John C. Fremont and Exploration of the American West
Overview
John C. Fremont's explorations of the West in the 1840s were undertaken with the sponsorship of the United States government to expand the boundaries of the country, to make maps for Americans who wanted to settle in the area, and to notify Great Britain and Mexico that the U.S intended to expand its borders all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
Background
Fifty years after the United States was created, its citizens and leaders began to look westward in earnest. Twenty-six states made up the United States in 1840, but only three were west of the Mississippi River. The land from the river to the Pacific Ocean covered more square miles than the existing United States, but few people knew anything about it and the only confirmed knowledge on the area had been brought to Washington, D.C., by famed explores Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and William Clark (1770-1838) 40 years before. The government knew that England could take over the Oregon territory, which included all of the present day states of Oregon, Washington, and some of Idaho, whenever it wished. In addition, Mexico had long claimed the territory from Oregon to the Mexican border and from the Pacific Coast to Colorado and New Mexico.
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