The U.S expanded west by gaining land by a war and a purchase. US wanted to gain more land because otherwise countries like England, French Canadia, or the Spanish Mexico could just take the land and become more powerful. The U.S gave 320 acre's of land to family's who traveled west. Most people came because they heard that they could get free land. So, a million people traveled west just because of two words "FREE LAND". Giving away land was made possible by a lot of land and a small filling fee (so that it would not be illegal). But, in order to keep that land you would have had to work it. The main thing is that the U.S wanted to keep the land, not have some other country claim it. The way to keep the land is explained in a phrase, "SAFETY IN NUMBERS". This means, the more people in an area, the more people willing to defend that land as their homeland.

©: Ralf Raud, 2001  Back to "Western Expansion"