Boom town

Boom town is a town that has grown up suddenly. As the American frontier moved westward,... More >>

Comstock Lode

Comstock Lode was the greatest silver-mining center in the United States during the 1800's. Its... More >>

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight was a slogan used during a boundary dispute between the United States... More >>

Gadsden Purchase

Gadsden Purchase was a strip of land the United States bought from Mexico in the 1850's to form... More >>

Homestead Act

Homestead Act was passed by Congress in May 1862. It provided that any person over 21, who was... More >>

Indian Territory

Indian Territory was the region west of the Mississippi River that the United States government... More >>

Jefferson Territory

Jefferson Territory was the name proposed in 1859 for the area that covered the present state of... More >>

Louisiana Purchase

Louisiana Purchase was the most important event of President Thomas Jefferson's first... More >>

Northwest Ordinance

Northwest Ordinance was an important law passed by the United States Congress on July 13, 1787.... More >>

Northwest Territory

Northwest Territory was a vast tract of land lying north of the Ohio River, west of Pennsylvania,... More >>

Oregon Territory

Oregon Territory was created after the settlement in 1846 of a boundary dispute between the... More >>

Pre-emption

Pre-emption is the act of buying something ahead of other persons, or the right to do so. The... More >>

Squatter's rights

Squatter's rights are claims made by settlers to the land on which they have settled. During the... More >>

Watauga Association

Watauga Association was a group of settlers who, in 1772, formed the first white community... More >>

Western Reserve

Western Reserve was a strip of land bordering Lake Erie in what is today Ohio. The strip extended... More >>