Title: Westward Expansion Facts, Worksheets, Impact & History For Kids
Headings: Westward Expansion Facts & Worksheets
Westward Expansion Facts & Worksheets
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Content: Texas originally belonged to the Mexican territory. As a result, the invasion of Mexico happened a year later. This is known as the American-Mexican War. In order to end the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed with Mexico ceding Upper California and New Mexico to the United States for the amount of $15 million. In 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter’s Lumber Mill in Coloma, California. It led to the California Gold Rush that lasted until 1855. By 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added 30,000 square miles of former Mexican territory to the United States. Before the establishment of telegraph, the Pony Express became the means of direct communication between the east and west in 1860. In order to encourage more settlers, the Homestead Act was signed in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. It gave 160 acres of land free to families from the east upon migration.