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Louisiana Purchase
A Land deal between France and the United States which allowed the United states to acquire the land west of the Mississippi River (approx. 828,000 Sq Mi) -
Acquisition of Florida
Secretary of State John Quincy Adams achieved a diplomatic coup with the signing of the Adam-Onis Treaty, which officially put Florida into U.S. control. -
Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay formed a compromise which allowed Maine into the Nation as a free State and Missouri in as a slave state to keep the power between slave and free states evenly divided. -
Annexation of Texas
The Republic of Texas was admitted into the union as the 28th state. John Tyler was able to annex Texas after James K. Polk won the election on the terms that he would bring Texas into the Union. -
Donner Party
In May of 1846 the Donner Party set off from Independence Missouri to California. Unfortunately after a series of mishaps and delays the party was stranded in the Sierra Nevada during a have snow fall. Of the 87 originally pioneers only 48 arrived in california, many having to turn to cannibalism to survive. -
Acquisition of Oregon
The Oregon boundary dispute between the U.S. and Britain was settled with the signing of the Oregon Treaty: Gave Britain the land above the 49th parallel and the United States the land below. -
Discovery of Gold in California
James W. Marshall was the first person to discover the gold in the American River during the construction of a sawmill. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
The Treaty officially ended the War Between Mexico and the United States as well as giving the United states another 525,000 Sq. Mi. of land. -
Compromise of 1850
Proposed by Henry Clay, the Compromise of 1850 was a series of five laws all involving slavery. The Hope was to avoid crises between the North and South. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
This Act allowed for the territories of Nebraska and Kansas to decide for themselves whether or not they would allow slavery within their borders. It was served to repeal the Missouri Act, which stated that slavery was legal South of the 36°30´. -
Gadsden Purchase
A treaty between the US and Mexico. The United States agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico.