Westward Expansion in the 1800's

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of Louisiana by the United States, under President Jefferson, from France. This allowed for the navigation of the Mississippi River and managed to provide easy access to the port of New Orleans. These two things were crucial in the nation's commerce. The purchase nearly doubled the size of the nation and allowed for expansion beyond the Appalachian Mountains.

The Missouri Compromise allowed admission of Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. This was a result of Missouri's initial application for statehood. In order to maintain the balance between free and slave states, Maine was also admitted into the union as a free state while Missouri was admitted as a slave state. Politics aside, this compromise led to the expansion of the nation's landholdings.

President Polk did not want to share Oregon Country with the British so he declared war in order to obtain more land that he deemed was rich in soil and good for farming. He also declared war with the intention of enforcing his ideology of "Manifest Destiny". In the end, we did obtain more land compared to before the war. This new land would make up the countries like: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican - American War that had began over territory disputes involving Texas. In the end, the treaty added the land that makes up Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The treaty also established the southern border of the United States as the Rio Grande.

The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlement of U.S. western territory at a rapid rate by permitting Americans and freed slaves to obtain 160 acres of land in the West. As a result of increased settlement in the West, Native Americans were yet again pushed further west to make room for the settlers that ranged from poor farmers, families, immigrants, and former slaves.

The Pacific Railway Act made it the goal to build a transcontinental railroad that would connect the East and West coasts of the United States. The railroad would cut down the travel time and allow for rapid settlement and import of goods from coast to coast. As a result, there was an increase in conflicts between the Native Americans and the new settlers that can easily reach these western lands.