Show r territorial IAL EXPANSION OF THE UNITED STATES the tho territorial expansion of the united states s nee rice the close of the war for independence has been as marvelous as the ii it du growth and the increase in population today to day the total area of the states territories and colonial possessions is fully five times what it was when the peace treaty was signed with great britain in 1783 the map illustrates only the acqui acqua sitione on this continent the states years ago was comparatively land poor sti stretch etch ing east and west vest from the atlantic ocean to the mississippi river and from the canada line south to florida but not including florida hundreds of thousands of square miles of the best soil for agriculture in the world lying beyond the father of waters mines milles rich with metals and the harbors ot of the pacific coast belonged neither to the government nor its people forty five such states as are now represented upon the flag each by the star could not have been carve carvel 1 from the tile territory within the boun danes daries at the time of the birth of the nation recent terri territory tor al expansion not noted on the map is as follows hanai hawai an islands 6 square in les 1898 porto rico 3 square miles 1898 G lam iam square miles 1899 philippine islands sq tare in m les paid fo 90 1899 samoan islands 73 square in les 1901 add dional philipp nea neb 68 square miles paid A t 0 r 0 c 4 a 7 41 1 A I 1 7 in 16 41 4 1 f |