American Conflict

1846

This is an important event because the idea of Manifest Destiny gets tested when the United States wants to annex the Texas land which is controlled by Mexico. The result is the Mexican-American war, and in two years, the Americans succeed to claiming Texas as part of the United States, not Mexico. The westward expansion gets stronger.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

1848

The treaty ended the war with Mexico and gave the United States more than 525,000 square miles of territory that was controlled by Mexico. This land includes Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and a part of Colorado. Reaching the Pacific Ocean was now inevitable. Having this land allowed the Manifest Destiny to the Pacific Ocean be complete and allowed settlers to create better trails, like The Oregon Trail, to expand the possibilities for settlers to move west.

The Gadsden Purchase

1853

This event is important because the purchase of this land pushes the border of Mexico farther south, and though this land is especially good for settlers, it is perceived to be important to extend the railroads west to California. Having this link to California will be important to allow Manifest Destiny to nearly be fulfilled.

The Transcontinental Railroad

1869

This railroad was important to westward expansion because it linked the eastern United States with the western United States. After it was completed settling of the west could advance quickly because it brought trade and travel to large regions the country for settlement. The economy and business of these areas could now grow and in a much faster than relying on trails or rivers. This helped make more westward expansion inevitable.