An act of Congress in 1819 created the state's northern boundary along the 36 parallel from the Mississippi River to the St.

► Famous landmarks: Hot Springs National ParkĪrkansas borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west.

As it turned out, Texas did end up seceding from the Union. The two largest contiguous states, California and Texas, determined their own borders because of the political power they wielded and the concern that they might secede from the U.S. The Missouri Compromise of 1818 solidified the practice of determining state boundaries in the region based on where slavery was legal. The issue of slavery also helped shape states in the territory that was included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The construction of cross-country railroads and the Erie Canal helped dictate the contours of states where those modes of transport traversed. This did not please Thomas Jefferson, who suggested that Congress create future states equal in size based upon latitude and longitude coordinates. The original 13 colonies vary in shape and size. Stimulus checks sent to 156M Americans, including Social Security beneficiaries and 'plus up' COVID payments My pandemic obsession: Why some of us have turned to compulsive shopping (and how to stop) These are the oldest historic towns in every state. The outlines of the earliest states were often shaped by geographic boundaries, such as rivers. The American Revolution helped to define the shapes of the original 13 colonies. We reviewed materials such as Mark Stein’s book “ How the States Got Their Shapes” to find out how each state’s contours fit into the grand puzzle that is the United States of America.Īccording to Stein, the most important influences that determined the shapes of the states were the American Revolution, the construction of railroads, the proposal for the Erie Canal, and the issue of slavery. How their shapes were determined provides insight into how the United States became a nation like no other.Ģ4/7 Tempo has taken a look at how each state got its shape. Each of the 50 states that comprise the United States of America has its own shape.

War divides the nation 1861 map