Unit 7: Westward Expansion
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Territories Added to the United States 1801 - 1860
Part 1 Directions: Using pg. 125 in the textbook. Create a key of the following five territories and color the
map.
United States 1800
Louisiana
Florida
Texas
Oregon
California and Southwest
Part 2 Directions: Write a description of how each territory became part of the United States.
Louisiana –
Florida –
Texas –
Oregon –
California and the Southwest –
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Territorial Expansion | SOL USI. 8a
New territories added to the United States after 1801:
Louisiana Purchase

________________ bought land from ______________ (the Louisiana Purchase), which
_______________ the size of the United States.

In the ______________ and _______________ expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
explored the __________________ __________________ from the
_________________________ ______________ to the _________________
__________________.
Florida

________________ gave Florida to the United States through a __________________.
Texas

Texas was added after it became an _______________________ _________________________.
Oregon

The Oregon Territory was divided by the _______________ ____________ and _____________
____________________.
California

War with ____________________ resulted in ____________________ and the southwest
territory becoming part of the United States.
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Geographic and Economic Reasons for Westward Expansion Foldable
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Westward Expansion: Geographic Reasons
A long-held belief influenced American westward expansion. This belief, called Manifest Destiny, was held
by many Americans in the 1840s. It was the belief that the United States would benefit from expansion and
had the right to expand its people and government across the North American continent. Between 1801 and
1861, brave pioneers made the dangerous journey over the Appalachian Mountains and into the vast new
territories of the American frontier. What geographic and economic factors persuaded the settlers to move
westward?
There were a number of geographic factors that led to western migration in the United States. During the
early 1800s, population growth was a problem as the eastern states became more and more crowded. In
addition, farmlands that were once fertile were being overworked and large plantations in the south were
crowding out small farmers. If Americans were willing to leave their homes and move westward, huge areas
of fertile land were available at very cheap prices. As a matter of fact, in the early 1800s, a farmer could
buy 2½ acres of land in the western territories for only $1.25!
Another geographic factor that influenced westward migration was the availability of rivers and manmade
waterways called canals. These waterways helped to make transportation cheaper and faster. Rivers provided
an important means of transportation and communication between the eastern and western territories. Great
rivers like the Ohio and the Mississippi became important migration routes for people and supplies. In addition,
the newly invented steamboat became the main form of river transportation. Trips that once took months
now took only days. Canals were built by the early settlers and connected the east to the western territories.
By the early 1800s there were hundreds of miles of canals in the United States. One of the most famous was
the Erie Canal located in the state of New York. It was 363 miles long and was the longest canal in the world!
An additional geographic factor influencing western migration was the growing knowledge of overland trails.
Two of these trails, or migration routes, were the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. The Oregon Trail
began in Missouri and ended in the Oregon Territory. Thousands of American pioneers loaded up farm wagons
and Prairie Schooners with all their belongings and set out on a dangerous six month, 2,000 mile journey. They
encountered treacherous river crossings, terrifying storms, jagged mountain ranges, Indians, and diseases such
as cholera on their way to the fertile soil of the Oregon Territory. The Santa Fe Trail also began in Missouri.
The 1,200 mile trail that ended in New Mexico took about 8 weeks to travel. This journey was also a test of
strength and endurance as the pioneers faced shortages of food and water, dangerous weather conditions,
Indian raids, and bandits.
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Westward Expansion: Economic Reasons
There were also a number of economic factors that led to western migration in the United States. New
territories in the West made more land available for agriculture. Farmers of all types began to leave the rocky
soil of the Northeast and the overworked soil of the South in search of rich farmland in the new territories.
Farmland was easy to get and very cheap. Some land was even free. If a farmer built a house and cleared
the brush, he could claim the land as his! As word spread, more men and women left their homes to take
advantage of this rich interior land of the growing nation.
In addition to cheap and plentiful farmland, the availability of timberland was also an economic factor that
influenced westward movement. As more and more settlers moved west, they needed timber for their homes,
businesses, and towns.
As a result, commercial logging companies began to prosper in the Northwest
Territories where forests of towering trees covered the land. The harvesting of timber was called logging. It
quickly became the top manufacturing industry in the west.
Another economic factor that influenced westward expansion was the discovery of gold in California.
In 1847, during the construction of a sawmill, several gold nuggets were found in a nearby river bed.
By 1849 the California Gold Rush had begun and gold fever spread quickly across the continent.
More than 80,000 "forty-niners" charged west in search of riches and new lives.
Slaves seeking freedom also ventured into the western territories in search of a better life. The growth of trade
on major rivers, such as the Ohio and Mississippi, provided opportunities for escape.
Runaway slaves posed as free men or hid themselves on steamboats as they traveled west.
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Influential Inventions
Invention
Inventor/Entrepreneur
Description
Impact
Cotton gin
Reaper
Steamboat
Steam
locomotive
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Inventions and Entrepreneurs in America
During the early 1800s the United States grew and changed. Many of the changes were due to the inventors and
