Federal government

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