Which purchase in 1854 involved paying Mexico 10 million for land that later became Arizona and New Mexico?

Which purchase in 1854 involved paying Mexico 10 million for land that later became Arizona and New Mexico?

• A. Gadsden Purchase
• B. Louisiana Purchase
• C. Mexican Cession
• D. Florida Purchase

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is understanding how the United States expanded its territory through targeted land purchases in the mid-1800s, often to secure transportation routes and settle borders after conflicts. In 1854, the United States paid Mexico 10 million dollars for a strip of land along the southern border, which became parts of present-day Arizona and New Mexico. This deal, negotiated by James Gadsden, was intended to provide a practical route for a future transcontinental railroad and to settle border questions after the Mexican-American War. That specific purchase is the one tied to paying 10 million for land that would become Arizona and New Mexico. Other well-known acquisitions happened at different times for different reasons: the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 expanded the U.S. territory west of the Mississippi; the Mexican Cession refers to the larger area Mexico ceded after the 1848 war, not a separate 10-million purchase; and the Florida Purchase in 1819 added Florida from Spain.

The main idea here is understanding how the United States expanded its territory through targeted land purchases in the mid-1800s, often to secure transportation routes and settle borders after conflicts. In 1854, the United States paid Mexico 10 million dollars for a strip of land along the southern border, which became parts of present-day Arizona and New Mexico. This deal, negotiated by James Gadsden, was intended to provide a practical route for a future transcontinental railroad and to settle border questions after the Mexican-American War. That specific purchase is the one tied to paying 10 million for land that would become Arizona and New Mexico.

Other well-known acquisitions happened at different times for different reasons: the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 expanded the U.S. territory west of the Mississippi; the Mexican Cession refers to the larger area Mexico ceded after the 1848 war, not a separate 10-million purchase; and the Florida Purchase in 1819 added Florida from Spain.