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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase contributed to westward expansion because it gave the United States a ton of land. This land would later become the states that would be a part of the North and South like Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana. These states would be become future union states and future confederate states and in the case of Missouri future border states. -
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Lewis and Clark expedition
The Lewis and Clark expedition was the expedition that explored the land obtained during the Louisiana Purchase. Their expedition gave the United States information about the geography, environment, and the people found in the area, like the Native Americans of which the United States would move out of the area so settlers could settle there instead. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was passed in March 2nd 1820. It established Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also established that any territory above 36˚ 30˚ would prohibit slavery. This contributed to western expansion not by expanding the border of the United States, but by furthering the western expansion of slavery -
Indian Removal Act
On May 28th Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. This act allowed for the mass removal of Native Americans from their land in southern states and border states like Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. They were kicked out for white settlers to settle the newly available space. -
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Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution was a rebellion in which multiple Americans and Tejanos revolted against the Mexican government. This revolution started October 2nd 1835 and ended the following on April 21st. The revolution ended with the establishment of the Republic of Texas. This Republic would only last 9 years until Texas got annexed by the United States. -
Texas Annexation
Following the independence of Texas president John Tyler proposed a treaty of annexation to the newly made Republic of Texas. It caused Mexico to sever diplomatic relations and it wasn’t until the support of the next president elect Polk that the annexation treaty was ratified and it wasn’t until December 29th 1845 Texas was officially a part of the U.S. This contributes to manifest destiny because it added one of the biggest and most important southern states -
California Gold Rush
In Sacramento Valley, California gold was found. Word got around about this discovery and over the next couple of years more and more settlers went out to the west coast in search of riches. More people traveled out west and populated the area thus contributing to westward expansion. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago
The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago was the treaty that ended the Mexican American War. The treaty gave the United States Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. This heavily contributed to western expansion because it gave the U.S. multiple states and greatly expanded the land that the U.S. owns. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was a collection of 5 bills that we’re issued to resolve slavery disputes in the new territories obtained from the Mexican-American war. It would permit slavery in Washington D.C., but outlawed the slave trade, it would add California as a free state, established Utah and New Mexico as territories that could decide whether they wanted slaves, defined new borders for Texas, and passed the fugitive slave act. This contributed to westward expansion by defining new territories -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act repealed the Missouri Compromise allowed for popular sovereignty. It also made two new territories of Kansas and Nebraska. These two territories had the ability to decide for themselves whether they would allow slavery and this decision would be settled to a vote. This was important to westward expansion because this would get rid of the Missouri Compromise which expanded the use of slaves