The Gadsden Purchase: its Timing and Impact on American Expansion
Words: 973 1935The Gadsden Purchase, finalized in 1854, stands as a significant yet frequently overlooked chapter in the saga of American territorial expansion. This acquisition from Mexico added roughly 29,670 square miles to the United States, encompassing what are now southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The timing and consequences of the Gadsden Purchase were crucial, reflecting broader themes of Manifest Destiny, the development of transportation infrastructure, and the intensifying sectional tensions over slavery in the lead-up to the Civil War. Several […]