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Louisiana Purchase
The U.S. acquired the Louisiana territory from France in 1803. The U.S. paid fifty million francs and a cancellation of debts worth eighteen million francs for a total of sixty-eight million francs. (Picture from https://www.history.com/topics/louisiana-purchase). -
Indian Removal Act
A law signed by President Andrew Jackson authorized the president to negotiate with southern Native American tribes for their removal to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for their lands. (Picture from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/may28/indian-removal-act/). -
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California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is a peace treaty signed on February 2, 1848 between the U.S.A and Mexico that ended the Mexican–American War. With the defeat of Mexico, the two countries negotiated. The treaty gave the U.S. the Rio Grande as a boundary for Texas, and gave the U.S. California and a large area comprising roughly half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. (Picture from https://www.history.com/topics/treaty-of-guadalupe-hidalgo). -
California Statehood Granted
Under the Compromise of 1850, engineered by Henry Clay, California is admitted to the Union as a free state. (Picture from http://www.niftyfiftyquilters.com/cafunfacts.html). -
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail. It reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days and it became the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the transcontinental telegraph was established, and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States. (Picture from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pony-Express) -
Homestead Acts
The Homestead Act, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln, encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land. -
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First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a 1,912 mile continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay. This made travel much easier. -
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act authorized the President to survey American Indian tribal land and divide it into allotments for individual Indians. It provided 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing land to any Indian who accepted the act's terms, who would then become a US citizen in 25 years. The act was intended to help the Indians to integrate into white society, but in reality helpd to create a class of federally dependent Indians. (Picture from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Act). -
Arizona Statehood Granted
Arizona, the last of the 48 contiguous United States, is admitted to the Union, completing the century-long process of conquering and organizing the American West.