entrepreneurs of the time. An inventor is the first person to think of or make something. An entrepreneur is
someone who brings a new or improved good or service to market with the hope of earning a profit. Many new
inventions were having an effect on the way people were able to live, work and travel.
One important invention was the cotton gin, a machine invented by Eli Whitney. During the early 1800s, southern
planters were desperate to make cotton a profitable crop. The production of cotton was slow work because the
sticky green seeds of the cotton plant had to be removed by hand. The cotton gin quickly removed the seeds from
the cotton plant. It increased the production of cotton but it also increased the need for slaves to grow and pick
the cotton. Cotton soon became the most important crop in the South. By 1845 the United States was producing
most of the world's cotton.
Another important invention was the reaper, a horse-pulled machine that cut wheat. Jo Anderson, a slave, and
Cyrus McCormick worked to invent the reaper. McCormick, who was an entrepreneur, brought the reaper to
market. Before the invention of the reaper, farmers had to cut their crops by hand. The reaper could cut five times
more wheat as a farmer could cut by hand. This machine helped farmers raise more wheat with fewer workers. It
greatly increased the productivity of the American farmer.
As the country expanded, new and better methods of transportation were needed. During the early 1800s, travel
on the major rivers in America was mainly done on beautiful sailing ships called sloops. This changed, however,
after the steamboat was improved by another entrepreneur, Robert Fulton. The larger, faster steamboats soon
connected Southern plantations and farms with the industries of the Northern states and the expanding Western
territories.
Just as the steamboat provided faster water transportation, the invention of the steam locomotive provided faster
land transportation. Moving at speeds of up to 12 miles per hour, the steam locomotive traveled more quickly than
canal boats and horse-drawn wagons.
Within a few years it became the leading form of long-distance
transportation. By the mid-1800s, steam locomotives carried freight and passengers across the country connecting
the eastern states with the western territories
The North was the industrialized region in the United States before the Civil War began. Equipment produced in the
North was now able to have a huge impact on farming in the South and beyond.
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Abolitionist Foldable
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Abolition Movement in America
The United States grew and changed during the early 1800s. Some of these changes were in the ways people
thought about things. What were the ideas of two groups of people who wanted to reform life in America?
One of these groups was working very hard to end slavery. William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet
Tubman believed that slavery was morally wrong, cruel, and inhumane. They also saw it as a violation of the
principals of democracy which stated that all persons were equal under the law. They were abolitionists who
demanded the immediate freeing of all slaves in the United States.
William Lloyd Garrison was a writer and editor who thought that all enslaved African Americans
should be emancipated, or freed, immediately. He published an anti-slavery newspaper called the
Liberator and believed that slaves were Americans and entitled to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness."
While some abolitionists like Garrison wrote against slavery, some like Frederick Douglass gave
speeches. Frederick Douglass was a runaway slave who escaped from his owner by disguising
himself as a sailor and boarding a train headed for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Before long he was
asked by abolitionists to speak about his experiences as a slave. He soon became a leading
spokesperson for the abolition of slavery and racial equality. In addition to being one of America’s
first great African American speakers, Frederick Douglass also founded an antislavery newspaper
called the North Star. He spent the rest of his life working for rights that would improve the lives
of both African Americans and women.
Abolitionist leaders also included brave women like Harriet Tubman. Tubman was born a slave in
Maryland in the 1800s. At the age of 30 she feared that she was going to be sold to another
plantation so she ran away. With the help of the North Star and a kind white woman, she
traveled north to Philadelphia and freedom. Over the next ten years she traveled south 19 times
to escort over 300 enslaved African Americans to freedom. She is the most well-known
“conductor” of the Underground Railroad.
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Suffrage Movement in America
The second group who wanted to reform life in America declared that “All men and women are created equal.”
Supporters of the suffrage movement believed that women were being deprived of their basic rights. During the 1800s
women were not allowed to vote. In addition, married women could not own property and any wages they earned were
handed over to their husbands. They were also denied equal opportunities in business. Women who worked outside
the home often worked long hours in factories, taught school, ran boarding houses or were employed as seamstresses.
Educational opportunities were also limited. Women were taught how to read and write but were not allowed to attend
high school or college.
The suffrage movement was led by determined women who worked before and after the Civil War to gain equality for
American women. Three of these brave women were Isabel Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady
Stanton.
Isabel Sojourner Truth was born a slave in the state of New York. At the age of 30 she was freed and
became a traveling preacher. Before long she was also a popular speaker for the women’s suffrage
movement. Large crowds would come to hear her speak about women’s rights and the evils of slavery.
This former enslaved African American became nationally known as an advocate, or supporter of
equality and justice.
Susan B. Anthony was a teacher who dedicated her life to the women’s suffrage movement. She
crisscrossed the nation speaking out on women’s rights. She campaigned for the right to vote, the right
to own property, the right to equal pay, and equal educational opportunities for all. Eventually, she
even convinced a University in New York to admit women. In 1979, the United States government
honored her work for women’s rights by minting one-dollar coins with her picture on them.
