Opening of the West, Essay Example

When the United States was founded the original states were on the East coast and in the South of North America. By the 1800s the nation began to expand westward. Over the course of the 19^th century the United States expanded its territories farther and farther west, taking control of regions as far as Texas and other areas on the western side of the Mississippi River. By the end of the 19^th century the United States extended all the way to the west coast.

In the early part of the 19^th century President Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase, which gave the United States control of significant areas of North America. American settlers were moving into Texas and New Mexico. These regions were claimed by other nations such as Mexico, and there would be military and political battles for control of these areas. In 1845 the Republic of Texas petitioned to become part of the United States, which caused a conflict between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. government annexed Texas in the early part of 1845, and by the end of the same year Texas had officially become a state. Father north explores in the 19^th century ventured towards the west. There were many explorers, but two of the most well-known were Lewis and Clark, who were sent west to explore the territories that were bought in the Louisiana Purchase.

Throughout the 19^th century settlers from the East made their way west. This often caused conflicts between settlers and Native Americans, and these conflicts often led to fighting and battles between the two sides. Spanish missions in the west helped to establish control of that part of North America, and paved the way for later expansion of the United States into the regions that had been taken over by missions. Westward expansion of the U.S. was a slow process that happened as a result of a number of political decisions, military conflicts, and the movement of settlers over the course of the 19^th century.