The USA would not have amounted to much if we had not acquired all those territories to the west, north and south.  Maybe President Donald Trump's manifest destiny for Greenland, Panama Canal and Canada might well be visionary.  Make American Even Greater! Original size of U.S. in 1789 = 864,746 square miles. We then grew to 3,531,905 square miles through territorial acquisitions. 1803 Louisiana Purchase from France, 828,000 ( almost the same size as originally ) square miles (sm) for $15 million, now worth $389 billion. 1818, British Cession, 45,417 sm. 1819, Florida, $5 million, Spain, 72,101 sm. 1845, Texas cession, 389,166 sm. 1846, Oregon territory, UK, by contested occupation, 286,541. 1848, Mexican Cession from Mexico, $15 million, 529,189. 1853, Gadsdend Purchase from Mexico, $10 million, 29,670. 1857-1858, Islands in the Pacific, 16 sm. 1867, Alaska, $7.2 million from Russia, 591,000. 1967-1947, islands mostly in the Pacific, like Hawaii, small sums, about 120,0...

  Anyone know anything about President James Polk? In 1795 was born in a log cabin in Mecklenburg, North Carolina?  Remember Mecklenburg?   Badly damaged by Hurricane Helene last year . Became a lawyer at the age of 23.  Sure sounds like Abraham Lincoln. Was an Andrew Jacksonian Democrat.  The Whigs were the competing party. Served seven terms in the U.S. House, two as Speaker, and also governor of Tennessee. Was elected the 11th President of the U.S. His presidency led to the most expansionist period in our history, linking the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was not easy. Was a workaholic and had no time for golf. His main goal was to fulfill  America's  Manifest Destiny , which was to spread from  sea to shining sea . We had a war with Mexico. Texas became the 28th State. Instead of war with Great Britain, he used negotiations to annex a good part of the Oregon Territory.   Lowered tariffs and established the Federal Treasury. During...