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Westward expansion could be dangerous and potentially fatal, but to most people it was worth the risk because of the riches they could acquire. There were many advantages of moving away from home to the Western United States. Some religions, like the Mormons, moved west because of religious persecution. They moved to the Great Basin and established a center for what would become a major religion in the future without other religions towering over them. Missionaries moved west and attempted to convert the Native Americans there to Christianity. The allure of gold also helped move Easterners to the West. In 1849, many settlers hastened west because of the California Gold Rush, which yielded large profits to many Americans.The Chinese also heard
The American West was the land of opportunity for many groups of people from 1865 to 1890. For farmers and ranchers, the American west was a land of opportunity due to low cost of land as a result of the Homestead Act and the a chance for Americans, including immigrants and blacks, to achieve the American dream and make a profit by growing crops such as cotton for the thriving textile industry and raising cattle for the upcoming cattle industry. For the miners, the American West was seen as an opportunity to get rich through the gold and silver rush and was even popular in other parts of the world where immigrants responded to the rush as well; although most were not successful. The America West offered opportunities for Americans, both rich and poor, to establish a new life and achieve economic independence.
Between 1800 and 1850 the United States of America was an evolving nation in almost all possible ways including national unity. Many factors effected the change in national unity but none quite as much as territorial expansion. During this time period the United States more then doubled in size and by the end of its expansion reached from atlantic coast all the way to the pacific. When the nation first started to expand it brought with it the “era of good feeling”. With new states being created, the rapid growth of white settlement, and the economy expanding a rising spirit of nationalism was was consuming the United States in the years after the war of 1812. However, too much of anything, even something positive like territorial expansion, can bring negative effects. The first time the negative effects of territorial expansion became evident was during the panic of 1819. One of the next major events that showed clear evidence of decreased nationalism was attributed to the large amount of immigration in to America that took place between 1820-1840, this brought with it an rise in nativism. Lastly, during this booming immigration period, the United States also under went the industrial revolution which
In the early nineteenth century, most Northerners and Southerners agreed entirely that Americans should settle Western territories, and that it was God’s plan, or their “manifest destiny.” Northerners and Southerners who moved west were in search of a better life and personal economic gain; were they had failed before in the east, they believed they would do better in the west. The Panic of 1837 was a motivation to head
First, the Manifest Destiny included extremely inexpensive land for sale in the west. In some cases it was free since it was government land, and they passed things like the Homestead Act to encourage westward settlements. With so many people taking part in horizontal mobility by moving west, it gave the economy a chance to expand commerce. We would do this by building ports and increasing trade with countries in the Pacific. The economy also got a kick when there were gold or silver rushes in the west.
The westward movement was a time period from the 1840’s to the 1860’s, where the Americans traveled west in search of land and/or gold. In this essay, you will read about the wagon trails, Manifest Destiny, people, medicine, religion, politics, railroads, and the gold rush. There were numerous reasons why people came west on the trails. Many wanted land, which was free as long as you settled and farmed on it. Others sought gold, considered an easy way to get rich.
In 1845, a fellow named John C. Calhoun coined the term "Manifest Destiny." The term Manifest Destiny was a slogan for westward expansion during the 1840's. In the west there was plenty of land, national security, the spread of democracy, urbanization, but there was also poverty out west. People moved out west in search for a new life such as a new beginning. Moving out west, settlers from the east were taking a risk of a lot of things. The climate was different and there were more cultures that lived out west because of how much land was available.
The exploration of the West could have had the greatest economic impact on the United States ever. After the west had now been explored, they realized they had a great deal of land that now had to be settled. The land was so vast and so cheap that it was sold for very low prices and sometimes just given away. This caused a huge surge of people to begin flowing west and sparked westward expansion. People began setting up farms and more and more people had opportunities to make a good living.
Natural resourses was the main reason why there was a westward expansion in the first place.
