243 Years of American Expansion in 11 Minutes

In 1783, the United States was a thin strip along the Atlantic. Today it stretches from the Arctic to the tropics — and a huge part of that land was paid for. $15 million for Louisiana. $7.2 million for Alaska. $25 million for a few Caribbean islands. And one offer that's still on the table today. Every deal, every war, every map — 243 years of American expansion in 11 minutes. Which deal was the best bargain in history? Tell me in the comments 👇 ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:38 1783 — The Starting Line 1:27 1803 — The Louisiana Purchase 2:36 1812 — The War That Changed Nothing 3:09 1819 — Florida 3:55 1845 — Texas 4:45 1846 — Oregon 5:31 1848 — The Mexican Cession 6:38 1853 — The Gadsden Purchase 7:09 1856 — Islands of Bird Poop 7:38 1867 — Alaska 8:30 1898 — Hawaii 9:04 1898 — The Spanish–American War 9:44 1903 — The Canal Zone 10:23 1917 — The Virgin Islands 10:45 Today — The Deal Still on the Table 🖼 Images (public domain, Wikimedia Commons) The American delegation, Treaty of Paris — Benjamin West Louisiana Purchase treaty, 1803 Louisiana map — Samuel Lewis / Aaron Arrowsmith, 1804 (Library of Congress) Napoleon Bonaparte — Jacques-Louis David Thomas Jefferson — Rembrandt Peale, 1800 Battle for Palm Tree Hill, Haiti — January Suchodolski The flag goes up in New Orleans, 1803 — Thure de Thulstrup Andrew Jackson — Ralph E. W. Earl The Fall of the Alamo — Robert Onderdonk Surrender of Santa Anna — William Henry Huddle James K. Polk — G. P. A. Healy Sutter's Mill, Coloma, 1848 U.S. $20 gold coin, 1849 — National Numismatic Collection James Gadsden — Charles Fraser William H. Seward The $7.2 million Alaska check, 1868 Queen Liliʻuokalani, c. 1891 Battle of Manila Bay, 1898 — James Gale Tyler #history #maps #usa