What was gained through the gadsden purchase of 1853?

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The Gadsden Purchase was a land purchase that took place between the government of USA and the government of Mexico. The government of USA paid $10 million and in return, it acquired the area which spanned over the modern-day states of Arizona and New Mexico. In total, this purchase added 30,000 square miles of land to the total size of the United States of America.

Background of the Purchase

In 1846, a war began between USA and Mexico, called the Mexican-American war. The war primarily started over the issue of Texas. Texas was first a part of Mexico but then gained its independence. Mexico continued to claim that Texas was still its Territory.

When Texas became part of the USA it created predictable tensions between Mexico and USA. These tensions finally erupted into war in 1846. The war continued until 1848 during which time, the armies of USA were able to take control of many areas of Mexico and even reached the capital of Mexico City.

Mexico was forced to agree to a peace. The peace treaty signed by both sides in 1848 was called the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. USA paid $15 million to Mexico for the lands of Texas and California which were already under U.S. control. In this treaty, Mexico also agreed to give up a portion of the land which was finalized in the Gadsden Purchase, in return for a payment of $10 million.

When did the purchase take place?

On the American side, the Gadsden Purchase was negotiated by the U.S. Minister to Mexico, James Gadsden. So the purchase was later named after him. Gadsden successfully negotiated the purchase on December 30, 1853. The details were then sent to both governments who then had to ratify the purchase. After ratification from both sides, the purchase was finalized on June 8, 1854 and the new land finally became a part of USA.

Importance of the Gadsden Purchase

The area that USA acquired through the Gadsden Purchase was very significant. It connected the western edge of the state of Texas with California which was located along the Pacific coast on the extreme west of USA. This made it possible to create a direct railroad route from Texas to California, making it very easy for people to travel between the two states and to do trade. It cut down the traveling time by 90% and connected California, on the far edge of USA, to the rest of the country.

Aftermath of the Purchase

The Gadsden Purchase was welcome by the southern railroad companies as well as the businessmen and tradesmen in the area. It also finally resolved the boundary disputes between Mexico and USA, finally establishing the permanent southern border of USA. The politicians in the northern states weren’t happy with the purchase. This was because slavery was not outlawed in the southern states, as it was in the northern states, and so as the size of the southern states increased, so did the area in which slavery was practiced.

Slavery, Scandal, and Steel Rails: The 1854 Gadsden Purchase and the Building of the Second Transcontinental Railroad Across Arizona and New Mexico Twenty-Five Years Later 0th Edition

Learn More about The Gadsden Purchase 1853 at Wikipedia

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In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase of Louisiana Territory from France. This was a large parcel of land which stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Canadian border in the north to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.

Louisiana Territory was purchased for a sum of $15 Million Dollars. The addition of Louisiana Territory to United States effectively doubled the size of the nation.

It also ushered in the era of westward expansion. Soon after the Louisiana Purchase, Americans begun to migrate westwards in search for land they could own and other opportunities.

Manifest Destiny

Manifest destiny was a concept coined by a journalist John O’Sullivan in 1845. According to this concept, it was the manifest destiny of the United States that it must spread its principles of liberty and freedom to the entire North America.

The concept was repeatedly used to justify the westwards expansion of the United States during the 19th century. It also rallied the support of patriots and other political groups in the favor of expansionist policies.

Westward Expansion Trails

When the United States began to expand westwards, the West had no roads or any other form of infrastructure. The migrants used overland paths and trails to make long journeys in order to reach different parts of the west.

Some of these trails ran thousands of miles. Nearly all were served by wagons on which migrants, their families and their goods journeyed.

Famous trails into the west included the Oregon Trail, the California Highway, the Mormon Trail , the Santa Fe Trail, the Old Spanish Trail, and the Southern Emigrant Trail.

Westward Expansion and Slavery

The westward expansion of United States raised the issue of slavery. Should the new territories and states be allowed to practice slavery?

The country already had pro-slavery and anti-slavery states, and the issue of slavery became a major point of disagreement. Throughout the early 19th century, attempts were made to settle the question through a compromise – by keeping the number of slave states and free states equal.

But the issue ultimately erupted in the American Civil War in 1861.

The Wild West

As United States expanded westwards, the Wild West came into being. Wild West was a land of opportunity, freedom and liberty. It also lacked the power of the law, so lawless elements reigned free.

Killings and shootings were frequent. At the same time, Wild West was also the home of self-reliant, sturdy and brave frontiersmen who stood their own against all obstacles.

• President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France for only $15 Million Dollars
• The Exploration of this new territory became known as ‘Westward Expansion’.
• American’s were given free land in these new territories as a way to colonize the area.
• During this westward expansion many famous trails were created such as the Oregon trail.
• This new territory also became popularly known as the ‘Wild West’ due the the fact that it was a dangerous and fairly lawless place.
• The Louisiana purchase was a massive land mass that hugely increased the size of America at that time.
• The Louisiana purchase expanded from the Mississippi River right up to the Rocky Mountains areas, Canadian border and to the Gulf of Mexico in the south.

