How did the US expand territorially after the American Revolution? What challenges did this expansion present?

The United States had two significant territorial expansions after the Revolutionary War. In the Treaty of Paris of 1783, the United States got land from Great Britain. Our boundaries went beyond the boundaries of the thirteen colonies. We now controlled the land that extended westward to the Mississippi River, northward to what is now the border with Canada, and southward to Spanish Florida.

There were some issues that came with this territorial expansion. The first issue was the threat of attack by the Native Americans. The Native Americans feared our presence and attacked us often. We fought the Native Americans, and after defeating them in battle, they had to move west. For example, after winning the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Native Americans had to give up land and move west. Another issue was organizing these lands that we received from Great Britain. The Land Ordinance of 1785 helped organize the western lands. The western land was divided into townships that were six miles wide and six miles long. Within each township were 36 squares. Land could be sold in most of these squares for $1.00 an acre.

The second major expansion occurred in 1803. We wanted to buy New Orleans and West Florida from France for $10 million so we could use the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans. Napoleon countered our offer by asking us if we wanted to buy the entire Louisiana Territory for $15 million. We agreed, and we got most of the land west of the Mississippi River up to the Rocky Mountains and to the border with Canada. This purchase doubled the size of our country. When we gained this land, we needed to learn more about it. President Jefferson asked Lewis and Clark to explore the land and report on what they found. As a result of their explorations, we learned about the land, and maps of the region were developed. We also had some issues and conflicts with the Native Americans who lived in this region. The Native Americans weren't pleased to see us expand into this territory.

After the Revolutionary War, we expanded westward. The westward expansion presented challenges for us, which we were able to deal with and overcome.