Western Expansion (1800-1898)

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At the beginning of 1800, the United States was formally comprised of sixteen states: the original thirteen colonies having been recognized as independent by the Treaty of Paris in 1783 and the states of Vermont, Kentucky and Tennessee having been added to the union by 1796. But American trappers and settlers were busily expanding to other areas, and the country was growing rapidly. Americans did not question their right to colonize vast expanses of North America beyond their country's borders. By the mid-1840s, United States expansionism was expressed in terms of "manifest destiny," and by the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had aquired all of its current territory through a series of wars and peaceful acquisitions:

  • In 1803, the United States made the the Lousiana Purchase, aquiring a huge tract of land (530 million acres!) from Napoleon Bonaparte. This land makes up approximately 22 percent of the current United States and contained parts or all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado, portions of southern Manitoba, southern Saskatchewan and southern Alberta, and Louisiana. Not all of this land was kept, later being ceded to Great Britain and Spain in exchange for other territory.
  • West Florida was made a U.S. possession in 1810 by President James Madison.
  • The Red River Basin, part of current-day Minnesota and North Dakota, was acquired in the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, a treaty with Great Britain which resolved boundry issues, set the US/Canadian boundary along the 49th parallel, and allowed for joint control of the Oregon Country.
  • East Florida was acquired in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819 with Spain. The treaty that gained East Florida also included Spain's surrender of any claims to the Oregon Country.
  • The Oregon Country was jointly controlled by the U.S. and Great Britain until 1846 when the Oregon Treaty divided that territory also at the 49th parallel. This created the Oregon Territory, which includes present-day Oregon, Washington and Idaho, as well as parts of Montana and Wyoming.
  • The Republic of Texas, which had gained its independence from Mexico in 1836, voted that year to be annexed by the United States. However it was nearly 10 years before the annexation of Texas took place. President John Tyler signed a treaty of annexation with Texas in 1844; congress approved it in 1845 and Texas became the 28th state later that year.
  • Mexican leader Antonio López de Santa Anna warned that the annexation of Texas would be "equivalent to a declaration of war against the Mexican Republic." Mexico had never formally acknowledged Texas independence and considered it a matter of national pride to fight for what it considered a rebel province. Thus started the Mexican-American war. The United States defeated Mexico and in the subsequent Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded to the United States parts of what are Texas, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming, and the whole of California, Nevada and Utah. They also recognized the Rio Grande as Texas' Southern border.
  • Less than five years after the Mexican Cession, the United States made the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, aquiring a strip of land along the U.S.-Mexico border, now in New Mexico and Arizona. This territory was later used for the southern transcontinental railroad.
  • In 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia.
  • Hawaii was annexed in 1898 upon the request of a government made up primarily of American and European businessmen who had overthrown the Kingdom of Hawaii.
  • Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Cuba were ceded by Spain to the United States after the Spanish-American War in 1898. All four of these areas were under United States Military Government for extended periods. Cuba became an independent nation in 1902. The Philippines became an independent nation in 1946.
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ABC Book of Early Americana
by Eric Sloane
2012 Dover from Dover Publications
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in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$10.95
Adventures with the Santa Fe Trail
by Dave Webb, illustrated by Phillip R. Buntin
Revised from Kansas Heritage Center
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Alamo All Stars
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6
by Nathan Hale
from Amulet Books
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Amazing Impossible Erie Canal
by Cheryl Harness
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Historical Non-Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
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American History for Young Students II
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 1st-5th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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$17.50 (1 in stock)
American History Stories Volume 3
by Mara L. Pratt
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
Angel Knew Papa and the Dog
by Douglas Kaine McKelvey
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Annie Oakley: Young Marksman
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Ellen Wilson
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$7.99
Antique Locomotives - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Tre Tryckare Company
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Apples to Oregon
by Deborah Hopkinson
Reprint from Aladdin Paperbacks
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Ballad of Lucy Whipple
by Karen Cushman
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Bears of Blue River
by Charles Major
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Black Courage
by A. E. Schraff
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Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier
by Kathryn Lasky
from Scholastic Inc.
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Buffalo Bill
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Beautiful Feet Books
Picture Book Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$9.99
By the Shores of Silver Lake
Little House Series #5
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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1940 Newbery Honor Book
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$19.99
Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon Pulse
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn
by Carol Ryrie Brink
from Simon and Schuster
Realistic Family Fiction for 3rd-7th grade
1936 Newbery Medal winner
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Caddie Woodlawn's Family
by Carol Ryrie Brink
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California Gold Days
by Helen Bauer
1961 Printing from California State Department of Education
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Captive Treasure
by Milly Howard
from Bob Jones University Press
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Carolina's Courage
by Elizabeth Yates
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Child's Day
Historic Communities
by Bobbie Kalman & Tammy Everts
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Children of the Covered Wagon
by Mary Jane Carr
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
Historical Fiction for 3rd-5th grade
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Christmas on the Prairie
by Joan. Anderson
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Cora Frear
by Susan E. Goodman
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Cowboy Charlie
by Jeanette Winter
from Purple House Press
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Cowboys of the Old West - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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Cowboys on the Western Trail
by Eric Oatman
from National Geographic
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Cowgirls - Coloring Book
by Ubet Tomb
from Bellerophon Books
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Daily Life in a Covered Wagon
by Paul Erickson
from Puffin Books
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Davy Crockett
by George Edward Stanley
from Sterling Publishing Co.
