Answer:
The territories were ready to be claimed.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the late 1700's- early 1900's, the constantly pushing Western boundary of the U.S. was colonized by settlers. Most of them got their land from the Homestead act, which gave farmers who lived on a plot of land total ownership of said land for living there for a period of time. There were also rancher, miners, and companies using the land up for their expansion.