Westward Expansion: The Growth of the US
The Growth of the US: How Did it Happen?
What do you think? How do you think the US grew from thirteen
territories to fifty states? Use your iClicker to answer.
a. The US bought the land
b. The US fought wars to win the land
c. The US found the land first and so won the land
d. The US made treaties with other countries to gain the land
The Louisiana Purchase
As the US expanded West
through exploration, they
came to the Mississippi
River and found that it ran
down to the Gulf of
Mexico, to the Atlantic
Ocean
The US wanted to use
the Mississippi River to
transport goods to the
ocean and export
goods to other
countries, but the port
of New Orleans was
controlled by France,
and France charged
the US a lot of money
to export from New
Orleans.
The Louisiana Purchase
Because of this, President Jefferson wanted to buy New Orleans, the
port city, to save the US a lot of money. He sent ambassadors to
Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor of France, to offer to buy the city of
New Orleans for $10,000,000.
Napoleon Bonaparte and the French wanted to fight a war with the
British. They were desperate for money, so Napoleon Bonaparte
offered to sell the entire territory of Louisiana for $15,000,000. This
would cost $0.03 per acre. The ambassadors agreed and purchased
the land. Do you think this was a good deal? Click 'a' for yes, and 'b'
for no.
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase
So, what happened next?
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President Jefferson sent Lewis &
Clark on their expedition to explore
the new territory from 1804-1806.
They walked over 8,000 miles,
going from coast to coast. Who can
remind us about the Lewis & Clark
expedition?
Because of the stories, pictures,
and items Lewis & Clark brought
back after their adventures,
Americans wanted to start moving
out West to explore new
opportunities.
In 1812, the US fought a second
war with the British, known as the
War of 1812.
The Florida Purchase
Also known as the “Adams-Onis Treaty”
Unfortunately, arguments
between countries sometimes
end in war. Neither Spain nor
the US wanted that, so the US
bought Florida for
$5,000,000. US Senator John
Adams and Spanish Minister
Do-Luis de Otis signed the
treaty. In 1819. By 1821, a lot
of US citizens were living in
the area.
After the Louisiana Purchase, the
US and Spain began to argue
about where the border of the
US-owned Louisiana territory
stopped and the Spanish-owned
Florida Territory began.
The Florida Purchase
Also known as the “Adams-Onis Treaty”
Polk for President!
The Oregon
Enter James Polk, a politician
Territory was
who wanted to be president.
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give the US
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Americans
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problems
with that.
And, allwould
of this give up the Oregon
area was
Territory, the US would go to
owned by
Mexico war with the British for the
third time.
So, why did we want the Oregon Territory, anyway?
Great question!
•Lewis and Clark explored the area during their expedition and found a lot of resources
•Americans who wanted to increase their wealth moved to the Oregon for fur trading, but had
to follow all of the British rules when they went because it was a British territory. They didn’t like
that.
•Remember from the Florida purchase that boundary lines are not actually drawn in the soil.
When Americans started moving to the Oregon territory, the US and Britain began having
border disputes
What do you think?
a. Polk for President! Kick those British out!
b. Maybe we could find a peaceful solution…
c. Well, if the British claimed the land first, they should have it
d. They should all leave! The Native Americans were there first!
The Oregon Treaty: A Compromise
In 1846, in order to
prevent getting into
ANOTHER war, Britain
just up and gave the
United States the
Oregon Territory up to
the 49th Parallel!! (which
is at the blue line on the
map)
Let’s look at this from the British perspective. What
would you have done if you were Great Britain?
a. No way I’m giving up MY land
b. We’ve really had quite a few wars recently…
maybe we could sell the land
c. Let’s keep the peace, and just give the land to
the Americans. We could use some allies.
The Oregon Treaty: A Compromise
The Oregon Treaty: A Compromise
The Annexation of Texas
• In 1823, Mexico invited Americans
to move to Texas to plant cotton,
provided that:
– Americans agreed to become
Mexican citizens
– Americans converted to Catholicism
– Americans agreed to follow all
Mexican laws (except a law of antislavery)
• Many Americans agreed so that
they could get a lot of cheap land
and get rich quick
The Annexation of Texas
In 1835, a new government took over
Mexico and enforced an antislavery law. Because of this, the
Texans rebelled and became their
own country when the won the
Texas War for Independence.
They wanted to become a US
territory, but were not allowed to
at first because they would upset
the balance of slave and free
territories. So, Texas was its own
country.
The Annexation of Texas
However, that didn’t last
for long! When James
Polk won the election in
1844, he promised to
make Texas a state. So
he annexed Texas
(allowed Texas to
become a part of the
United States as a
territory).
Let’s think about this from
Mexico’s perspective.
How would you feel
about this if you were
Mexico?
a. Glad
b. Sad
c. Angry
d. Ready to go to war!
The Annexation of Texas
The Mexican Cession
Let’s take a look at the US
Based on what you know of
map. In 1845, the United
President Polk, what do
States owned all of the
you think he did about
land that is circled.
this?
a. Bought the land
What
land
own?
b.
Went
to didn’t
war tothey
win the
land
c. Entered a treaty with
Mexico
The Mexican Cession
Whatever you clicked, you’re
right! President Polk, who ran
for office based off of his belief
in Manifest Destiny, really
wanted to secure a port in
California to make trade with
Asia easier. He offered to buy
the land from Mexico, but
Mexico was still angry about
the annexation of Texas and
Mexico still wanted the land.
So, Mexico refused to sell.
What did President Polk do?
The Mexican Cession
He declared war! The
Mexican War lasted from
1946-1948, and was
caused by the annexation
of Texas, the desire for
Pacific ports, and Manifest
Destiny. The United
States invaded Mexico
after a border skirmish,
and the war began!
The Mexican Cession
After many battles and heavy
losses on both sides, the
United States won the war and
was given the Mexican Cession
in the Treaty of GuadalupeHidalgo in return for $15
million. During the war,
California became its own
country for 26 days until the
US military came in and
claimed the land for its own. It
was called the ‘Bear Flag
Republic.’
The Mexican Cession