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THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE
During the 18th Century, France, Spain, and Britain continued fighting for dominance in Europe, while the new colonies in America became the first thirteen states established as a sovereign nation with the culmination of the American Revolution. With France controlling the largest portion of North America from Louisiana north to the Great Lakes, Spain firmly in Mexico and west of the Mississippi to the Pacific Coast, including Texas. In the late 1700’s, France ceded the Louisiana Territory to Spain, and their remaining northwest territory to Great Britain. The young nation of America had claimed the land from the North Atlantic Coast south to Georgia, and west to the Mississippi River. In 1795, while America’s growth continued, President Washington sent Thomas Pinckney to Spain negotiating a treaty, known as the Pinckney Treaty that would allow Americans use of the Mississippi River and storage of goods in New Orleans.. For several years, this remained a satisfactory arrangement until in 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte decided he would re-establish France once again in North America, sending his troops to take control of a potential revolt in Haiti (Saint Dominique), and re-acquired the Louisiana Territory from Spain. In 1802, France was controlling New Orleans, instructed Spain to cancel the 1795 treaty with the United States, thus cancelling the ‘right of deposit’.

Thomas Jefferson was in office as the third President of the United States and the year was 1803. Access to New Orleans, the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi River were strong concerns of his as this was crucial for exporting and international trade. The United States had intended to negotiate with France, and President Jefferson sent his r...

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... of Tears. Today the flowers grow along many of the trails that the Native Americans took West.” 1

TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO

In 1836, the people living in the area known as ‘Texas’ (which was governed by and part of Mexico) declared their desire to become an independent nation separating itself from the Mexican government. This became the Republic of Texas. Although today we can look at a map and clearly see the borders as they are; however, in 1836, it was not as clearly defined. The ensuing years was an on and off (but mostly ‘on’) series of raids and attacks by Indian tribes both in Mexico and in Texas. At the same time, the United States sought to gain that territory as its’ own by annexing Texas. Mexico threatened a war against the United States if annexation was achieved. On December 29, 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state in the Union.

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