HISTORY23 - Territorial Growth of the United States
This article is a history timeline of U.S. territorial growth. It starts with the formation of the United States of America in 1783, continues through the completion of today’s contiguous U.S., covers the acquisition of lands for our 49th and 50th states, Alaska and Hawaii, and ends with a discussion of populated American territories. This article is a follow-on to my recent blogs on history of the Spanish Empire in North America, and as we shall see, there is a direct connection with the history of the growth of U.S. territory. The map below identifies all major land acquisitions that built up the contiguous United States and will be discussed below. 1783 - United States of America Great Britain had established settlements at Jamestown in 1607 and at Plymouth in 1622, and from there expanded along the Atlantic Coast to 13 colonies, stretching from New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the north to Georgia in the south, by 1775, at the start of the Americ...