Key Territorial Acquisitions Guided Notes
Louisiana Purchase
What were the events leading to and motives for this acquisition?
It was too ___________________ for farmers to transport their goods across the
Appalachians Mountains. Therefore, Thomas Jefferson made inquiries to buy the land
around New Orleans. He hoped to helped farmers along the Mississippi River who
needed to ___________________ their products downriver to the French port of New
Orleans.
What were the location and geographic features of this acquisition?
(1803) France surprised Jefferson by offering him the _______________ area of
Louisiana which encompassed the ___________________ west of the Mississippi River
to present-day Idaho and north to Canada.
Florida Purchase
What were the events leading to and motives for this acquisition?
It was the result of the ________________________ between Spain and the United
States over the boundary lines of the Louisiana Purchase.
Also, relations with the Native Americans also __________________ the United States’
desire for this land.
What were the location and geographic features of this acquisition?
Spain sold _____________________ to the United States (1819) in exchange for money
and a clear border between the Louisiana Territory and New Spain.
The Northwest Territory Treaty Also Known as “Oregon Treaty”
What were the events leading to and motives for this acquisition?
Initially, Americans in search of economic opportunity in the fur ____________ moved
into the area. The farmers that followed the fur traders wanted to be part of the United
States.
The United States claimed the _________________ Territory based on the explorations
of Lewis and Clark. Britain also claimed it. After much negotiation, this treaty was a
________________________ with Great Britain.
What were the location and geographic features of this acquisition?
Some Americans wanted to claim the land to the 54 40 parallel, but the northern
___________________ of the United States was set at the 49th parallel.
Includes the present-day states of _______________________ and Oregon
The Annexation of Texas
What were the events leading to and motives for this acquisition?
Came a decade after the ____________ War for Independence from Mexico. Prior to
Texan independence, American southerners accepted Mexico’s invitation to move into
the Texas territory. These _______________ planters agreed to become Mexican
citizens and to follow Mexican law in order to have access to more fertile land for
cotton.
When a new dictatorial __________________ government enforced its control over
Texas, including the outlaw of slavery, Texas rebelled and fought a war to win their
independence. Texans wanted to become a part of the United States. At first, the U.S.
Congress would not _____________ Texas because it would upset the balance of free
and slave states. So, Texas was an independent country for 9 years.
When James K. Polk became president, running on the platform of _______________
Destiny, the United States Congress annexed Texas.
The Mexican Cession
What were the events leading to and motives for this acquisition?
This was the territory the U.S. __________________ as a result of winning the Mexican
War.
What happened? The Mexican War was a result of Manifest Destiny, the desire for
________________ ports, and the annexation of Texas. The U.S. wanted a port on the
Pacific coast in the Mexican territory of California. President ____________ tried to
buy this land but the Mexicans would not sell.
What happened next?
Since the Mexicans wouldn’t sell, after Texas was annexed, the United States sent
American troops into an area on the __________________ of Texas that the Mexican
government also claimed as their own. Shots were fired and a war started! The United
States ____________ Mexico and defeated the Mexican army.
What were the location and geographic features of this acquisition?
The treaty that ended this war ceded Mexican territory in what is now New Mexico,
Arizona, California, _______________, and Nevada to the United States.
What were other results?
The Mexican cession gave the United States access to Pacific ports and the
______________ fields of California.