As a leader of the suffrage movement, Elizabeth Cady Stanton helped organize the first women’s rights
convention. This convention marked the beginning of the women’s right movement in the United
States. Those that attended wanted women to enjoy the same rights as men. They applauded Stanton’s
speech which added to the words of the Declaration of Independence by saying “all men and women
are created equal.”
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Study Guide for Territories and Reasons for Westward Movement Quiz
New territories added to the United States
Louisiana Purchase – Jefferson bought land from France (the Louisiana Purchase), which doubled the size of the
United States. In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark explored the Louisiana
Purchase and the Oregon Territory from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
Florida – Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty.
Texas – Texas was added to the United States after it became an independent republic.
Oregon – The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and Great Britain.
California – War with Mexico resulted in California and the southwest territory becoming part of the United
States.
United States Expansion Map
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Geographic factors that influenced westward movement
• Population growth in the eastern states
• Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and canals (Erie Canal), steamboats
• Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)
Economic factors that influenced westward movement
• Availability of cheap, fertile land
• Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush), logging, farming, freedom (for runaway slaves)
Manifest Destiny
• Belief in the right of “Manifest Destiny”—the idea that expansion was for the good of the country and was the
right of the country
Review Material
Key philosophies of the Declaration of Independence
1. People have unalienable rights – to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
2. People establish a government to protect those rights
3. Government derives (Gets) power from the people
4. People have the right and duty to change a government that violates their rights
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Study Guide for Westward Expansion Test
THE ACCOMPLISHEMENTS
OF THE FIRST FIVE
PRESIDNETS
George Washington
Federal court system was
established.
The Bill of Rights was added
to the Constitution of the
United States of America.
Plans were created for
development of the
national capital in
Washington, D.C.
Benjamin Banneker, an
African American
astronomer and surveyor,
helped complete the
design for the city.
John Adams
A two-party system emerged
during his administration.
Thomas Jefferson
He bought Louisiana from
France (Louisiana
Purchase).
Lewis and Clark explored
new land west of the
Mississippi River.
James Madison
The War of l812 caused
European nations to gain
respect for the United
States.
James Monroe
- He introduced the Monroe
Doctrine warning European
nations not to interfere in
the Western Hemisphere.
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION
Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson bought land from France (the
Louisiana Purchase), which doubled the size
of the United States.
In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark explored the
Louisiana Purchase and the Oregon Territory
from the Mississippi River to the Pacific
Ocean.
Florida
Spain gave Florida to the United States through
a treaty.
Texas
Texas was added to the United States after it
became an independent republic.
Oregon
The Oregon Territory was divided by the United
States and Great Britain.
California
War with Mexico resulted in California and the
southwest territory becoming part of the United
States.
Oregon
Louisiana
Purchase
California
Texas
Florida
nia
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New Technologies and their Impact
The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. It
increased the production of cotton and thus
increased the need for slave labor to
cultivate and pick the cotton.
Jo Anderson (an enslaved African American)
and Cyrus McCormick worked to invent the
reaper. McCormick was an entrepreneur
who brought the reaper to market. The
reaper increased the productivity of the
American farmer.
The steamboat was improved by the
entrepreneur Robert Fulton. It eventually
provided faster river transportation
connecting Southern plantations and farms
to Northern industries and Western
territories.
The steam locomotive provided faster land
transportation.
Abolitionist Movement
Most abolitionists demanded immediate
freeing of the slaves.
Abolitionists believed that slavery was wrong.
Morally wrong
Cruel and inhumane
A violation of the principles of democracy
Abolitionist leaders included both men and
women.
Harriet Tubman led hundreds of enslaved
African Americans to freedom along the
Underground Railroad.
William Lloyd Garrison wrote the Liberator
newspaper and worked for the
immediate emancipation of all enslaved
African Americans.
Frederick Douglass wrote the North Star
newspaper and worked for rights for
African Americans and women to better
their lives.
Terms to Know
inventor: A person who is the first to think of or
make something
entrepreneur: A person who organizes resources to
bring a new or better good or service to market
in hopes of earning a profit
prosperous: Successful in making money
Economic and Geographic Reasons People
Moved West
Population growth in the eastern states
Availability of cheap, fertile land
Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold
Rush), logging, farming, freedom (for runaway
slaves)
Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and
canals (Erie Canal), steamboats
Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)
Belief in the right of “Manifest Destiny”—the idea
that expansion was for the good of the country
and was the right of the country
Women’s Suffrage Movement
Supporters declared that “All men and women are
created equal.”
Supporters believed that women were deprived of
basic rights:
Denied the right to vote
Denied educational opportunities, especially
higher education
Denied equal opportunities in business
Limited in the right to own property
The movement was led by strong women who began
their campaign before the Civil War and
continued after the war had ended.
Isabella (Sojourner) Truth, a former enslaved
African American, was a nationally known
advocate for equality and justice.
Susan B. Anthony was an advocate to gain voting
rights for women and equal rights for all.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton played a leadership role in
the women’s rights movement.
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