Western Settlement Timeline

  • The First Fugitive Slave Act

    The first fugitive slave act said that some legal rights would now have to be given to slaves.
  • Louisiana Purchase

    Louisiana Purchase

    Thomas Jefferson sent James Monroe to purchase the Louisiana territory from France. The deal was made for fifteen million dollars and the size of the states doubled overnight.
  • Acquisition of Florida-Treaty of Adam

    Acquisition of Florida-Treaty of Adam

    The US was frustrated because their slaves were running away to Florida territory. Seminoles were also raiding Georgia land. Andrew Jackson was sent to patrol the border but instead decided to invade Florida.
  • Missouri Compromise

    Missouri Compromise

    Kentucky, Maine, and Missouri area were added to the United States.
  • Trail of Tears

    Trail of Tears

    Andrew Jackson ignored the orders of a treaty with the Cherokee. U.S. troops rounded up about 15,000 Cherokee and put them in prison camps. Local residents burned the native’s homes. Troops then sent the Cherokee west in groups of about 1,000 on a path known now as the Trail of Tears.
  • Annexation of Texas

    Annexation of Texas

    Texas territory was originally owned by Spain. Mexico defeated Spain and gained Texas. After a long revolution, Texas defeated Mexico and became its own country for ten years.
  • Gold Rush

    Gold Rush

    John Sutter was the first to discover gold in the California region, which spun off a mass frenzy in that area of the US. Northern California was built up in this time, because so many people were living there whilst searching for gold.
  • Oregon Trail

    Oregon Trail

    The trail went from Missouri to Oregon. It was about 2,000 miles long in total. It was used for transportation.
  • Compromise of 1850

    Compromise of 1850

    Henry Clay created this compromise. This affected the land we got from Mexico.
  • The Second Fugitive Slave Act

    The Second Fugitive Slave Act

    This is the Second Fugitive Slave Act and it states that stronger laws are needed to protect runaway slaves.
  • Homestead Act

    Homestead Act

    It promoted owning slaves.