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Original 13 Colonies
The original 13 colonies were a part of Great Britain. The English settlers were given permission by the king and queen to settle in this land, and eventually, the 13 colonies broke free of Britain in the Revolutionary War. This war lasted 8 years and weakened the U.S. economy.
The U.S. created the Declaration of Independence, which is a statement of the second Continental Congress that defined the colonists' rights, outlined their complaints with Britain, and declared their independence. -
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Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny is the belief that Americans had the devine right to expand the country all over North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Americans believed God gave them the right to expand Westward. -
Northwest Territory
The Northwest Territory was obtained by the U.S. in 1783, after the signing of the Treaty of Paris. Five states were created from this territory, being Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
In order for a territory to become a state, the population must be 60,000, the settlers in the territory must draft a constitution, there must be a Bill of Rights, slavery must be outlawed, education must be available to the public, and congress must give the territory permission to be a state. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana territory was purchased from French leader, Napoleon for $15 million. The MS River and New Orleans city was important to the U.S. because the river distributed goods throughout the country and New Orleans was a major trading port. President Thomas Jefferson was credited with the purchase of this land, and the Louisiana purchase increased the U.S. size, helping us expand westward. -
Adams-Onis Treaty
The Adams-Onis Treaty was a treaty which helped the U.S. obtain Florida in exchange for TX. The Seminole Indians were raiding U.S. territories, so president Monroe sent Andrew Jackson to FL, where Jackson invaded Native American territory without the president's consent. This act was unconstitutional, however, it gave Jackson popularity from the people of America. -
Texas Annexation
Americans moved to TX because the Mexican government promised them cheap land, however, they were taking away Americans' rights, forcing U.S. citizens to become Mexican citizens, they had to support the Catholic church, and slavery was outlawed. TX became a republic, but Mexico refused to see it as an independant country. It could not join the union because it would create more slave states than free states, giving the opportunity for slavery to be legal in all of the U.S. -
Oregon Territory
The Oregon Territory was obtained in 1846 after the signing of the Oregon Treaty. This treaty was signed to avoid war with Britain, and this created the present day states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. -
Mexican Cession
The Mexican-American war began because Mexico cut off all ties with the U.S. and they banned American immagration in California, as well as killed Americans on U.S. territory. The war was ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The states created were Nevada, California, Utah, most of Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of Colorado. -
Gadsden Purchase
The U.S. agreed to purchase this land to avoid war and conflict for $10 million. This purchased parts of present day Arizona and New Mexico. With the Gadsden purchase, continental boundaries were fixed and Manifest Destiny was complete, because the U.S. finally expanded from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific.
