The Growing Nation
Prior to the American Revolution, the western region of North America (specifically, the area lying north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River) was occupied by both an indigenous population and the French.
Because of its abundant opportunities, this land would be the source of much contention after the colonists had received their independence. In 1794 the British, who had assumed control of this territory, agreed to relinquish their claim to the United States with the signing of Jay’s Treaty.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the nation’s population was booming. An increasing number of settlers started looking towards the West for land. A major factor in steering settlers west was the passing of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. The law basically divided the region up into smaller territories and provided guidelines for new states being admitted into the union. As a result, the country saw the formation of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. This vast stretch of uncharted territory represented opportunity to the settlers—a chance not only to prosper financially but to stake a claim in the land while they still could.
