In 1803, Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the country through the Louisianaa Purchase.  At that time, Jefferson exclaimed that it would take Americans a hundred generations to fill up the country.  Over the next fifty years, the United States also gained nearly a million more square miles of territory from Mexico.  By 1890, barely four generations after Jefferson’s proclamation, the United States was completely settled from sea to shining sea. 

The innovations in transportation and communication between 1800-1860 spurred the settlement of the West.  Make sure your essay is at least 300 words and detailed, with specific examples. 

Describe the improvements in transportation and communication between 1800 and 1860 and how they made westward expansion possible.  What impacts did these improvements have on American politics, American culture, and American society?