History of American Exploration and Expansion

American exploration and expansion started in the April of 1803 with the U.S. decision to buy the Louisiana Territory from France. The deal would not only double the size of America but also spark a national frenzy to cultivate the unknowns of what lied there. The first few to survey the newly bought land were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They had been commissioned by the Thomas Jefferson who was very eager to explore the new land. Jefferson ordered the two to collect scientific information about unknown plants and animals en route to the Pacific while also learning as much as possible about the Native American tribes they came across. A Native American woman named Sacajawea was later encountered by Lewis and Clark and was willing to help them as interpreter and guide of the land. Their expedition would last nearly two and a half years and would record priceless information of the western territories.
With the claims brought back from this trip a countless number of entrepreneurs took it upon themselves to inhabit the west. They felt that this push westward was destined by god through the idea of Manifest Destiny. They would create thriving towns built purely off of commerce, enticing even more to move westward. Luckily this overwhelming demand to do so was met by the later invention of railroads and the steam locomotive. Trains made movement westward accessible for businesses as well as people. Realizing how important this was for expansion, the government made huge land grants and loans to railroad companies. By the late 1850’s railroads extended well past the Missouri River and would eventually meet at Promontory, Utah, on May 10th, 1869. The completed project was dubbed America’s transcontinental railroad.
With the demand to move west now fully satiated, focus on America as a global power began. In the early 1900’s President Theodore Roosevelt took it upon himself to not let world’s political and economic destiny be taken control of by Europe. This goal was met by the increased amount of American influence