Territorial Growth

Martina and Terrance have just guided you though the westward migration. You began with President Jefferson’s exceptional opportunity, the purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803. The Lewis and Clark Expedition, with the help of Sacajawea, mapped the new territory. Upon their return, they reported on its economic potential, inspiring many Americans to migrate west.

Americans moved westward with the help of new technologies, including canals and railroads. In addition to economic motivations, Americans went west to fulfill America’s “Manifest Destiny.” Another new technology, Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin, led to a growth in cotton production and to the spread of the slavery-based “cotton kingdom.” Americans in search of new cotton growing lands went to what is now Texas, got into a disagreement with the Mexican government that controlled the land, fought for and won their independence. When the Texans decided to join the United States, Mexico got angry, and fought the Mexican-American War against the United States. When the United States won the war, the country gained more land in what is now the Southwest United States.