Those who have written of U.S. history have long been selective in their choice of topics. Few people schooled in the subject have not heard of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Boston Tea Party, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Battle of New Orleans, the Alamo, or even Custer's Last Stand. Little, however, has been written--with the exception of the acquisition of Louisiana and Florida--about the movement in this country to expand into the South and Southwest during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. This early expansion movement ultimately freed the United States from French and Spanish domination and changed the map of the country forever. This book explores the motives of those presidents in office during that time, and also the successful and unsuccessful intrigues and episodes of the entire movement. What may have appeared to be nameless frontiersmen or adventurers simply seeking new lands was, in fact, part of a grand plan, whose designers--Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe--intended to expand the boundaries of the United States in almost any manner. But this story cannot be told without giving some attention to the Northeastern detractors of expansion, for in all great struggles there are winners and losers. This story was no exception. the public and private intrigues in these twenty-odd years give the whole story a flavor of mystery not often known. It is our hope that this study will provide not only knowledge of these diverse actions but also continuity to the events, thereby illustrating that there was always either planning . . .
