Early US Expansion
After 1789 the young USA expanded westward at astonishing speed, more than doubling in size. See how it grew, and why, and how it came at the expense of the Native peoples already living on the land.
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A country that doubled in size
When the USA began in 1789, it was a strip of states along the eastern coast. Within a few decades it had spread far to the west and more than doubled its territory. ⭐ This module is about HOW and WHY it expanded so fast. ⚠️ And it is told honestly. The land was not empty: Native peoples already lived across it, and expansion increasingly came at their expense, which the next module examines.
How the USA expanded, and why
Two questions run through this topic. Hold them together.
Order how the USA grew
Put the stages of early US expansion into order.
- The new USA begins as states along the eastern coast
- Its population grows fast and land runs short in the east
- It buys the vast Louisiana territory from France
- Settlers push west across the Appalachians and beyond
- The USA more than doubles in size
Why the USA expanded
Why did the USA expand westward in these years?
- A fast-growing population wanted cheap, fertile land, and a growing belief held that the USA was destined to spread across the continent
- Because other countries ordered the USA to grow
- Because the land to the west was completely empty
- Because the population was shrinking and needed less land
Words for expansion
Five words that let you explain the expansion, rather than just describe it.
Spot how the USA expanded
Three of these help explain HOW the USA expanded. Choose the three.
- Buying large territories like Louisiana
- Settlers moving west onto new land
- Treaties and pressure on Native peoples
- A vote of the whole population of Europe
- Free gifts of land from other empires
The drive to expand, and its cost
The strongest answers explain the drive to expand and are honest about its cost. The drive was powerful. The USA grew by buying land, Louisiana above all, and by settlers pushing west, spurred by a booming population, the lure of cheap fertile land, and a rising belief in a continental destiny. But the land was not empty. Native peoples already lived across it, and as settlers advanced, expansion came more and more at their expense. Their removal, and the growth of cotton and slavery, are examined in the next module. Holding the drive together with its cost is the mark of a top answer.
Match each term of expansion to its meaning
- Expansion
- The Louisiana Purchase
- A settler
- The frontier
- The growth of US territory westward
- The vast land bought from France in 1803
- A person who moved west to farm new land
- The moving edge of white settlement
Find the honest, balanced account
A student writes about US expansion. Select the ONE sentence that gives the most honest, balanced account.
- The USA expanded by buying land and by settlers moving west, driven by land hunger and a belief in continental destiny, and it came increasingly at the expense of the Native peoples already living there.
- The USA expanded into completely empty land that belonged to no one.
- The USA did not expand at all in these years.
- The USA expanded only because Europe told it to.
A worked example: the fast-growing company
Imagine a company growing so fast it keeps running out of space. To meet the demand it buys up other firms and opens new branches far and wide. It is driven on by a swelling workforce, by the lure of new markets, and by a firm belief among its leaders that it is destined to lead its whole industry. Hold that idea for the drivers of growth. A booming population, the pull of new opportunity, and a belief in destiny can together push rapid expansion outward.
Complete the account of expansion
The growth of US territory westward was _____. The vast land bought from France in 1803 was the _____. A person who moved west to farm new land was a _____. The moving edge of white settlement was the _____. The Native peoples who already lived on the land were the _____.
Judge early US expansion
Which is the soundest understanding of early US expansion?
- It grew fast by buying land and by settlers moving west, driven by population, opportunity and a belief in continental destiny, and it came increasingly at the expense of the Native peoples already living there
- It simply filled empty land that belonged to no one
- It grew only by buying land, with no settlement
- It barely grew at all in these years
The drive to expand, and its cost
The strongest answers hold both together rather than telling only the story of growth.
Judge the expansion like an examiner
You are marking three claims about early US expansion. For each, choose the soundest judgement.
- An essay says the USA expanded only by buying land. Is that safe?
- An essay says the west was empty land. Is that safe?
- An essay says expansion had no downside. Is that safe?
Write: how and why the USA expanded
How and why did the USA expand westward between 1789 and 1838? Explain how it grew, why it grew, and the cost to the Native peoples already there, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Explain how the USA expanded, by purchase and settlement
- Explain why it expanded
- Explain that the land was already lived on
- Note the growing cost to Native peoples
- Reach a supported judgement