Treaty of Adams0 Onis

The Adams-Onís Treaty was one of the most important land treaties in the United States history. The treaty was between the United States and the government of Spain and signed on February 22, 1819 by secretary of state John Quincy Adams, and Spanish minister Luis de Onís. Upon the signing of the treaty, our Senate ratified it quickly and unanimously. Spain though was stalling, as they wanted to buy time for themselves in propping up their colonies in the rest of the New World in hopes of getting the U.S. to give them more than they were receiving in the treaty. A new ratification was necessary, this time there were objections on the U.S. side. Henry Clay and other Western spokesmen demanded that Spain also give up Texas in the second signing. Their proposal was defeated by the Senate, which ratified the treaty for the second time on February 19, 1821 and the two nations exchanged ratification papers three days later with the treaty proclaimed on February 22, 1821, two years to the day after the original signing.
The beginning of the process for the treaty actually was started in 1819. During the First Seminole War, American General Andrew Jackson exceeded his orders. He was authorized to fight for and protect Americans in U.S. controlled Georgia. He overstepped his bounds and invaded the Spanish colony of Florida in pursuit of escaped African-American slaves, Native Americans and escaped convicts. Jackson’s efforts essentially put Eastern Florida in control of the U.S. and left Spain with only a marginal hold on Western Florida. Many called for General Jackson’s firing as well as charges brought against him for his transgression. The Spanish demanded an explanation and apology for Jackson's capture of two garrisons at St. Ma...

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...nited States, as well as settling the boundary dispute for Texas and definitively settling the dispute of boundary lines along the Sabine River and the U.S. claims in the Rocky Mountains and then west to the Pacific Ocean. In return, Spain got the U.S. to agree to pay residents’ claims against the Spanish government by Florida residents up to the amount of $5,000,000 as well as granting Spain the claims we had made on Texas west of the Sabine River and other Spanish lands to the west.
The treaty did a lot to promote nationalism in the United States. We did give up some land overall to the Spanish, but before the treaty, our country was broken up land wise, and not in a continuous group. The treaty fixed that problem, and made it possible for manifest destiny, or the expansion of our nation to the west as eventually gaining all the land we currently call America.