2. 1. What states did the United States ultimately gain by acquiring the Northwest Territory? 2. Explain at least one reason this land could be useful to the United States based on physical geographic features.

3. Northwest Territory (1787) The Northwest Territory was created by Congress in 1787 to encompass the region west of Pennsylvania, north of the Ohio River, east of the Mississippi River, and south of the Great Lakes. Land policy and territorial government were established by the Northwest Ordinances of 1785 and 1787. Ultimately, five states—Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin—were organized from the territory, and a small part, was incorporated into Minnesota.

4. 3. Provide at least TWO reasons the Louisiana Purchase helped to strengthen the United States. 4. List at least three resources that can be found in the Rocky Mountains that would be useful to the United States.

5. On April 30, 1803, one of the greatest real estate deals in history took place. The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France. The territory included 828,000 square miles, for which the United States paid $15 million—less than three cents an acre! Exploration and Westward Expansion Acquisition of the Louisiana Territory doubled the size of the United States. It greatly strengthened the country economically and strategically. And it provided a powerful impetus for westward expansion. The first American exploration of the vast Louisiana Territory was made by the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806. Interestingly enough, the expedition had been planned and organized long before the purchase was made. Jefferson had challenged Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to find a water route connecting the Mississippi River with the Pacific Ocean. In the end, they proved that the theory of a Northwest Passage was a myth. More important though, they brought back valuable information to fill in a huge blank space on the map of North America.

6. 4. List at least three resources that can be found in the Rocky Mountains that would be useful to the United States.

7. A Vast, Rich Territory The Rocky Mountains were considered to be the western boundary of the Louisiana Territory, and the Mississippi River was accepted as the eastern boundary. It was discovered that much of the territory contained rich mineral resources, productive soil, valuable grazing land, forests, and wildlife resources of inestimable value. Within its boundaries lie today's states of Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma, as well as parts of Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico, and Minnesota.

8. 5. What are two reasons that the United States went to war with Mexico?

9. The cause or causes of the Mexican- American War are still a matter of historical dispute. Many maintain that Mexico began the war because the U.S. government approved the annexation of Texas, even though Texas had declared its independence from Mexico 10 years earlier in 1836. Others argue that the United States provoked the war by stationing armed troops at the mouth of the Rio Grande River, an area both Texas and Mexico claimed. They believe that President James K. Polk saw a war as the most expedient way to gain vast Mexican territories in the West. And a few advance yet another reason: Mexico had failed to pay claims for losses sustained by U.S. citizens during the Mexican War of Independence, and the United States wanted those claims settled

10. 6. Explain why the Annexation of Texas was so controversial.

11. Texas’ application for annexation had caused several years of political debate in the United States and indeed, was successfully blocked for a time by antislavery forces, who feared that several new slave states would be created from the Texas territory. Nevertheless, the annexation of Texas was approved by a joint congressional resolution in February 1845. But there was still controversy. The boundary between Texas and Mexico had been a long-standing source of dispute. The Republic of Texas claimed the Rio Grande River as its southern boundary, while the Mexican state of Tamaulipas claimed the area north of the Rio Grande to the Nueces River. In fact, there was a strong political faction in Mexico that believed Mexico owned all of Texas and did not recognize Texas as an independent republic. Following the annexation vote, President Polk ordered American troops to the mouth of the Rio Grande to defend Texas from invasion. Mexico saw this as an act of defiance and issued a declaration of war on April 23, 1846. Mexican troops crossed the Rio Grande on April 25, 1846 and attacked the American troops. The war had started. America officially declared war on Mexico on May 13.

12. 7. List the modern states the U.S. acquired as aresult of the Mexican-American War?

13. In the midst of all this, President Polk sent diplomat John Slidell to Mexico in December 1845 to negotiate for the payment of claims owed to American citizens incurred during the Mexican War for Independence. When the Mexican government learned that Slidell was also authorized to purchase California and New Mexico and to settle the Texas boundary dispute, it refused to meet with him. This gave President Polk one more reason to order troops to the Rio Grande.

14. Conclusions: Write a paragraph (5 to 8 sentences) that explains how the United States grew in land mass overtime. To conclude address the following question- why was it important that the U.S. expand to become a more powerful nation?