USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Westward expansion began in earnest in 1803. Thomas Jefferson negotiated a treaty with France in which the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory – 828, 000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River – effectively doubling the size of the young nation.

Detailed explanation-2: -During this crucial period, the United States pursued a policy of expansion based on “manifest destiny, ” the ideology that Americans were in fact destined to extend their nation across the continent.

Detailed explanation-3: -Jefferson’s foreign policy goal to expand U.S. territory westward was intended to help the U.S. have greater freedom in dealing with foreign powers on the North American continent and to consolidate the power of the young republic. It required developing military strength and practicing shrewd diplomacy.

Detailed explanation-4: -With its triumph in the Mexican-American War, the United States seemingly realized its Manifest Destiny by gaining an immense domain (more than 525, 000 square miles [1, 360, 000 square km] of land), including present-day Arizona, California, western Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.