Western Expansion and the White House

The White House is located in a federal district on the eastern coast of the United States. Today, the majority of states are located west of Washington, D.C., and the White House. However, when President George Washington chose the location for the new capital city, the United States was much smaller and situated on the Atlantic coast. As the nation grew stronger and more populous, presidents began to seek additional territory and expanded westward across the continent, eventually reaching the Pacific coast. Discover some key White House efforts to promote western expansion.