The Gadsden Purchase was a 1853 agreement between the United States and Mexico where the U.S. bought about 29,670 square miles of land from Mexico for $10 million to facilitate a southern transcontinental railroad route.
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Transcontinental Railroad: A railway line that connected the eastern U.S. with California at its western end, facilitated by lands acquired through Gadsden Purchase.
James Gadsden: The U.S. diplomat who negotiated with Mexico for the purchase of land which is now part of Arizona and New Mexico.
Compromise of 1850: A series of laws passed in an attempt to settle disagreements over slavery in territories gained during Mexican-American War; it happened just before Gadsden Purchase.