1787 - North-West Ordinance
regulation concerning the creation of new states in the north-west territory (region of the Ohio River)
to ensure peaceful treatment of Amerindians
to define how new states should be created
population of 5,000: it could elect its own (state) law - making body
population of 60,000: it could be a new state, with the same rights and powers as the original thirteen states
1803 - Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana (2,140,00 m2) in the middle of the continent belonged to France
Napoleon needed money to continue his wars in Europe so he sold Louisiana for 15 million dollars ($233 mil. now) to U.S.
it doubled the territory of the U.S. (all or parts of 13 new states would be formed there)
great achievement of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson
U.S. territorial acquisitions - 19th century
1819 - the purchase of Florida from Spain.
1845 - Texas Annexation (28th states)
a lot of American settlers (Texans) wanted to join the Union but Mexico objected
Texas declared independence (war with Mexico)
U.S. annexed Texas in 1845 and joined the conflict
1846 - 1848 - Mexican-American War about Texas
1848 - Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo - was a peaceful treaty between U.S. and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American war - today's California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado were handed to U.S.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were an explorers who in 1804 led the expedition across the continent:
to explore the land beyond Louisiana
to prove that there overland journey to the Pacific coast was possible
in 1805 four countries claimed to own Oregon: Spain (California), Russia (Alaska), Great Britain (Canada) and U.S.
British and Americans were in the strongest position in Oregon
by the 1830s the British had more settlements and trading posts in Oregon
Manifest Destiny - was an American ideology - a belief that it is natural that the territory of the USA should stretch from the Atlantic to Pacific.
that ideology was created to encourage new American settlers to move west (to outnumber the British)
Oregon Trail - overland route across the continent to Oregon (wagon trains, teams of oxen)
“Oregon Fever” - migration trend - people were convinced that by moving west they can start all over
1846 - Oregon Treaty - was a treaty signed by U.S. and Great Britain in which James K. Polk agreed to divide Oregon with Britain along the 49th parallel
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1848 - gold was discovered in California
people from all over the world came to California to look for gold
population grow rapidly - new settlers stayed in today's Nevada, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming
1850 - the state of California joined the Union - the process of U.S. expansion was symbolically completed
Manifest Destiny was fulfilled
Situation of the Amerindians:
1830 - Indian Removal Act (signed by President Andrew Jackson) - all Indian living east of the Mississippi River were to be moved to Indian Territory (today's Oklahoma) which was believed to be unsuitable for white farmers
The Trail of Tears - was a forced movement - Amerindian tribes were gathered by soldiers and forced to march hundred miles (from Georgia) to the Indian Territory (in today's Oklahoma) - it last almost five months - a quarter of the whole Cherokee nation were dead
Great Plains = the Prairies
called “The Great American Dessert” - white settlers only crossed it (killed buffalo!) on their way to Oregon
“sea of grass”, dry/ rainy periods, fires/floods, hot summers/ freezing winters, windy
originally inhabited by nomadic tribes e.g. the Sioux (depended upon buffalos)
at the end of 19th century white people began to settle there:
the importance of railroads - the first transcontinental line in 1869 (the line by the Central Pacific Railroad Company from California and the line by the Union Pacific Railroad Company from Mississippi meet in Utah)
settlers from all around the world were encourage to come and live in the Great Plains
Chinese workers (Central Pacific Railroad Company)
Irish workers (Union Pacific Railroad Company )
two main sources of money:
meat: cattle owners (especially Texas) hired “cowboys” to move their herd to the railroads to be transported to further regions
wheat: homesteaders (farmers - free large farms for any man over 21)
offered free farms in the West to families and settlers
each homestead consisted of 160 acres of land
any head of a family who was at least 21 years of age and an American citizen could claim one
after 5 years the land became theirs
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