United+States

=United States Maps=

States
The United States has grown from the original thirteen colonies into the 50 States of today. Two of which are not connected to the main land. Alaska is connected to the north west border of Canada and Hawaii is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean south of continental US.

**Roads**
Our country today is connected by a series of highways and freeways that automobiles use to travel on. These roads help connect families, stores, and even lives. **United States Territorial Acquisitions** The look of the United States has drastically changed from its original colonies in 1783. Of course the first part of the United States was when America gained its independence from Great Britain in 1783. They acquired the 13 colonies and the British territories. The second addition to the United States happened in 1803 with the brilliant work of Thomas Jefferson. The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of 828,000 square miles of land for $15 Million. The land purchased contained all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, parts of Minnesota that were west of the Mississippi River, most of North Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, the portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans. Soon after the Louisiana Purchase the Unites States added once again to their land with the British Cession in 1818. The Louisiana Purchase extended into Canada, but did not include a piece of land near the Lake of the Woods. With the Convention of 1818, the United States and England decided to create a border at the 49th Parallel. In addition, they agreed to share the Oregon Country. The fourth addition to American soil came shortly after with the Spanish Cession in 1819. The Spanish Cession includes land that makes up all of present-day Florida, and parts of present-day Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It was given to the US in the Adams-Onis Treaty after Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida. The Spanish could not defend their colony because they were trying to put down rebellions in their South American colonies. They therefore gave the territory to the United States in exchange for five million dollars. The landscape of America would not change until 1848 with the Annexation of Texas. The Texas Annexation of 1845 was the voluntary annexation of the Republic of Texas to the United States of America, becoming the twenty-eighth state. Texas claimed but never controlled parts of present-day Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Wyoming, which became parts of other territories of the United States in the Compromise of 1850. The Mexican Cession would come shortly after in the year of 1848. The cession of this territory from Mexico was a condition for the end of the war, as United States troops occupied the Mexican capital of Mexico City, and the country risked being completely annexed by the U.S. The United States also paid $15,000,000 for the land, and agreed to assume $3.25 million in debts to US citizens. the seventh acquisition to the United States happened in 1848 with the territory of Oregon. The Territory of Oregon was an organized territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848 , until  February 14, 1859 , when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Following this was the Gadsden Purchase, which happened in 1853. The Gadsden Purchase is a 29,670 square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase was for the purpose of the US's construction of a transcontinental railroad along a southern route. Maybe one of the biggest steals in American history happened in 1867 when the United States purchased Alaska, then known as Seward's Folly. Russia was in a difficult financial position and feared losing Russian Alaska without compensation, so Russia sold Seward's Folly to the United States for $7.2 Million. The purchase expanded the United States with 586,412 square miles of uncharted territory. Hawaii was the last to become a state, but not before the Annexation of Hawaii in 1896. So as you can see from the map above the United States quadrupled in a matter of 115 years. These acquisitions opened up new frontiers, valuable resources and new homes for the United States people.

Map of the United States and the people per square mile.