Back in the 1800’s, the United States’ dreams of moving west became a reality. New lands and territories were added to the United States. Although, with this great deal of new land, was this more than the country could handle? Major consequences came along with this geographical expansion. Taking both, the Louisiana Purchase and the Adams-Onis Treaty into consideration you will also learn how and why Texas was annexed. With the growth of the United States, slave-holders also sought out for more land in order to keep slavery alive. Many compromises were set in check after this altering expansion went into action. Some states were against the expansion and others thought it was their only hope to keep their country from sinking. In 1803, President …show more content…
Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French government for $15 million. This was known as The Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from Canada to New Orleans, and it doubled the size of the United States. This increase added over approximately 827,000 square miles of land. Before it was sold three different countries had control over Louisiana. France, Spain, and Great Britain. After the French-Indian Wars, France lost its hold on America and had to give away its land in the region. The western parts of Louisiana were controlled by Spain while the eastern regions were under the British rule. When America got independence from Britain, the eastern regions automatically became a part of American territory. The western regions however, were still under the control of Spain. Spain was not flourishing after this adjustment. France was willing to distribute parts of Italy to Spain in exchange for Louisiana. The deal was finalized and France got back its control over the region. At this time the yellow fever disease was happening. This sickness was spreading and taking many people’s lives. With the loss of many people due to this disease Napoleon was suffering financially. Napoleon was now in debt after the tragic outbreak of the illness and was in desperate need for money. Along with many other vague reasons on selling the land he made promises to Spain that were clearly not going to be made. Jefferson also feared the New Orleans port would be cut off and no longer in action to the American traffic. Talleyrand, Napoleons foreign minister was then brought to the table to discuss the borders and prices for the land. Without even being confirmed with Jefferson, current President at the time, they made an agreement to sell the entire land to America for fifteen million dollars. After the purchase was made the unexplored land was unfamiliar to the people of the U.S and even France. Thomas Jefferson at the time asked Congress for money to take an expedition through the new land. The President chose Lewis to set off on this trip, knowing he had experience and along with him he brought Clark. Their main goal was to find a water way passage from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. In addition, the expedition established relations with the Native Americans in the region, one of President Jefferson's main goals. Like with every action there is a reaction.
Many consequences followed this purchase. Enlarging the United States, the tension between the North and South only increased. With states already stuck in the middle of the decision upon slavery, they now had to come to an agreement whether or not slavery was allowed in the new land. The North wanted to abolish slavery forever simply because of how awful it is to own another human being and force them to work without pay. The South however found slavery work to not only be alright and a part of the Southern lifestyle but they found it to be what helped fuel some of their industries. Increasing nationalism was another outcome of this purchase. With this being a positive reaction people were proud with the country they lived in. Economically, the purchase had a major short-term impact. It allowed American goods to once more go down the Mississippi and out to the sea via New Orleans. In the long term, it gave the US lands that were to have tremendous agricultural and mineral importance for our economy. Pros and cons definitely arose during this purchase but if the French never sold us the land back in the day I don’t think our nation would be how it is to this …show more content…
day. Problems surfaced when the citizens and states weren’t entirely clear where the border lay between the territory that was granted from France and the territory south of Spain. The Adams-Onis Treaty was set into place in 1819. This treaty was an agreement between the United States and Spain which established the southern border of the Louisiana Purchase. A clear border needed to be defined. The new borders included present day California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. In the years following the Louisiana Purchase Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe were trying to obtain East and Western Florida. Negotiations were made and once the borders were clearly defined and established Adams and Onis signed the agreement on February 22, 1819. A compromise boundary was established between the U.S. and Spanish territory, and the United States gave up claims to Texas in exchange for Spain giving up any claim to territory in the Pacific Northwest. The annexation of Texas led to a strong, and larger nation. A downfall of this action was that it resulted in another slave state and led to a war with Mexico. Slavery played a major role in politics in the West and in Washington.
