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Louisiana Purchase
A land deal between the United States and France in 1803, made by Thomas Jefferson. The U.S. gained about 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. -
Acquisition of Florida
The Adams-Onis treaty was the treaty between the United States and Spain that gave Florida to the U.S. The treaty was negotiated between John Quincy Adams, who was Secretary of State at the time. -
Missouri Compromise
Made by Congress to try to diffuse the sectionalism between the North and the South, which was triggered by the fact that Missouri would become a slave state and make the balance between free states and slave states shift over to one side rather than the other. This compromise made it so that Maine would become a state along with Missouri, one becoming a slave state and one becoming free. -
Annexation of Texas
Started by President John Tyler and finished by President James K. Polk, the annexation of Texas was refused many times before happening fully. Democrats were pro-annexation, while Whigs were anti-annexation. -
Acquisition of Oregon
The Oregon Treaty of 1846 was an agreement that set boundaries between Canada and the United States, the treaty settling conflicts between the British and the U.S. about this land. It set the end of Oregon on the 49th parallel, west of the Rocky Mountains. -
Donner Party
A group of Americans that went out on a wagon trail, heading for California. They started at Independence, Missouri, delayed by small mishaps and getting stuck in Sierra Nevada, snowbound. The pioneers had to end up resorting to cannibalism to survive the winter. -
Discovery of Gold in California
James W. Marshall saw something floating in Sutter Creek, discovering gold while watching over the construction of the sawmill on the American River. -
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Ended the Mexican-American War in favour of the United States. The war itself was a territorial debate about Texas, and the treaty added 525,000 square miles to the U.S. This includes land that is Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. -
Compromise of 1850
A set of five bills that attempted to once again diffuse the fight between free states and slave states, this time with territory that was gained from the Mexican-American War. -
Gadsden Purchase
An agreement between the United States and Mexico, the U.S. agreeing to pay Mexico $10 million for modern day Arizona and New Mexico. This purchase provided land for a railroad and attempted to fix any conflicts left over from the Mexican-American War. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
This created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, the initial purpose being to open up farmland and to make a Western railroad.