-
Period: to
Daniel Boone
One America's first folk heroes. He was an expert hunter, marksman, and tracker. Led the exploration and settlement of Kentucky. -
Period: to
Eli Whitney
Invented the cotton gin. Struggled to earn any recompense for his invention. Pioneered the "interchangeable parts" system. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
Lewis and Clark Expedition
They made their way up the Missouri aboard a keelboat and two smaller pirogues. As they traveled, Clark spent most of his time on the keelboat, charting the course and making maps, while Lewis was often ashore, studying the rock formations, soil, animals, and plants along the way. -
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was laid by fur trappers and traders from about 1811 to 1840, and was only passable on foot or by horseback. By 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho. -
Indian Removal/Trail of Tears
Working on behalf of white settlers who wanted to grow cotton on the Indians’ land, the federal government forced them to leave their homelands and walk thousands of miles to a specially designated “Indian territory” across the Mississippi River.