Which event had the greatest impact on the size of the United States?

Which event had the greatest impact on the size of the United States?

• A. The Alaska Purchase
• B. The Florida Purchase
• C. The Texas Annexation
• D. The Louisiana Purchase

Answer: (D)

Growing the United States’ size through large land deals is the idea being tested. The Louisiana Purchase, completed in 1803, added about 828,000 square miles of new territory, roughly doubling the nation’s land area. It stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico up to Canada, securing control of the crucial port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River trade route. That single acquisition brought in far more land than the other events listed—Alaska’s later purchase added about 586,000 square miles, Florida’s acquisition was much smaller, and Texas Annexation added a smaller amount of land than Louisiana. Because of the sheer amount of land gained at once and the lasting reshaping of national boundaries, the Louisiana Purchase had the greatest impact on the size of the United States.

Growing the United States’ size through large land deals is the idea being tested. The Louisiana Purchase, completed in 1803, added about 828,000 square miles of new territory, roughly doubling the nation’s land area. It stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico up to Canada, securing control of the crucial port of New Orleans and the Mississippi River trade route. That single acquisition brought in far more land than the other events listed—Alaska’s later purchase added about 586,000 square miles, Florida’s acquisition was much smaller, and Texas Annexation added a smaller amount of land than Louisiana. Because of the sheer amount of land gained at once and the lasting reshaping of national boundaries, the Louisiana Purchase had the greatest impact on the size of the United States.