The United States didn’t set out to colonize the world. After all, it had just left its own colonial days behind. Even so, the U.S. grew quickly.
In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the country. In 1819, the U.S. government bought Florida from Spain. The U.S. annexed Texas in 1845. It took over the Oregon Country from the British in 1846. And it gained land after the Mexican-American War, in 1848. U.S. expansion may have stayed close to home, but growth and increased strength made the young country a key player in world events.
