ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Territorial evolution of North America since 1763

Okay kiddo, so let's start with the year 1763. At this time, there were a bunch of different European powers that controlled different parts of North America. These powers were mainly Great Britain, France, Spain, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands.

After a big war called the French and Indian War, Great Britain gained a lot of land in North America from France. This land was called the "Ohio Country" and included places like Quebec, Montreal, and Detroit.

Over time, Great Britain started to expand its territory even further. They gained more land from Spain through the Treaty of Paris in 1783, which included Florida.

Meanwhile, there were some big changes happening in the United States. In 1776, the thirteen colonies declared independence from Great Britain and became their own country. They then started to expand westward, gaining more and more land over time.

The United States also made some big land purchases, such as the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 from France which gave them a huge amount of land west of the Mississippi River.

Throughout the 1800s, there was a lot of westward expansion and acquisition of new territories. The U.S. fought a war with Mexico in 1846-1848 and gained even more land in what is now the Southwest.

Eventually, the U.S. reached its current borders, with the exception of Alaska, which was purchased from Russia in 1867.

So in summary, since 1763, Great Britain, France, Spain, and the U.S. all gained and lost territories in North America through wars and land purchases. The U.S. in particular expanded westward and gained a lot of new territory through various means.