Early Expansion

Early Expansion

What caused the early phase of expansion from the original thirteen states?

​Northwest Ordinance law passed by the Confederation Congress that detailed how areas in the Northwest Territory could eventually become states

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 gave the United States more than independence. The new country also gained control of most of the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Settlers began streaming into these areas.

Northwest Territory The northern part of this area--north of the Ohio River was called the Northwest Territory. In 1787, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance. It set forth how this region would be formed into territories that could eventually become states. American Indians lived in these areas, but they ceded, or gave up, much of this land to the U.S. government through treaties.

Settlers were attracted by the rich farmland in these lands. They were also driven to move west because the population along the Atlantic Coast had grown. Land was hard to find in the East. It was plentiful in the new territories, however. It also cost little. Thousands of settlers moved to what is now Ohio and points west and north. By 1803, Ohio's population had grown enough that Ohio was admitted as a state.

Multiple Choice

What was the main attraction that drew new settlers to the Northwest Territory in the late 1700s and early 1800s?

• the land was uninhabited

• growing cities offered factory jobs

• the region thrived on plantation agriculture

• land was good for growing crops

What caused the early phase of expansion from the original thirteen states?

Louisiana Purchase the U.S. purchase of the vast Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 at the cost of $15 million

westward expansion growth of the United States to the west of its original territory

Louisiana Purchase Farmers in the Northwest Territory had difficulty sending their crops to eastern markets over the Appalachian Mountains. It was easier to send them down the Ohio River and then the Mississippi. It was easier to send them down the Ohio River and then the Mississippi River to New Orleans. Then their crops could be loaded on ships to be carried to markets. President Thomas Jefferson hoped to gain control of New Orleans. He offered to buy it from France, but Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader of France, surprised him by offering the whole Louisiana Territory for $15 million. Jefferson accepted the offer and made the first major step in the westward expansion of the United States.

Lewis and Clark Jefferson chose two men to lead a group of explorers on a long expedition, or journey. They were to explore and map the new lands. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out in 1804 from St. Louis. They moved up the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers and then traveled along rivers that carried them farther west. They finally crossed the Rocky Mountains, entered the Oregon Territory, and reached the northwest Pacific Coast. The Lewis and Clark Expedition gave Americans much information about the Louisiana Territory.

Multiple Choice

Which of these geographic factors was most important in making the Lewis and Clark expedition possible?

• the number of ideal, natural harbors along the Pacific Coast

• the relatively flat, open terrain of the Great Plains region

• the navigable waterways connected to the Missouri River

• the densely wooded forests of the Pacific Northwest region

What caused the early phase of expansion from the original thirteen states?

Settling the Lands In the next decades, more Americans moved westward. Under the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the Confederation Congress had banned slavery in the Northwest Territory. The Americans who moved there came mainly from the New England and Middle Atlantic states. They grew wheat and corn. As populations increased in western areas, more states entered the Union. Indiana became a state in 1816, and Illinois did so in 1818.

Southern Americans also moved westward. They moved to the Old Southwest--the area from western Georgia to Missouri and south of the Ohio River. They found rich soil along rivers. In the Deep South, many of these settlers began growing cotton. Settlers brought enslaved African Americans with them. In this way, slavery spread across the southern United States. Populations in these areas also grew. By 1819, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana had all joined the Union as states.

How did the U.S. population grow and change in the early 1800s?

One reason that Americans were moving west was that the population was growing. The states along the Atlantic Coast were growing crowded as more immigrants arrived. These states were also changing.

Settling Boundaries While the population was moving west, the United States was also gaining new lands. An 1818 treaty settled a boundary dispute with Britain over the northern edge of the Louisiana Territory. The next year, a treaty with Spain gave the United States control of Florida.

Growing Industry and Cities in the Northeast The economy of New England changed in the early 1800s as textile mills sprang up. Textiles are cloth goods. Mills are places where raw materials are turned into finished products. Business owners in New England built mills along rivers. They used water to turn large wheels that powered machines to make cloth. Their need for more cotton spurred increased cotton production in the South. Other industries grew in the New England and Middle Atlantic states as well. Businesses made clocks and firearms and built ships.

​immigration moving from one country or area to another to settle and make a new life

ethnic group a group of people with a common national heritage, such as Irish Americans and German Americans

Drag and Drop

Which option best fills in the blank?

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Placeholder

= Irish immigrate to the United States.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

A crop disease contributes to famine in Ireland.

Civil War made living in Ireland dangerous.

Decline in manufacturing creates unemplyment.

Ireland stops shipping due to poor relations.