We hope you enjoyed this article about Westward expansion and the Louisiana purchase which greatly increased the size of America and was negotiated by  ‘President Thomas Jefferson’ in 1803 for the princely sum of $15 Million dollars.

If you would like to learn more about Westward expansion and the ‘American Wild West’ please see some of the links at the bottom of this page.

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Westward Expansion

In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was made. This immediately doubled the size of United States. The vast new lands towards the west promised new opportunities for American People. Millions of American settlers started migrating towards the west. The new lands in the west also attracted a large number of immigrants from around the world. Settlers secured lands, established farms and started new lives in the west. This led to the birth of the American West with its towns, sheriffs, frontier lines and law enforcement troubles.

The westward expansion was further facilitated by the passage of the Homesteader Act in 1862. This Act offered 160 acres of land to anyone willing to settle this land within 5 years.

American West in the 19th Century

American west was a land of promise, opportunity and risk in the 19th century. Millions of people poured into the west from 1801 to 1900. They established many new cities and towns. Some of these went on to become major centers while others were eventually abandoned and became ghost cities and towns. Cattle ranching was a popular economic activity in the west. Huge cattle ranches with hundreds of cattle were established and overseen by cowboys. Wooden cabins were the signature home for most of the settlers, at least initially.

Industrial Development in 19th Century America

When America was born, it inherited much of the technological legacy of Great Britain. The Founding Fathers of the country also included pioneer scientists and inventors like Benjamin Franklin. This legacy led to the invention of many new technologies and products in the 19th century. Significant inventions during this time period included the steel plow, mechanical reaper, chuck wagon, barbed wire and self-propelling windmills. Iron and steel production rapidly increased in America during the 19th century. By the end of the century, America was the leading industrial nation of the world.

Railroads in 19th Century

Stagecoaches were the most prevalent form of transport in the early 19th century America. Important and more urgent mail was usually carried on horseback. This began to change when the railroad network started to be laid. The transcontinental railroad connected the East with the West. It didn’t see a lot of progress in the first half of the 19th century – only about 9,000 miles of railroad were laid by 1850. During the second half of the century, the railroads rapidly developed. By the turn of the century, nearly 190,000 miles of railroad network had been laid. This made transport easier, faster and more affordable for American citizens.

Growth of American Cities

Cities became the hallmark of American lifestyle during the 19th century. Many new cities became established and populated during this time period. Not only that, significant improvements took place in the quality of life offered in these cities. In the first half of the century, the cities were somewhat overpopulated and unhealthy. With time, amenities like gas and water supplies were introduced. Parks were established, streetcars started transporting passengers and the outlook of the cities greatly improved.

Rural Life in 19th Century America

The establishment of farms and homesteads in the American West gave birth to a new kind of rural life. The farmers and homesteaders who championed this life were fiercely self-sufficient. They chopped their own woods, built their own cabins, sowed their crops and relied heavily on their own resources for every need. They became the icons of American self-sufficiency. In this, they were helped by advancements such as new machines for farming. Nevertheless, personal toil was an important trait in 19th century American life.

City Life in 19th century America

In the 19th century, American cities and towns began to spring up and expand. During the later part of the century, this expansion became very rapid. Industrial development attracted large numbers of people to the cities. During this period, mass transit methods within cities were established such as cable cars and elevated railways. Skyscrapers became increasingly common in American cities. Suburban and immigrant communities became a permanent part of city life. City life was noisy, crowded and hard with most people living in rented spaces. But it was also a multi-ethnic and multicultural experience which laid the foundation for the modern American city life.

Slavery in 19th Century America

Slavery was a contested issue in USA right from the start. The Northern states were more liberal in their views and opposed slavery from the beginning. The southern states relied heavily on slaves for their plantation-based economy, and so they strongly supported slavery. Every time a new state was added, both sides wrangled over whether it would be pro-slavery or anti-slavery. These differences came to a head when Abraham Lincoln became President in 1861. The South seceded and this led to the American Civil War. The anti-slavery North of America was decisively successful in this civil war, this led to slavery being abolished and changed the outlook of the southern states towards it, which changed them permanently.

Labor Unions and Labor Rights

With the rise of industrial development, labor unions also came into being. Labor unions lobbied for fair wages and rights. In doing so, they often came into conflict with large companies and businesses. Many labor organizations, such as Knights of Labor, came into being during 19th century America. They used tools such as strikes and boycotts to secure their rights. On the other side, industrialists hired strike-breaking thugs to counter these measures. In many cases, law enforcement agencies sided with the industrialists and broke up the strikes, arresting the workers. Labor rights remained a hotly contested issue during the later part of the 19th century. It was also partly responsible for the rise in the popularity of socialism in some sections of the population.