Anguada immigrants

With a territory of 9.37 million square kilometers, the United States ranks fourth in the world, second only to Russia, Canada and China, and is a super territorial power! What many people don't know is that at the beginning of the independence of the United States, the territory was limited to 13 States on the west coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with an area of only 800,000 square kilometers. At that time, it was only a medium-sized country, far from being a territorial power! However, from 1783 to 1867, the territory of the United States expanded more than ten times, from 800,000 square kilometers to 9.37 million square kilometers, making it the fastest and largest country in the whole nineteenth century! The territorial expansion of the United States is also different. Unlike other countries, it is not plundered by force, but mainly by buying or forcibly buying, constantly forming new States to join the Federation, from the initial thirteen States to fifty States! Today, I will introduce you to the process of American territorial expansion!

I the birth and independence of the United States

1607, three British ships landed in chesapeake bay with 100 men and four boys, and established Jamestown, the first British colony in North America, which later developed into Virginia! Later, the British successively established thirteen colonies in North America, with a total area of about 800,000 square kilometers and a population of less than 3 million!

As Britain's raw material supplier and commodity sales market, the North American colonies were oppressed and exploited by Britain. With the economic and social development of North American colonies, some northern states began to appear capitalist industry and commerce, and they began to be dissatisfied with British oppression and exploitation, especially the seven-year war in Europe from 1756 to 1763, which intensified the British exploitation of North American colonies and eventually led to the outbreak of 1776 North American colonial war of independence. After five years of war, the continental army led by Washington, with the support of France, Spain and other countries, defeated the British army and won independence. In a.d. 1783, the United States and Britain signed a contract in Paris, and Britain officially recognized American independence. Because the North American colony is the most populous and powerful colony of Britain in North America, after the independence of the United States, it dealt a heavy blow to Britain's strength in North America, and many colonies could no longer hold on to it, including the land of/kloc-0.5 million square kilometers east of the Mississippi River that Britain seized from France. Although the area is very large, the population is only tens of thousands, and it takes a lot of manpower and material resources to defend it. So, Britain took the initiative to give this land to the newly independent United States, and the territory of the United States suddenly expanded from 800,000 square kilometers to 2.3 million square kilometers!

Second, buy Louisiana, France.

After the United States acquired the area east of the Mississippi River, the territory directly bordered on Louisiana, a French colony in North America! Louisiana, with an area of 2.2 million square kilometers, was originally a colony of Spain, but when the French Revolution broke out, Napoleon hanged all the European powers and directly captured Spain, and obtained the vast Louisiana from Spain in 1800! There is such a powerful French colony next to it, which makes the new American feel strongly uneasy and worried that France will have an adverse impact on itself after it has established itself in Louisiana. So Jefferson, the third president of the United States, wanted to solve this problem. In view of France's powerful military strength, the United States absolutely dared not solve it by military means, so he thought of an idea and bought it at a high price! But I'm still afraid of angering France, so I dare not buy it all. I only offered to buy New Orleans, a seaport in southern Louisiana, and bid $2 million! Jefferson originally wanted to throw a stone on the road, but I didn't expect France to sell the whole Louisiana area to the United States for $22.5 million! It turns out that France is under attack from all sides in Europe, and the military pressure is very great. It is difficult for Louisiana to make room to station, and it may be taken away by Britain at any time. It is better to sell it to the United States and cultivate a strong opponent for Britain in North America. The most important thing is that this land was not originally French, so I didn't cherish it at all and sold it casually! When Jefferson learned the good news, he immediately pushed Congress to approve the purchase. 1804, France officially handed over Louisiana to the United States, and the territory of the United States doubled to 4.5 million square kilometers!

Third, buy Florida, Spain

After driving out the French in 18 12, Spain re-established a constitutional monarchy, but its strength was greatly damaged and it was no longer able to control the vast colonies in North America! The United States seized this opportunity, boarded the strategically prominent150,000 square kilometers of Florida, and after sending troops to seize it, it offered 5 million dollars to buy the rich Florida and extended its territory to the Gulf of Mexico!

Four. Occupy and buy Mexican land

In 1820, Spain became independent in Mexico, a North American colony, and became the second independent country in the North American continent. However, after independence, the political situation in Mexico was chaotic and the president changed frequently, which made the increasingly powerful United States see and began the process of invading Mexico! First, the United States privately organized immigrants to Mexico, California and other regions, constantly provoking disputes and forcing Mexico to declare war on the United States. In A.D. 1846, Mexico declared war on the United States, and the American-Mexican War broke out. After two years of war, the US military captured Mexico, saying that it forced the Mexican government to sign the Guadalupe-Hidalgo Treaty. Mexico ceded all the rights north of the Rio Grande to Texas, and ceded New Mexico and Upper California to the United States, about 2 million square kilometers! The United States paid Mexico15 million dollars. So the territory of the United States has reached more than six million square kilometers!

5. Buy Alaska in Tsarist Russia.

While European colonists colonized America, tsarist Russia also explored North America through the Bering Strait, and finally formed Alaska, with an area of over1500,000 square kilometers. However, the latitude in Alaska is too high and the climate is extremely cold. Only some fur products can be provided to Russia, and the development value is not high. At the same time, Alaska is too far away from the mainland and needs to invest a lot of money every year. For Russia, the cost is far greater than the cost! After the defeat of the Crimean War in A.D. 1856, various domestic uprisings continued, and the czar's finances could not make ends meet. He was very worried that Britain might use the colonies in North America to rob Alaska, so he took the initiative to find the United States and sold Alaska to the United States for $7 million. The territory of the United States has suddenly increased by1500,000 square kilometers, reaching more than 9 million square kilometers! Later, it occupied Oregon, which belongs to Britain, and finally became today's 9.37 million square kilometers.

6. Now the United States is trying to buy Greenland Peninsula in Denmark.