Having 11 non-slave states and 11 slaves states creating an equal balance throughout the nation was now at risk once the new western territories were incorporated into the United States. Defenders of slavery relied on a central principle of fairness and had to find a center of balance to grant the rights of these states. Missouri entered the union as a slave state in 1819 but had to also allow Maine in as a non-slave state to keep the balance of non-slave and slave states equal. The Missouri Compromise was an effort by Congress to defuse the sectional and political rivalries triggered by the request of Missouri late in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be permitted. Many years later the William Proviso was proposed to ban slavery in territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. Many northerners lined up behind this proposal and supported “free soil.” Free soil meant that territory in which slavery would be prohibited, because they wanted to preserve the West for free labor-not for slaveholders or slaves. In other words their main argument was that on free soil any man should be able to walk freely. Not lasting long this party lasted until about
1852. Manifest Destiny is a term for the attitude prevalent during the 19th century period of American expansion that the United States not only could, but was destined to, stretch from coast to coast. Americans believed that the United States was meant to reach from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. They hoped that this agreement would take over from the Atlantic to Pacific coast. While the Kansas-Nebraska Act created 2 new territories it also repealed the Compromise of 1850. The bill gave the choice to the people of those two states to choose if they wanted slavery or not. Southerners were happy knowing they still had an option of being slave states as for the Northerners were furious, concerned there would be two more slave states in the union. Under the Missouri Compromise, being said that except for Missouri slavery was to be excluded from the Louisiana Purchase lands north of latitude 36°30′. This caused issues once the Dred Scott case was put in front of a court. Dred Scott, a former slave lived with his slave owner in a free state. He wanted to return Missouri, a slave state but was told by the court that no black man could gain U.S. citizenship. This case was recognized by the North and South and arose even more tension, which would turn into a war shortly after. All in all once our countries dream was granted many factors played out in this expansion. Without the help of other countries and Compromises set in stone to make this growth actually work we wouldn’t be the large, free country we are to this day. With the Louisiana Purchase actually making the addition happen many issues did arise from it as you read. Later leading to wars we had our Northern Free States and Southern slave states always at feud with each other. With certain compromises set in place to try and lessen the tension the Manifest Destiny also was achieved and kept our dream alive for years. With the Westward Expansion being in place it set our countries borders and allowed us to have the nation we have today.
Congress was put in a tough position when Missouri applied for statehood, for they couldn’t have an uneven number of states. If they didn’t have an even number, they would have to come up with another idea to make slave states and free states equal, such as adding a state or neutralizing an existing slave state. Instead of making one of the existing twenty-two states neutral to slavery they accepted Maine as free state. The acceptance of Maine as it’s own state did not occur until 1820, but the addition of it did even the amount of slave states and free states to twelve and twelve. The Missouri Compromise did not only ban slavery from Maine and allow s...
One action taken by the United States government that was influenced by geographic factors was the Louisiana Purchase. There were many historical circumstances that resulted in the government’s action. Louisiana was originally owned by the French until France sold it to the United States. Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana in 1803. The influence of this geographic factor occurred because as the United States had expanded westward, navigation of the Mississippi River and access to the port of New Orleans had become critical to American commerce. The purchase of the Louisiana territory, including New Orleans, was for $15 million. The acquisition of approximately 827,000 square miles would double the size of the United States. This also gave the United States control of the Mississippi River. This had a lot of impacts on the United States. It increased western expansion which was included in the Manifest Destiny. The Manifest Destiny was a 19th-century doctrine that the United States had the right and duty to expand throughout the North American continent. But, this expansion did lead to conflicts...
During the 19th century, America had an expanding idea of Manifest Destiny, where they would claim land all the way to the east coast. While the government and the citizens were focused on exploring new land, they were able to acquire much of the new land, introducing new people and ideas. Many of these people and ideas were vastly different than the original in the thirteen colonies, which frustrated many people. When these different people and beliefs collided, many disputes and disagreements were born, which intensified the results of sectionalism, unfortunately leading up the Civil War, having a huge impact on the country.
It also allowed for continued easy trade through New Orleans, which was a major motivation to make the Purchase (History). However, it did have its negative consequences, namely that, while France may have sold the land, many Native Americans still considered it their home, and for Jefferson’s plan to fill the land with farmers to succeed, they would have to be removed, additionally much of the wildlife on this frontier suffered. Though this probably would have happened even if Jefferson did not make the purchase, his action did speed up the
The Missouri Compromise acted as a balancing act among the anti-slave states and the slave states. Since states generally entered the union in pairs, it stat...
... a few years to complete discovered various plants, animals, and Native American Tribes that were undisturbed and forgot about before that time. This purchased benefited both sides in the form of money to the French and land going to the United States to continue the growth of their respective countries. Many great things come from the Louisiana Purchase such as the California Gold Rush in the 19th century. It also led to a split in the nation between the north (free states) and the south (slave states) in the form of which of the new states would be free or slave. These different views eventually led to a civil war, but if it wasn’t for the Louisiana purchase, no economical or geographical growth would have occurred. If it wasn’t for the Louisiana Purchase led by Thomas Jefferson, the United States may only still be the 13 colonies we had at first in my opinion
As the country began to grow and expand we continued to see disagreements between the North and South; the Missouri Territory applied for statehood; the South wanted them admitted as a slave state and the North as a free state. Henry Clay eventually came up with the Missouri Compromise, making Missouri a slave state and making Maine it’s own state, entering the union as a free state. After this compromise, any state admitted to the union south of the 36° 30’ latitude would be a slave state and a state north of it would be free. The country was very much sectionalized during this time. Thomas Jefferson felt this was a threat to the Union.
So a major reason for Texas to be annexed into the United States was that the overwhelming majority of the population was former Americans. From the very time of winning independence, annexation of Texas to the United States was at the top of the list of things to do. But as soon as the Texas minister was sent to Washington to negotiate for an annexation, the Martin Van Buren administration said that the proposition could not be entertained. The reasons given were constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico. The real reason behind Washington’s excuses is slavery....
