The Era Of Westward Expansion

Westward expansion from 1860 to 1890 represented a time for significant change within America. During this time period the U.S would experience rapid growth within cities, agricultural land, and the railroad network. With everything beginning to fall into place and technology booming, America would soon become one of the world’s greatest superpowers. Without Westward expansion, America would not have developed as fast as it did.

In the 19th century the Westward Expansion had been the common theme of American History. Fredrick Jackson Turner commented that, on the western frontier the distinctive qualities were forged. He also added that the West was a “safety valve”. The ideal was to win the Independence so the Western part of the country could open up, allowing settlers to move in.

After the War of 1812 much of America's attention turned to exploration and settlement of its territory to the West, which had been greatly enlarged by the Louisiana Purchase.

Did you know that pioneers back then journey westward to make a better living. People in the west would write letters telling about the good life in the frontier. The west also gave people an opportunity to buy land for their home and some farm land. The price was much more cheaper than the east to buy land. The hardest part about traveling to the west is the trip there. People would ride on wagons, pulled by an oxen or mule. Along the way, pioneers address their basic needs like hunger, Pierre’s Hole and clothing when they journey westward.

The influence of the westward expansion in the West is still evident today. Influences such as land, and the individualist mindset remain the same today. Also, a lot of ways the frontier land today is isolated compared to the West we live in today, too. The frontier emphasized the spirit of nationalism and individualism in the United States.

President Thomas Jefferson believed that the nation's future depended on the expansion to the West and promised free land and prosperity for Americans moving west. The history of the U.S affected by the westward expansion in several ways, beginning with the East coast and continuing expanding to the West until they reached the pacific. Americans already had the idea of expanding their land across the continent in order to become a stronger country and become a nation of prosperity. This was America's destiny, to expand around the continent and spread their traditions and costumes because of God's will. Also, many Americans believed that God blessed the growth of the nation and he demanded to expand and bring the United States government to the unenlightened people. Even before the American colonies won their independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary war, people were immigrating to the West because they were provided more opportunities and benefits than living under Great Britain's control. According to History.com “Manifest Destiny is a term for the attitude prevalent during the 19th century period of American expansion that the United States not only could,

In the positive side of American westward expansion, the U.S acquired more land and expanded the economy tremendously. It also allowed people who were unsatisfied with the East to move away and settle in the West . Railroads also made a huge impact in that they created more jobs and now had tracks to make it easier to move to the West. Another impact of the expansion was the discovery of oil and had caused large corporations to emerge and expanded the economy . Unlike the East according to Eric Foner, the West was very diverse: it created jobs that were held by many different races . This led to many people move to the West in search for better opportunities.

To understand current this American ideal, one must look at the past and the damage that has been done through capitalism of resources and westward expansion. Colonialists did not take after their Native American processors who grew, “corn and beans together to preserve the richness of the soil” (Jacobs, 25) Instead colonialists began soil erosion across the US with cash crops such as tobacco that continually eroded the soil and its nutrients away. As Jacob observes, the colonists continually cleared land, use it as pasture fields when the soil became depleted, and would then move on to new land. There was not regard for the destruction of nature and natural resources only the desire to make more money. This trend would carry on for more than a century as it was carried west by settlers looking for new resources to exploit. Unfortunately, the resources would become the buffalo.

The U.S struggle to expand towards the west has been idealized and exemplifies the idea of this country being “the land of opportunity.” The eventual settlements of the west are monuments to the perseverance of enterprising Americans, monuments built with blood and the promise of fortune. The most significant. impacts of Westward Expansion can be seen in three main areas: Legislature, Native American Conflict and Industry.

Frederick Jackson Turner believed that Americans still have a frontier mentality. Americans depended on the expansion of the country because they wanted more land and money. Explorers ventured westward to claim land as their own, being the start of the Westward Expansion. They forced Indians from their land and later created the Dawes Act. During the Industrial era, technology was expanding, population was increasing, and cities became overcrowded. Settlement houses were created a few years later by Jane Addams.

Westward expansion changed into the preference of the US to govern the territories of western components of the United States that had been either unclaimed or occupied by using other international locations. It is pertinent to comprehend that the us history became inspired with the aid of England in diverse methods. Within the second 1/2 of 18th century, the railroad which that turned into invented in England introduced a main effect in the USA enlargement to the West. Railroads originated from England. England had a dense population, big monetary sources and quick distances between its cities. Conversely, in the USA the story becomes unique. It had a sparse population, few financial sources and biggest distances among towns in a big country. The transcontinental railroad in large part expanded Westward growth inside the US at some stage in 1860-ninety.

In 1893 when Frederick Jackson Turner delivered his famous essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” the United States had recently fulfilled the goal of Manifest Destiny by finishing its conquest of the West. Westward expansion had been an integral aspect of the American identity and its citizens were left wondering what would continue to propel the United States into the future. At the same time, people were also looking back and trying to decide how exactly the frontier had shaped American life. The common belief was that the United States’ conquest of the West was glorious and peaceful and Turner’s essay serves as a perfect example of this line of thinking. For Turner and his ilk, the West was an uninhabited

Westward Expansion was the desire of America to control the territories of western parts of America that were either unclaimed or occupied by other nations. It is pertinent to discern that England influenced the United States in diverse ways. In the second half of 18th century, the railroad which that was invented in England brought a significant impact in the United States expansion to the West. Railroads originated from England. England had a dense populace, substantial financial resources and short distances between its cities. Conversely, in America the story was different. It had a sparse population, few financial resources and considerable distances between cities in a vast country. The transcontinental railroad mainly increased Westward Expansion in the US during 1860-90.

Throughout his piece, Henry David Thoreau addresses the idea of “the West” in “Walking.” While some may argue that these mentions serve to reference Westward Expansion in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century, I personally feel that “the West” Thoreau discusses is a metaphor for the unfamiliar and unrealized opportunity for humankind to flourish in the future. As he writes, “…we go westward as into the future, with a spirit of enterprise and adventure,” Thoreau truly expresses his fascination with the “undiscovered world” that the West has to offer. Furthermore, Thoreau conveys his desire for freedom in the following quote: “…Hope and the future for me are not in lawns and cultivated fields, not in towns and cities, but in the

Throughout the course of history people have always fought over the conquest of territories. Land is sought to be power, dominance, resource, history, a sacred sanction, and more importantly home. Land can represents a reflection of people. At times the land contains beauty, however, that beauty can be destruction. A surplus of catastrophic occurrences occur such as earthquakes can be compared to the pain people inflict on each other. More importantly, people withhold a vast connection to the land; as represented in the westward expansion in the United States. Many disputes occurred as to which the indians and the colonist inflicted pain on each other over the possession the land. There is a connection that people withhold with land that