Name: _____________________________
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US History I
The United States Expands
Mapping Exercise
Your map has been divided into regions representing stages in United
States expansion. Follow the steps below to complete the activity.
1. Fill in the blanks and then locate each region on your outline map. Label
each region with its name and the year it became part of the United States:
Florida
Oregon Country
Louisiana Purchase
Mexican Cession
United States (1783)
Texas Annexation
Gadsden Purchase
Area ceded by Britain in 1818
A) ______________________________ Congress annexed this territory in 1845 by a joint
resolution.
B) ______________________________ In 1846, Britain agreed to United States control of
this territory south of the 49th parallel.
C) ______________________________ This territory was acquired in 1848 through the
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
D) ______________________________ In 1853, the United States bought this territory from
Mexico for $10 million.
E) ______________________________ The United States purchased this large territory from
France in 1803.
F) ______________________________ One result of the Convention of 1818 was British
cession of this territory to the U.S.
G) ______________________________ Spain ceded this territory to the United States in
1819.
H) ______________________________ This territory represents United States expansion to
1783.
2. Label the following on your map:
Atlantic Ocean
Canada
Gulf of Mexico
Mexico
Pacific Ocean
British Territory
Mississippi River
3. Use different colors to show the different regions of expansion, Canada, and Mexico
(create a key):
4. Which states were carved from the Mexican Cession? (The land the US got from Mexico)
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5. Examine the different regions and summarize how the boundaries of the U.S. mainland were
formed. In other words, what were the causes that led to the effect of present-day U.S. borders.
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6. Critical Thinking: How does your map illustrate the idea of “manifest destiny”?
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7. Critical Thinking: What do you think Britain and Mexico thought of manifest destiny? Explain
your response citing evidence from the textbook and/or your map.
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