The Westward Expansion

By facebooker_413879363481142

  • Daniel Boone

    In the fall of 1767, Boone took a short excursion through the Cumberland Gap to Kentucky. On May 1, 1769, he headed back to Kentucky on a longer trip, helping to open a trail for future pioneers.
    Shawnee Indians captured him and one of his companions on December 22, stole their pelts and warned them never to return. Boone returned home but had no intention of heeding the warning.

  • Louisiana Purchase

    Thomas Jefferson buys the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million. This doubles the size of the United States and provides a large area to the west of the country for expansion.

  • Lewis and Clark

    Explorers Lewis and Clark map out areas of the Louisiana Purchase and eventually reach the Pacific Ocean. The excursion lasted over two years: Along the way they confronted harsh weather, unforgiving terrain, treacherous waters, injuries, starvation, disease and both friendly and hostile Native Americans. Nevertheless, the approximately 8,000-mile journey was deemed a huge success and provided new geographic, ecological and social information about previously uncharted areas of North America.

  • Indian Removal Act

    Congress passes a law to move Native Americans from the Southeast to the west of the Mississippi River. The Indian Removal Act was put in place to give to the Southern states the land that belonged to the Native Americans.

  • Battle of the Alamo

    Mexican troops attack the Alamo Mission killing all but two Texans. The Alamo’s 200 defenders commanded by James Bowie and William Travis held out for 13 days before the Mexican forces finally overpowered them.

  • Trail of Tears

    The Cherokee Nation is forced to march from the east coast to Oklahoma. This was also an event during the Indian removal Act, many thousands die along the way.

  • Texas

    The U.S. Claims Texas which later caused the Mexican- American War.

  • The Mexican-American War

    A war fought over the rights to Texas. After the war, the United States paid Mexico $15 million for land that later became, California, Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of several other states.

  • Oregon Treaty

    England signed the Oregon Treaty which handed over the Oregon Territory to The U.S.

  • Gold Rush

    James Marshall discovers gold at Sutter's Mill. People rush to California to become rich, soon as words out.

  • Forty-niners"

    Many move to California to find gold.

  • The First Transcontinental Telegraph

    The Pony Express of 1860 is shut down after the First Transcontinental Telegraph line was finished.

  • Pacific Railroad Act

    The United States government agrees to help fund a railroad from California to Missouri.

  • Homestead Act

    The U.S. government offers up free land to farmers who agree to live on the land for five years and make improvements to the land. Many people rush to places like Oklahoma to claim their land.

  • The Railroad is Complete

    The Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroads meet at Promontory, Utah and the railroad is completed.

  • Black Hills

    Gold is discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

  • The Barbed Wire

    The invention of the barbed wire caused ranchers to now use barbed wire fences to keep their cattle from ranging free.

  • Battle of Little Bighorn

    An American Indian army composed of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapahoe defeat General Custer and the 7th Calvary.

  • U.S. Government

    The government announces that the Western lands have been explored.