Expansion

The early expansion of the United States, often referred to as Westward Expansion, was a significant period in American history. Here are some key points:

• Louisiana Purchase (1803): This was the first great expansion of the country. President Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French government for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans, doubling the size of the United States.

• Manifest Destiny: By 1840, nearly 7 million Americans, 40 percent of the nation’s population, lived in the trans-Appalachian West. Many pioneers associated westward migration, land ownership, and farming with freedom. In 1845, journalist John O’Sullivan coined the term “Manifest Destiny” to describe the belief that it was Americans’ destiny to carry the “great experiment of liberty” to the edge of the continent.

• Oregon Trail: In 1843, one thousand pioneers took to the Oregon Trail as part of the "Great Emigration".

• Gadsden Purchase (1853): The Gadsden Purchase added about 30,000 square miles of Mexican territory to the United States and fixed the boundaries of the “lower 48” where they are today.

• Annexation of Texas (1845): The annexation of the Republic of Texas led directly to the Mexican–American War, after which the victorious United States obtained the northern half of Mexico’s territory.

This period of expansion was marked by both opportunity and conflict, as the United States grew in size and diversity.