The years 1840 to 1890 were a period of great growth for the United States. It was during this time period that the United states came to the conclusion that it had a manifest destiny, that is, it was commanded by god to someday occupy the entire North American continent. One of the most ardent followers of this belief was President James K. Polk. He felt that the United States had the right to whatever amount of territory it chose to, and in doing this the United States was actually doing a favor for the land it seized, by introducing it to the highly advanced culture and way of life of Americans. Shortly after his election he annexed Texas. This added a great amount of land to the United States, but more was to follow. The Oregon Territory became a part of the United States is 1846, followed by the Mexican Cession in 1848 and the Gadsden Purchase in 1853. At this point the United States had accomplished its manifest destiny, it reached from east to west, from sea to shining sea. Now that the lands it so desired were finally there, the United States faced a new problem- how to get its people to settle these lands so they would actually be worth having. Realistically, it is great to have a lot of land, but if the land is unpopulated and undeveloped, it really isn't worth much. And the government of the United States knew this. One of the reasons that many did not choose to settle there immediately was that the lands were quite simply in the middle of nowhere. They were surrounded by mountains, inhabited by hostile Indians, and poor for farming. Because of these geographical conditions, the government was forced to intervene to coax its citizens into settling the new lands. Basically the lands were not settled because they were available, they were settled because of various schemes the government concocted to make them seem desirable.
The Civil War, a devastating conflict amongst the American North and South in the mid to late 1800s, was caused by growing tension between the opposing sides for many reasons but also because of territorial expansion of America. In determining the impact of territorial expansion in the mid 1800’s on the sectionalism that led to the civil war, one would first have to look at the tactics for territorial expansion in America. Americans began to entertain the idea of heading west in the early 1800’s, which then brought forth the acts and events of the United States spreading its boundaries from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Historical events involving the expansion of America such as Manifest Destiny, the War with Mexico, and popular sovereignty in the west, all contributed to the growing tension between the North and the South, ultimately starting the Civil War. In the early nineteenth century, most Northerners and Southerners agreed entirely that Americans should settle Western territories, and that it was God’s plan, or their “manifest destiny.”
Westward movement is the populating of lands, by the Europeans, in what is now known as the United States. The chief resolution of the westward expansion is economic betterment. The United States story begins with westward expansion and even before the Revolutionary war, early settlers were migrating westward into what is now known as the states of Kentucky,Tennessee, parts of the Ohio Valley and the South. Westward Expansion was slowed down by the French and the Native Americans, however the Louisiana Purchase significantly improved the expansion efforts. Westward expansion was enabled because of wars, the displacement of Native American Indians, buying land, and treaties. This paper will discuss the effects of westward expansion on domestic politics and on American relations with other nations.
The Louisiana Purchase was the most influential and important land purchases in American history. The acquired land in this historical purchase proved to far outweigh what most Americans at the time could imagine. The Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the United States, and lead to many great discoveries and societal benefits. Some of the major and most prominent ways that the Louisiana Purchase influenced the evolution of American were the expeditions of Louis and Clark on the newly acquired westward territory, increase in the countries resources, which in turn increased in trade and resulted in a richer, more economically stable country, and it also played a very pivotal role in the relationship with African Americans, which still is remembered and prevalent in today's society.
Correspondly, the senate passed the Missouri Compromise in February 1820, which allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state, making the free and slave states balanced once again. Another amendment was passed to prohibit slavery in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase north of the southern border of Missouri. This event envisioned a possible threat to the relationship between the North and South. Moreover, the United States began to believe in a manifest destiny, a god-given right to expand its territory until it had absorbed all of North America, including Canada and Mexico.... ...
In 1803 the United States would make the largest and possibly most controversial land purchases in American history, the Louisiana Purchase. During the years leading up to this event the United States was still trying to solidify a national identity. There were two subjects that were causing for division of the new national identity, one being westward expansion. The Northern states and Federalists opposed the idea of westward expansion while the Southern States and the Jeffersonians backed this purchase. Although there was a struggle for a single national identity and this controversial purchase did not aid in finding that single identity, it was still the right decision for the United States. By purchasing this land from the French the United States would not share a colonial boundary with the French who were continuing to gain power under Napoleon. Purchasing the Louisiana Territory would prove to be beneficial for the United States for more reason than one.
It was not very easy for the United States to expand like they had in mind. The division of land had been a rising problem since the Revolutionary war. Two of the main issues during the time of the Articles of Confederation were the pricing and land measurement (Potter and Schamel 1). Throughout the course of over fifty years, the government had tried many different attempts to get people to want to expand to the west. They just didn’t really know the right way of how to go about it. Trying to sell the acres did not go over well, considering the price seemed outrageous for what they were getting. Untouched soil was very hard to start on and be successful from the beginning, which caused some problems with people not wanting to buy the land (Weiser 1). So again, a different political group tried a different approach.