Key Events of Westward Expansion

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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

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The treaty that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848, resulting in the U.S. acquiring territories that include present-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

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Oregon Trail

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A major route used by settlers moving to the Pacific Northwest during the Westward Expansion, stretching over 2,000 miles.

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Homestead Act

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An 1862 law that encouraged westward migration by providing settlers with 160 acres of public land in exchange for a small fee and the requirement to improve the land.

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Transcontinental Railroad

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A railroad that connected the eastern U.S. to the western U.S., completed in 1869, which significantly improved travel and transportation of goods.

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California Gold Rush

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A mass migration to California in 1849 after gold was discovered, leading to a population boom and economic growth in the region.

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Louisiana Purchase

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The acquisition of the Louisiana territory from France in 1803, which doubled the size of the United States.

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Manifest Destiny

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The 19th-century belief that the expansion of the U.S. across the American continents was both justified and inevitable.

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Gadsden Purchase

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An 1854 agreement in which the U.S. acquired land from Mexico (present-day southern Arizona and New Mexico) to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad.

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Mormon Trail

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A route used by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) to migrate to Utah in the 1840s.

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Seward's Folly

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The term used to describe the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, initially criticized but later recognized for its value.