Westward Expansion

Before the term Manifest Destiny was used to define the westward move of the American people, the colonists were always looking to extend their borders. In 1903 Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory form the French. Originally setting out just to purchase the port city of New Orleans the French decided that they had not the time or the money to do anything with the land and it was in their best interest to sell all of the territory and use the money to fund their war. With the Louisiana Purchase the migration west began. That same year Jefferson sent two explorers, Lewis and Clark on an exploration of the west, and with the exploration they discovered the Pacific coast and the vast lands of the mid west.

This is a map that shows the expanding borders of the United States and when they were aquired.