- Term
The United States West to 1850
- Qualifier
Encounters exhibition
- Remarks
In the first decades of the nation's history, Thomas Jefferson envisioned an "empire for liberty" stretching peacefully across the continent. He believed cheap western land would give farmers more independence, and that this offered the best hope for democracy. Jefferson made sure the federal government took a leading role in the American West. It negotiated land claims with North American Indian tribes, explored and mapped the land, and sold and gave away the land. The government established schools, territorial governments, and transportation routes. Given such great opportunities, it is not surprising that by 1840 more than a third of all Americans lived west of the Appalachian Mountains. The people of the United States of America were poised to take the rest of the continent.
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Exploration and Land Sales (Encounters exhibition)