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Page 30 text:
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Texas as a slave state and cries of, “All Oregon or none,’' and “54 degrees. 40 minutes or fight,” were raised and for a while it seemed as though war would result between the two nations: but peaceful consuls prevailed and the matter was compromised to 49 degrees. This was a continuation of the northern boundary of the United States from the Lake of the Woods to the Rocky Mountains and is the present boundary. From thlsterritory the states of Oregon and Washington were formed. In 1836 the state of Texas broke away from the existing subjugation to Mexico and formed a Republic known and recognized by the leading powers as independent of the authority of Mexico. For a period of ten years, it existed as a government of itself: but the finances fell into such disorder that its annexations to the United States was as desirable to them as it was to the Union, it became one of the leading questions in the election of 1344, and after the election of Polk was annexed in 1845. The limits of Texas were doubtful, Texas and the United States contended that it extended to the Rio Grande river as this had been the boundary in 1800 when Spain ceded it to France and when the United States bought Louisiana. The controversy rapidly developed until war was declared, in this war the United States was everywhere successful aud their generals seized and held California and New Mexico. In the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo it was agreed that the United States should pay 315,000.000 direct to Mexico and some $3,MO,000 more to American citizens for claims against Mexico and got in return, Texas in its widest sense. New Mexico. California, Nevada. Utah, and Arizona and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. After the war, disputes arose over the boundary line between the Gila river and Chihuahua and ended in the purchase, known as the Gadsden purchase, of about 45,000 square miles for 10,000,000. In 1807 W. ii. Seward closed negotiations with Russia which resulted in the purchase of Alaska. For the stipulated sum of 7,200,000, Russia agreed to give up all the land held by them west of the 141st degree of west longitude. Few people at that time realized the marvelous resources of this territory, but an idea may be gotten from the facts that the farthest extent north and south is nearly as great as from Maine to Florida and that the extent east and west is about equal to the distance from Virginia to California. The area of Alaska is about 577,000 square miles or over one-sixth as large as the United States It is one of our most valuable gold Helds, and the islands abound In seals. The products have amply paid for its cost many times over. The last territorial increase was in 1898 at the close of the war with Spain. The territory gained was small in comparison with the cost, but it added wonderfully to our island possessions. We acquired the islands of Guam, Hawaii, and Porto Rico, besides the control of the Phtllipines and Cuba. In all territorial acquisition there lias been none which would not uphold the honest policy that the United States government lias always been guided by: or none that would spot the pages of history as other great powers have been disgraced by. The land was needed: for as Europe poured her increasing horde of immigration into this great land of hope and freedom, space was required for them: and it is safe to say that these additions have made the nation that now stands forth, the greatest accomplishment of man. He would be a bold prophet indeed who would assert that the limit of our national expansion has been reached. There has already been oiiened to the American people the opportunity for such good work within theirown borders as has not been placed before any other nation since the sun first shone upon the earth. Let the people of the United Slates rise to the level of their opportunity and they will accomplish that for the benefit of mankind which it has not yet been given to any other nation to perform. 8
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Page 29 text:
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(Errntorial Arquiaitimi nf abr Httitrb £tatru By RAYMOND WALTERS HEN our forefathers signed the treaty of peace at theclose of the Revolutionary war, it is more titan probable that not one man among them had even the slightest thought of the future size and greatness the country that they had established was to obtain. A growth from approximately 800.000 square miles with about 3,100,000 people sparsely settled on about 300.000 square miles in 1790 to about 3,556,000 square miles, besides the Island possessions, with about 70,000,000 people could not possibly have been conceived of then by even the greatest thinkers. The territory acquired was mostly by purchaseand at eight different times: namely: at the close of the Revolutionary war, the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the Florida purchase In 1829, the Texas annexation in 1845, the Mexican Cession in 1848, the Gadsden purchase in 1853, the Russian purchase in 1867, and last, the land acquired at the close of the war with Spain in 1898. By the treaty of peace at the close of the Revolutionary war, the United States consisted of all the territory it now holds east of the Mississippi river except Florida. This land could not be counted as an increase in territory to the United States for it was the nation then. There were about 849,145 square miles and consisted of the thirteen original states with their valuable claims to Western lands. From this land, besides the thirteen original states, the states of Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee. Ohio. Indiana, Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Wisconsin were formed besides most of Mississippi. Alabama, and Minnesota. There were no definite boundaries, but this did not raise much discussion until afterward. The first real increase was the Louisiana purchase in 1803. This territory was a wide expanse of land west of the Mississippi, owned by France. The United States was negotiating only for a port at the mouth of the Mississippi, but Napoleon needed money and startled the American embassies by offering the entire country. President Jefferson wanted the land badly, because he feared that if left in the hands of a strong nation like France it could be colonized and used to a great disadvantage against our nation: but the cort-stitution contained nothing in respect to land purchase and this was therefore beyond his powers. It was finally bought for $15,000,000, Jefferson relying on the will of the people to maintain his decision. This purchase was very important to the United States, for besides the great increase of territory. It secured the claims of the United States to the Oregon territory, and Texas, and the land of the Mexican Cession. From this territory was formed the states of Louisiana, Missouri. Arkansas. Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska. Montana. Wyoming. North and South Dakota, Idaho and Oklahoma and parts of Minnesota and Colorado. This land comprises al»out one-third of the entire territory of the United States, and has added to our country the valuable cotton fields of the South and the greater part of the prairies and the priceless wheat fields of the North, lias not Napoleon's word proven true when he said that '‘this accession of territory establishes forever the power of the United States, and gives to England a maritime rival destined to humble her pride?” The next addition of territory was the Florida purchase in 1829. This made an Increase of about 59,000 square miles and added Florida and gave Mississippi and Alabama their openings on the Gulf of Mexico: for Florida at that lime consisted of the Florida of today and a strip of land along the Gulf of Mexico to the Mississippi river. The real cost of this purchase was the assumption by the United States of the debts owed by Spain to citizens of our country: but it rounded out the corners of the nation and gave better protection from the Indians who would attack and then retreat Into Florida where our trooj»s could not follow. In 1846 the boundary line was definitely set tled as to the north-western limit of the United States. In 1818 it was decided to leave this land for further arbitration and that It was to be occupied jointly by the citizens and subjects of both United States and Great Britain. In 1824 and 1825 the northern limit of Oregon had been defined as 54 degrees 40 minutes in treaties between Russia on one part and Great Britain and the United States on the other. The claims of Great Britain and the United Slates to this land were extremely vague. The United States advanced their claims on, tirst, the discovery of the Columbia river by Captain Gray: second, the assignment under the Florida treaty to whatever rights the Spaniards had to these lands by discovery and exploration: third, the exploration of Lewis and Clark: and fourth, actual settlement: while the British claimed that Drake had sailed along the coast before any Spaniard: that the Spanish rights amounted to little in view of the agreement as to this coast in 1790 known as the Nootka treaty; that a British navigator had made a more thorough exploration of the Columbia, although it was based on information of Gray’s: and that British fur-trading companies practically occupied this region. These claims were so vague that compromise was inevitable: but politicians took the matter up as a means of conciliating the North to the admission of
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