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The United States doubled in size when it bought the Louisiana Territory from France. This land deal, known as the Louisiana Purchase, added an area of more than 800,000 square miles west of the Mississippi River for $15 million.

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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on an expedition to explore the newly acquired lands from the Louisiana Purchase. Their journey helped map the territory and establish relationships with Native American tribes.

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Although not directly a part of the Western Expansion, the War of 1812 against Britain affirmed America's sovereignty and encouraged westward movement and settlement.

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The United States acquired Florida from Spain through the Adams-Onís Treaty, also known as the Transcontinental Treaty. This addition further expanded the country's territory in the south.

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The Missouri Compromise was passed to balance the power between slave and free states, allowing Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also prohibited slavery north of the 36° 30' parallel in the Louisiana Purchase land.

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The Indian Removal Act authorized the relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the Southeast to lands west of the Mississippi River, leading to the Trail of Tears.

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Texas, once an independent republic, was annexed to the United States. This event led to the Mexican-American War, as Mexico did not recognize Texas's independence or its annexation.

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The United States won the Mexican-American War, resulting in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The treaty expanded the United States' territory by including parts of what are now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas.

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The discovery of gold in California led to the Gold Rush, attracting hundreds of thousands of people to the west in hopes of finding fortune. This greatly accelerated the population and economic growth in the western territories.

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The Homestead Act was passed to encourage settlement in the west by granting 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they improved the land by building a dwelling and cultivating crops for five years.