Created by omajor on Dec 2, 2010
Last updated: 12/03/10 at 08:24 AM
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This was the purchase made in 1867 of Alaska by the United States. Secretary of State at the time, William H. Seward, made the initiative to purchase Alaska. This helped the US gain a lot more territory almost like the Louisiana Purchase. Secretary Seward purchased Alaska from Russia and ultimately benefited the US. This is a pure example of expansionism because it once again gave the United States so more territory to work with and build up. This purchase clearly helped the country to go and the opportunity for more resources.
This Pacific Railway Act in 1862 was when government gave money to railway owners (16,000 dollars) for construction to build railways and telegraph lines between the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean. This act also secured the government the use of those things for postal, military, an other purposes as well. This act was an example of expansionism because the government found a way to expand by combining and working together with railroad companies. With the telegraph lines, communication was reliable and different than before. With the railroads, they helped provide people from place A to place B more effectively to new places.
The Homestead Act actually came into law on January 1, 1863. It was an act that tried to encourage expansion by giving an applicant freehold title to up to 160 acres of undeveloped federal land outside the original thirteen colonies. This act played a major role for expansionism because it gave people the chance to expand outside of the thirteen colonies. With this land outside the thirteen colonies, people could develop and expand even more because they are given the opportunity to build up on their undeveloped land.
The Wilmot Proviso was an amendment introduced by a Pennsylvania Democrat, David Wilmot, to a war appropriations bill. The reason this law was created was to forbade slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. This bill caused the issue though that if slavery was not excluded by law, then the presence of the slave will exclude the laboring white man, which is why the Southerners called the bill the "treason of the Constitution". Expansionism was part of this event as well because it banned slavery from new territory that the Americans would get or already had. Without slaves, the Americans had more room to expand to territory acquired to Mexico without slavery interfering.
The war with Mexico started in 1846. The immediate reason for this war was the annexation of Texas in 1845. Another cause of this war was the movement of American pioneers into the lands that were already claimed by Mexico. This was the first war that was ever reported while it happened by daily newspapers. Although this war was of course a conflict, it also benefited the United States by giving it half a million square miles of territory added to the United States. This war was important to expansionism because it ended up giving the United States more territory.
The Indian Removal didn't REALLY start until 1830. this removal was to encourage the Indians to sell out their homelands and to just push the Indians out so American can claim the land with no negotiation about it. This act ended up moving the Indians to the West of the Mississippi River, This Indian Removal event had an affect on American expansion because by pushing the Indians out, the Americans had more room to expand and develop land. Without interference and other non-american groups , the Americans were able to expand throughout.
This doctrine came into play in 1823. The Monroe Doctrine stated that the Americas were closed to any further European Colonization . It was an important part of US policy because it justified many US actions in the Western Hemisphere. The US didn't want anymore Europeans invading in all of the Americas so they can keep the country stable. This doctrine focused on expansion because it pushed out an outside force (the Europeans) from coming in and invading or developing in the Americas, which game America the chance to continue growing without interference and problems with "outsiders".
The War of 1812 was this huge war Americans had with the British. The event lasted from 1812 to 1814. Because of the desire to expand, America proclaimed this war on the British for Northwest Territory. Some other conflicts that cause this war was the British support of American Indian tribes that were against American expansion and trade restrictions as well due to Great Britain's war with France. This event was ax example of expansionism because it later on caused America and Britain to have peace after the war. This peace allowed America to receive goods from Britain and have more resources and trading connection with another place.
This expedition helped prepare for Westward expansion. It let the government know how to get their resources. In 1804, President Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark out to explore up the Mississippi River to as far as present-day North Dakota. This expedition lasted two years and was used to gather information about the geography, natural resources, wildlife, and people of Louisiana. This expedition was helpful because it provided the chance for the US to have knowledge on unexplored lands and how they can expand once the know the resources and other things that are out there.
The Louisiana Purchase was Thomas Jefferson's attempt to buy land from the French. Louisiana was sold for 15 million dollars. This purchase was definitely beneficial for expansion because it also doubled the size of the United States. This purchase also brought forth the opportunity to access the Mississippi River as a supply line. This purchase did cause a little conflict and opposition as well. The US House of Representatives opposed the Louisiana Purchase, fearing that an increase in slave-holding states would worsen the divisions between North and South. The Louisiana Purchase was a great example of how the US expanded. It allowed more resources to come in (Mississippi River) and there was more land now that Jefferson decided to double the size of the US.
This Northwest Ordinance was an act developed by the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. This act basically establishes a line that slavery cannot go pass. It banned slavery in the territory and made the Ohio River the boundary between free and slave territory. This ordinance was the beginning of the balance of free and slave states. The Northwest Ordinance affected expansionism because it gave the US the chance to expand by gaining more states (due to the balance of free and slave states).
This was the first permanent English Settlement. People came to Jamestown for Colonization, Expansion, Resources, and to make a profit then return back to Europe. With the different colonies, there was always an opportunity to expand. In New England colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire) that were settled by Puritans, people had the opportunity of religious freedom. In Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware) where there were diverse immigrants, they also had the opportunity for religious freedom and farming. Then Southern colonies also played a role in the expansion in Jamestown as well. Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia that was settled by landless aristocrats and business men were colonies that were there for profit. Also in this colonies natural resources such as tobacco, rice, and indigo played a role in these colonies as well.
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