The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history, down to the end of the19th century and as the main factor in the shaping of American history. As Frederick Jackson Turner says, the greatest force or influence in shaping American democracy and society had been that there was so much free land in America and this profoundly affected American society. Motives After the revolution, the winning of independence opened up the Western country and was hence followed by a steady flow of settlers to the Mississippi valley. By 1840, 10 new western states had been added to the Federal union. The frontier line ran through Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas on the western side of the river. All parts of the valley except Wisconsin and Minnesota were well populated. Thus a whole new section had been colonized with lasting effects on the American institutions, ideals and ways of living. The far west was the land of high mountains, deserts, strange rock formations, brilliant colors and immense distance. Fur trade with Europe had now become a lucrative business and the fur traders became the pathfinders for the settlers. Migration was now possible by the discovery of paths over which ox-driven carts could be driven through seeking mountains and across the western desert. People wanted to move away from the overcrowded cities and this led to the migration into the uninhabited lands. Increased transportation like roads, railroads and canals and their construction created a demand for cheap labor making it easier for people to get jobs now, in contrast with the cities where there was unemployment. The pioneer movement for 70 years after the revolution roughly represented the form of 3 parallel streams, flowing westwards from New England, Virginia and South Carolina. The first pioneer groups tended to move directly westward. Thus the new Englanders migrated into western New York and along the shores of the great lakes, Virginians into Kentucky and then into Missouri and the South Carolinians and Georgians into the gulf territories. Throughout the settlement of the Mississippi valley, most pioneers did not travel long distances and as a territory had been occupied, families would move into the adjacent one. There were boom periods of great activity, during which million acres of land were sold, alternated ...
The United States, as a young nation, had the desire to expand westward and become a true continental United States that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Various factors, strategic and economic, contributed to the desire to expand westward. According to John O’Sullivan, as cited by Hestedt in Manifest Destiny 2004; "the U.S. had manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence to the free development of our yearly multiplying millions" (¶2). As Americans ventured westward to settle the frontier, their inherent superior beliefs, culture and the principles of democracy accompanied them. America’s ruthless ambition to fulfill its manifest destiny had a profound impact on the nation’s economy, social systems and foreign and domestic policies; westward expansion was a tumultuous period in American History that included periods of conflict with the Native Americans and Hispanics and increased in sectionalism that created the backdrop for the Civil War.
The California gold rush brought many settlers to the west in search of fortune. The first person to discover gold in California was James Marshall, it was because of his finding if gold that thousands flocked to California. Although in the east many promises where being made about riches not everybody would strike golf. An example of this was Jean Nicholas Furlough who came to California from Belgium to become rich although he never did.
Turner describes how centers of attraction was a big enticement for westward expansion' Salt was an attraction because it was needed to preserve food for storage and so that people could more easily travel. Mines and better soil were attractions that provided wealth and/or food. Army posts became necessary centers of attraction for protection. With all the wide-open space that was available, it was natural that people would move west to claim the land and the benefits it reaped.The frontier was a vast area of free land so it was opt for
To begin with, the idea of West World Expansion were started by a group of people called "Mountain Men", by people who live in the East. These people jobs were to hunt down beaver.Why? Beavers were really demanding during 1800's. Their furs were used as clothing (or hat, blankets, etc.) , which was "fashionable" during that period of time. Mountain Men have to push into the West, since beaver were extinct in Europe and they're also wiped out in the East, due to their popular demand kept rising. Rocky Mountain's beavers were their target. Going on this journey have it own pros and cons for the Mountain Men. First off, they traveled to make money for themselves and their family, and they also tell stories about their journey, which a lot of them were sold in books, making the idea of West World Expansion more popular, inspiring families and people to move to the West for themselves. But during this journey, these men faced many hardships, they requ...
At the time Andrew Jackson was president, there was a fast growing population and a desire for more land. Because of this, expansion was inevitable. To the west, many native Indian tribes were settled. Andrew Jackson spent a good deal of his presidency dealing with the removal of the Indians in western land. Throughout the 1800’s, westward expansion harmed the natives, was an invasion of their land, which led to war and tension between the natives and America, specifically the Cherokee Nation.
On top of the farming craze, mining soon became very popular. Towns centered on mining would emerge, but shortly after they would disappear. This caused the Indians to move according to the mining towns. All this movement in the west caused life to become even more difficult for the Native Americans. When Americans and immigrants moved to the west they brought disease and violence with them. Ninety percent of Native Americans died after the gold rush in California (p. 501 Nash et al., 2010).