Westward Expansion — Manifest Destiny

Q: What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
A: Louisiana Territory / Louisiana

Louisiana Purchase — 1803:

President Thomas Jefferson purchased 828,000 square miles from Napoleon of France for $15 million

Doubled the size of the United States overnight

Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806) explored the new territory

Manifest Destiny:

Belief that it was America's God-given right and destiny to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific

Led to conflict with Mexico, Native Americans, and competing European powers

Major territorial acquisitions:

Texas annexation — 1845

Oregon Territory — 1846 (treaty with Britain)

Mexican Cession — 1848 (after Mexican-American War)

Gadsden Purchase — 1853

Alaska — purchased from Russia for $7.2 million in 1867

Hawaii — annexed 1898

The Homestead Act (1862): Gave 160 acres of public land to settlers who farmed it for 5 years. Accelerated westward migration.

Reference:

Wikipedia: Manifest Destiny

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manifest_destiny