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Down the Big River
Purple House Living History Library
by Stephen W. Meader, illustrated by Edward Shenton
from Purple House Press
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Draw 50 Boats, Ships, Trucks, and Trains
by Lee Ames
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Early Family Home
Early Settler Life Series
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Early Settler Storybook
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Famous Trains - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
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Farmer Boy
Little House Series #3
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First Four Years
Little House Series #9
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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First Four Years
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Flaming Arrows
by William O. Steele, Illustrated by Paul Galdone
1st edition from Harcourt
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Food and Recipes of Westward Expansion
Cooking Throughout American History
by George Erdosh
1st edition from PowerKids Press
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Frontier Fort
by Scott Steedman, illustrated by Mark Bergin
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Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen
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Going West
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Thomas Allen
from Dial Books for Young Readers
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Going West!
Kalideoscope Kids Book
by Carol A. Johmann, Elizabeth J. Rieth
from Williamson Publishing Company
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Grandfather's Dance
by Patricia MacLachlan
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Heading West
by William E. Hill
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Home Crafts (Historic Communities)
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Horses of the Old West - Coloring Book
by John Green
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How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
Reprint from National Geographic
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How We Crossed the West
by Rosalyn Schanzer
from National Geographic
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I am Sacagawea
Ordinary People Change the World
by Brad Meltzer, illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
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If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
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If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
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Josefina Story Quilt
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Eleanor Coerr
from HarperCollins
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Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie
by Peter & Connie Roop
from Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
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Kidnapped Circus
by Richard Wormser, Drawings by Don Bolognese
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Last River
by Stuart Waldman, illustrated by Gregory Manchess
from Mikaya Press
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Legendary Outlaws and Lawmen of the Old West - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by E. Lisle Reedstrom
from Dover Publications
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$6.99
Lewis & Clark
by Steven Kroll
from Holiday House
Historical Non-Fiction for 1st-4th grade
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Little Farm in the Ozarks
Rocky Ridge Years Book 2
by Roger Lea MacBride
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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Little House - Full Color Trade Paper Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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$92.71
Little House - Hardcover Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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$144.71
Little House - Softcover Boxed Set
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
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$79.91
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.99
Little House in the Big Woods
Little House Series #1
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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$18.99
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, illustrated by Garth Williams
Book Club Edition from Harper & Row
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Little House in the Big Woods
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Uniform Edition from Harper & Brothers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Little House in the Big Woods (Pictorial Cover)
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from Harper & Row
for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.00 (4 in stock)
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
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$9.99
Little House on the Prairie
Little House Series #2
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
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$19.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$19.99
Little Town on the Prairie
Little House Series #7
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1942 Newbery Honor Book
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$12.99
Long Way Westward
An I Can Read Book Level 3
by Joan Sandin
from HarperCollins
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-8th grade
1941 Newbery Honor Book
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$21.99
Long Winter
Little House Series #6
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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1941 Newbery Honor Book
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Make Way for Sam Houston
by Jean Fritz
from Penguin Putnam
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$6.99
Make Way for Sam Houston
by Jean Fritz; illustrated by Elise Primavera
First Edition from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Mark Twain and the Queens of the Mississippi
by Cheryl Harness
from Simon and Schuster
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Mark Twain: Young Writer
Childhood of Famous Americans
by Mariam E. Mason
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Mary and the Trail of Tears
from Stone Arch Books
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$7.95
Meet Thomas Jefferson
Second Series Landmark / Step Up reprints
by Marvin Barrett
from Random House
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Meeting Natives with Lewis and Clark
by Barbara Fifer
from Farcountry Press
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Mountain Men: The History of Fur Trapping - Coloring Book
by Jeff Prechtel
from Dover Publications
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$4.99
My Book of Little House Paper Dolls
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperFestival
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$14.99
My Little House Crafts Book
by Carolyn Strom Collins & Christina Wyss Eriksson
from HarperCollins
Arts and Crafts for 3rd-6th grade
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$14.99
Neeluk
by Frances Kittredge
from Alaska Northwest Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Oh Susannah
by Ruth and Richard Holberg
from Doubleday & Company
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ol' Paul the Mighty Logger
by Glen Rounds
from Holiday House
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Old Town in the Green Groves
by Cynthia Rylant
from HarperCollins
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$9.99
Old-Fashioned Farm Life - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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$5.99
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$9.99
On the Banks of Plum Creek
Little House Series #4
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction/Pioneers for 3rd-6th grade
1938 Newbery Honor Book
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$18.99
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