The Department of the Interior was established by Congress 167 years ago today. The vast landscapes between the coasts had indeed become significant by 1849. Settlement had expanded well beyond the Mississippi River across the Great Plains and the Rockies to the Pacific. Virtually all Indians had been moved and resettled in the west. The discovery of gold in California heightened interest in mineral wealth and the expansion of mining. Manifest destiny, the idea that all of North America should be part of the United States, was active in the Pacific Northwest and by 1848 had already achieved victory over Mexico from California to Texas. Indeed the interior had become a busy and diversified aspect of the American experience and one that demanded some form of federal oversight.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
The Department Of Everything Else Has A Birthday
The Department of the Interior was established by Congress 167 years ago today. The vast landscapes between the coasts had indeed become significant by 1849. Settlement had expanded well beyond the Mississippi River across the Great Plains and the Rockies to the Pacific. Virtually all Indians had been moved and resettled in the west. The discovery of gold in California heightened interest in mineral wealth and the expansion of mining. Manifest destiny, the idea that all of North America should be part of the United States, was active in the Pacific Northwest and by 1848 had already achieved victory over Mexico from California to Texas. Indeed the interior had become a busy and diversified aspect of the American experience and one that demanded some form of federal oversight.
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