The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-10-17
eRowrA of rAl uNlfeo srAres.
How tho orratsr rsft ~ rhis Country Wa.
Acquired and " hat n Ce.t


When Independence wH4 Ustahll .hed. the
/ hounds Of the new country were extremely
Z Indefinite The Limits ~ the % states were
/ known with reasonable exnctuess, thouuh
there were at the outset disputes both he-
tween the states aud hrtwr,n The United
States aud thr European governments
whose possessions lay alongside ours The
first grent acquisition " territory was that
Of Louisiana, which Spain had crlod 10
France, and which the Emperor Napoleon
sold TO the Uuited States for si5Dl.Oj0 in
! lsu3, when Mr. jefferson was president
Mr.. Jefferson did not believe that the con.
stitution permitted the United States to
annex foreign territory and wished that
an amendment should he adopted TO sane
tion e., but the amendment failed after the
annexation had been accomplished, and
Mr.. jefferson stihed his scupics
Louisiana, AS acquired from France, In.
cluded the territory bounded on the oast by
the Mississippi river from it. mouth to itz
source, on the north by the line Of the Brit
ish possessions, ON the west by the Pacific
ocean TO the south line II Oregon The
other boundary follows the north line Of
California, Nevada aud Utah a. far east as
the Rocky mountains and thence In a gen
eral enthusiastically direction So ~ to in
clude part OF Colorado and most Of Kansas
and the Indian Territory and all OF Arkan-
sas and Louisiana 30 the gulf Of Mexico.
Florida was for many years the object Of
covetousness uu the part Of our government,
which claimed now part aud now the
whole as included in the Louisiana pur.
chase The United States finally obtained
1t from Spain in 1919, when Mr.. Monroe
was president. What was known as West
Notwithstanding the part Of Alabama IN
which Mobile is situated had already been
seized and held forcibly Texas. originally
part Of Mexico, set itself up rs an indie
pendent republic In 1895 Its population
consisted largely Of bold and somewhat
reckless adventurers from the southern
states. In one year Texas had establ shed
Independence after a sharp war with Mcxi-
co and n few months afterward applied for
union with this country.
The question remained open until, having
agtated American politics for many years
and having cost Mr. Van Burpn the Demo
cratic nomination for president in 1874, It
was finally settled In ls45. Texas was an
neXed and admitted as "A state of the Union
by joint resolution approved by President
Polk. California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona,
New Mexico and the western part Of Col
orado were acquired by conquest They
were ceded to the United States at the clone
OF the Mexican war, during Folks admins
tration in l64s. Nevertheless nearly go
1000 was paid to Mexico in settlement of
certain claims as the price OF the territory
Excepting West Florida, already referred
to, this is the only territory gained by the
sword. A strip of land in southern Arizona
was not in the Mexican cesson, but was
bought in 1853, Pierce being president at the
time, for sl0,0OO,0OO. Thus the country be
came possessed of all its present territory
between Canada on the north and Mexico
on the south. Alaska was purchased of
Russia during Mr.. Johnson's presidency in
1867, and the sum of &, 200 600 was paid for
1t. Its total area is almost the same as that
of all the territory obtained of Mexico by
conquest and rchase.-Cincinnati Com
mercial Gazette.