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1776, in Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress declared the independence of the colonies as the "United States of America". Led by President George Washington. Under the Treaty of Paris (1783) which ended the Revolutionary War, Britain relinquished to the United States a large tract of land west of the Appalachian mountains, doubling the size of the new nation.

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signed on April 30, 1803, the United States purchased lots of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. Expanding it's nation westwards. They gained U.S territory because they decided to give up their plans and were offered their territory for 15 million.

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The Lewis and Clark Expedition began in 1804 when President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring the lands west of the Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana Purchase. HOw they secured U.S territory was easy President Jefferson and James Monroe successfully negotiated a deal with France to purchase the Louisiana Territory

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The Removal Act was signed into law by President Jackson in 1830 which granted the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. The gained U.S territory by encouraging Congress to adopt the Removal Act of. The Act established a process where the President could grant land to Indian tribes that agreed to give up their homelands.

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Beginning the great migration to Oregon. In May 1843, hundreds of would-be emigrants assembled in Independence. In order to gain U.S territory we signed the Oregon Treaty, extending the international border between the U.S. and what would become Canada

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The Gold Rush in California started in 1848 after gold was found at Sutter's Mill. To gain that U.S territory the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo was signed, formally ending the war and handing control of California to the United States.

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President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862 which gave citizens or future citizens up to 160 acres of public land provided they live on it, improve it, and pay a small registration fee. The expansion of the United States into the territory west of the Mississippi River began with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. President Thomas Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the nation by negotiating a price of $15 million to purchase 828,800 square miles from France, including all or part of 14 current states.