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Northwest Ordinance
Outlined the process for admitting a new state to the Union, and guaranteed that newly created states would be equal to the original thirteen states. -
LA Purchase
The United States purchased about 828,000,000 square miles of territory from France, doubling the size of the nation.The Louisiana Territory stretched from the Mississippi River in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the south to the Canadian border in the north. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
After the Lousiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark was sent to explore the territory beyond the "great rock mountains" in the West. Jefferson hoped that Lewis and Clark would find a water route linking the Columbia and Missouri rivers -
Florida Treaty
Florida was casuing problems with the Indians, Spain then quickly relized they can't keep Florida. The U.S. did not pay Spain for Florida but did agree to pay the legal claims of American citizens against Spain, to a maximum of $5 million. -
The Missouri Compromise
An effort to preeserve the balance of power in Congress between slaves and free states. This admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. -
Indian Removal Act
Treaty to negotiate with Indian tribes in the Southern United States for their removal to federal territory west of the Miss. River. All this for exchange for their homelands. -
Texas Independence from Mexico
Unanimous declaration of independence, by the delegates of the people of Texas to focus on the rights of the citizens. People in Texas felt like their rights were being taken away. -
Trail of Tears
The Indians were forced to relocate from the southeastern parts of the US. The removal included many members of the follwing tribes, who did not wish to assimilate: Cherokee, Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw. -
Oregon Settling
England was the 42 parallel, US wants the 54 parallel. US states that they already have people settled in Oregon, deal made at the 49 parallel. -
Mormons Migrate
After Joseph Smith died, his followers started to think about moving somewhere where they could live peacefully. -
Mexican Cession
After Texas joined the US, Mexico became furious. We declare war on Mexico, resulting in land that would later become California, Nevada, and Utah, as well as portions of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. -
California Goldrush
The discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley sparked the Gold Rush. As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco. -
Gadsden Purchase
An agreement between the US and Mexico for some land in Mexico, later known as Arizona and New Mexico. The US payed $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico. -
Alaska is Purchased from Russia
America was investing Alaska with a new importance. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the US government initiated a highway-building project through Canada to Alaska in the name of homeland security. Alaska joined the Union as the 49th state. -
US annexation of Hawaii
When war broke out with Spain in 1898, the military significance of Hawaiian naval bases as a way station to the Spanish Philippines outweighed all other considerations. The President signed a joint resolution, annexing the islands. Hawaii remained a territory until granted statehood as the fiftieth state in 1959.
