Early America

[Mugwump]

#TheSettingofConflict - During the first half of the nineteenth century, the United States grew at an unparalleled rate; This growth occurred in three areas: territory, population and economy. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the nation's territory. The acquisitions of Florida (1810 and 1819), Texas (1845), and Oregon (1846), and the cessions from Mexico (1848 and 1854) nearly doubled it again. Population growth exceeded this fourfold increase of territory: the six million Americans of 1803 became 26 million by 1853. The economy grew even faster: during these 50 years the gross national product increased sevenfold. No other country could match any single one of these components of growth; the combined impact of all three made the United States a phenomenon of the Western world.