Following its independence from Great Britain in 1783, the United States expanded westward toward the Pacific Coast. The growing number of immigrants to the East Coast of the United States through the 1800s fueled a movement to settle new areas of the West in pursuit of economic opportunities. Just as the Spanish displaced or subjugated indigenous peoples in their efforts to establish new colonies, the Westward expansion of the United States devastated Native Americans. It also led to conflict with Mexico and the acquisition of Mexican territories ranging from Texas to California. The inclusion of areas long-settled by Mexicans accelerated the fusion of Anglo and Hispanic culture in Texas and the U.S. Southwest. However, it also resulted in ethnic conflict and prejudice. By the end of the nineteenth century, the drive to obtain new territory culminated in a war with Spain and the end of the Spanish Empire in the Western Hemisphere.