Essay On Territorial Expansion

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Between 1800 and 1850 the United States expanded across the continent to the west coast. This period of expansion began with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, and ended with the Gadsden purchase in 1853. This time of expansion had a tremendous effect on national unity. Many conflicts already occurring in the United States were worsened and brought back up by territorial expansion. Territorial expansion of the United States had a negative effect on national unity because it led to increased internal conflict dealing with issues of slavery and increased conflict and debate about Native Americans. In 1803, under the Leadership of Thomas Jefferson, the United states purchased a large mass of land form the French, known as the Louisiana purchase.…show more content…
This national disunity was mainly demonstrated during Andrew Jackson’s time as president and also began with the Louisiana Purchase. As Americans began moving west, they came into conflict with the Native Americans. Often these encounters were violent and destructive on both sides. People in government had conflicting ideas about how to deal with the situation which caused national disunity. Andrew Jackson attempted to alleviate the violence occurring between the two groups by issuing the Indian Removal Act. His act forcibly removed Native American from the ancestral homelands. When the Cherokees declared themselves their own nation and refused to leave their lands, Jackson went against the Supreme Court and forced the Cherokees onto the Trail of Tears. The Supreme court, in the Worcester V. Georgia decision, ruled that the Cherokees were a nation of their own and could not be controlled by local Georgian governments and that they should be treated as a foreign nation would be. The disunity in the nation and government was demonstrated by Andrew Jackson when he completely disregarded the Supreme Court and destroyed the Cherokees way of life. Even the federal government of the United States, was affected by the national disunity caused by territorial expansion and conflicts with Native

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