Topic 1/5 that leads to Western Expansion
Causes/Factors of Westward Expansion
Government funded exploration
Land purchase
Territorial expansion
Developing transport links/Communications
Acts to promote settlement (Congress)
Which country gave the USA Florida?
Spain
Louisiana Purchase
1803
How much land did the Louisiana purchase provide the USA? (Square miles)
828,000
Strengths of the Louisiana Purchase
Doubled the size of America
Rich in minerals
3 cents per acre - very cheap
Encouraged exploration
Limitations of the Louisiana Purchase
Land already inhabited
No financial aid
Dangerous to settle/travel there
Strengths of Government funded exploration
Provided knowledge of the area which increased settler’s confidence
Provided the first detailed account of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains
Limitations of Government funded exploration
Long called the Great Plains the ‘Great Desert’ and called it ‘inhabitable’
Didn’t initially lead to direct settlement
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
1803
The Lewis and Clark Expedition provided maps of ____ miles
4000
Strengths of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
Increased American pride and nationalism
Provided the USA 500,000 square miles (Land gain)
Ends war with Mexico
Limitations of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 1848
Reduced land gain because the North was worried about Slavery expansion
More sectional tension
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
1848
How much land did the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo provide the USA? (Square miles)
500,000
Strength of Roads
Made it safer for travel
Easier to travel to west and transport goods between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers
^^ Direct route from East to West
Limitations of Roads
Railways make it less important after 1869
No technological advancements e.g cars so still very long, difficult journeys
How many miles was the Cumberland Road?
620
Strengths of Funding Railroad construction
Allowed for people and goods to cross difficult terrain
Helped Manifest Destiny to be achieved
Large land grants on either side of the track
Lots of financial aid
Limitations of Funding Railroad construction
Was not just the federal government that funded it
Only in 2nd half of the century
Desert Land Act
1877
What is the Desert Land Act?
Offered settlers chance to purchase another 640 acres if they irrigated it within 2 years
How many acres of land did the Desert Land Act give the settler a chance to purchase? And after how many years?
640
2
When did the government fund the Cumberland Road?
1811
When was the Cumberland Road finished?
1837
When did Texas join the Union (despite clash with Mexico)
1845
The Gadsden Purchase
1853
What is the Gadsden Purchase?
Led to land acquirement from Mexico
Senate refused to buy unless amount of land purchased was slashed due to North and South tension
Allowed for construction of the southern transcontinental rail link
Homestead Act
1862
What is the Homestead Act?
Settlers could claim 160 acres of land if they lived on it for 5+ years
How many acres of land did the Homestead Act give the settler a chance to claim? And after how many years?
160
5
Morrill Act
1862
What is the Morrill Act?
Colleges to teach settlers how to farm effectively in the west
When did the Government give railway companies land grants etc…?
1862
Government aid to railway companies
Gave them land grants, considerable loans
Ensured the start of construction of the transcontinental railway
The Timber Culture Act
1863
What is the Timber Culture Act?
Offered settlers a further 160 acres if they planted 40 acres with trees within 10 years
How many acres of land did the Timber Culture Act give the settler a chance to claim? After how much area of trees planted? And after how many years?
160
40
10
Adams-Onis Treaty
1819
What is the Adams-Onis treaty?
Spain ceded Florida to the USA