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Period: to
Movement West
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The Norwest Ordinance was a land agreement that created the Northwest Territory. This enabled the United States to expand into the Great Lakes area. It was forced upon Congress to pass because of the demand for the land from the Ohio Land Company and the increasing settlers in the area. The states created included Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. -
Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased a large area of land from the French. America was rapidly growing and people needed more land for growing crops and raising livestock. People began expanding west past the Appalachian Mountains. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expediton was the first American expedition to cross the modern day west United States. They departed from St. Louis in May of 1804. The objective of the expedition was to explore and map the new land that was previously gained by the United States. This helped the people gain knowledge of the newfound western land. -
War of 1812
The nation was quickly growing by 1812. The Americans wanted to expand their territories west of the Appalachian Mountains. This created tensions with native Americans. They were armed and supported by the British, who opposed American expansion in these territories. -
Purchase of Florida from Spain
On February 22nd, 1819, secretary of state John Quincy Adams signed the Florida Purchase Treaty. This opened new land for the Americans to explore and move to. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise resolved the argument about whether Missouri should or should not allow slavery. Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, while Maine entered as a nonslave state, which balanced the power in the Senate. Slavery was prohibited in the Louisiana Purchase,except for Missouri. -
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal was built to improve transportation. The people began building the canal in 1816, but it was officially opened on October 10th, 1825. The canal would connect the parts in New York. This relates to the westward expansion by opening more transporation to new areas for the people to move to. -
Trail of Tears
Many Indian tribes, such as the Cherokees, were told to leave their land and move to land in Oklahoma given to them by the government. This was called the Indian Removal Act. They refused to leave but President Jackson ordered the US Army to force them to move. Most walked in the rain, cold, and heat the whole way. Many cried, suffered, and some even died. This is why the journet is called the Trail of Tears. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act became a law in 1830. This law was passed because the states felt the land belonged to them, not the Native Americans. A lot of land was offered to the Native Americans, but most was not in the border of the United States. This would allow more Americans to move into the areas of the Indians. -
Annexation of Texas
The Mexixan-American war was fought between the United States and Mexico primarily over the territory of Texas. The Texans began to disagree with the government of Mexico. They declared their independence and fought several battles, including the Alamo. Texas joined the United States and made a peace treaty called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo agreeing that the Rio Grande was the border. The United States bought a large portion of land including California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona -
Mormon Movement
The Mormon Movement took place when the Mormon's followed a trail that is better known as the Mormon Trail. They used this trail to migrate west into what is now knows as Utah. The approximate 70,000 mormons followed this trail to establish a new home for the church. This expanded our knowledge of the land. -
California Gold Rush
Over 300,000 people rushed to California when gold was discovered. When gold was discovered in a new place, miners would move in and make a mining camp. They would grow rapidly and were called boomtowns. San Francisco went from 1,000 to 30,000 residents during the gold rush. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2nd, 1848. This treated ended the war that we know as the Mexican American War. When Mexico agreed to give up land for money, this expanded our land which resulted in several American States, such as California and New Mexico. -
Oregon Territory
The Oregon Territory was an incorporated territory that existed from August 14th, 1848 until February 14th, 1859. This territory had been previously owned by the Native Americans. This relates to the Westward movement because this opened a new land for the Americans to explore and inhabit on. -
Gadsden Purchase
A piece of land was bought by the United States from Mexico for $10 million. President Pierce wanted the land because it offered a practical route for a southern transcontinental railway. The land purchased is now known as Arizona and New Mexico. The United States-Mexico boundary was expanded southward between the Rio Grande on the east and the Colorado River on the west. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, the Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act organized the required land needed in the Louisiana Purchase, so territories could be admitted to the Union. This related to the Westward Expansion by allowing us to purchase new land for the citizens to live on. -
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act became a law in 1862 and was signed on May 20th by Abraham Lincoln. Under this law, a U.S. citizen could gain 160 acres of unoccupied land, as longs as they live on the land for five years. This act encouraged people to move out west, because the American East Coast was already developed. -
Transcontinental Railroad
People were able to travel faster, cheaper and safer when the main line of the Transcontinental Railroad was officially completed in 1869. The Transcontinental Railroad stretched from Omaha to Sacramento. Things such as mail and trade goods were now able to be shipped all the way across the country in a matter of a few days. Many small towns along the railroad boomed at this time. -
The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act was enacted in relation to the Native Americans and distribution of land to them. This especially included the ones in Oklahoma. The Dawes Act was passed by the Executive branch of the Federal Government to survey Indian tribal land. The premise was to divide the land into allotments for individual Native Americans. -
Spanish-American War
The Spanish-American War began on April 25th, 1898. Spain declared war on the U.S., because the U.S. supported Cuba's idea of being free from the rule of the Spanish. This relates to the Westward Movement and we gained lands such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine islands.
