Transformation of Iowa

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Iowa was transformed to a fully functioning state by the pioneers because they saw something wonderful about the land and all of the opportunities that it could bring. On June 25, 1673, Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette were the first Europeans to set foot onto Iowa soil. They marked the first settlement of white people on Iowa territory. The land had previously been home to approximately 17 different Indian tribes before being founded by Europeans.
European settlers began to push the Indian tribes off of their land. In 1803 when President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana from France, it added 827,987 square miles to the United States. The territory that would soon become Iowa was part of the Indiana Territory, which was governed by William Henry Harrison. The Treaty of 1804 lead to the Blackhawk War because Harrison convinced the Native Americans to sign the treaty which meant they would give up to 51 million acres of land. The Native Americans were very angered by this because the treaty was signed by those who had no authority to do so. In turn this started the Blackhawk War. The Native Americans became distrustful and suspicious of the government, therefore causing them to harass and attack. The Native Americans then began to be pushed out of their land. In 1856, the Mesquaki tribe was authorized by the Iowa legislature, to purchase over 3,000 acres of land. Today, the Mesquaki tribe still remains on their settlement in Tama County, Iowa. By 1851 all Iowa land was in the hand of the federal government.
Iowa underwent many political changes before becoming independent. From 1821 to 1834, the land was considered lawless, because they were not under any government jurisdiction. During this time, the land was ...

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...ecause people were able to travel to nearby towns for care. This enabled growth in communities because the need and want for services began to grow. For towns along a railway there was significant growth, but there were major positive changes for the state as a whole. Transportation development had a major role in the economic expansion of Iowa.
Iowa became a fully functioning state because of the first settlers who saw the true beauty in it. They were able to transform it from an empty prairie to a fully functioning state. The most important change that took place was probably the development of the railroad system because it brought the biggest economic change to the state.

Works Cited

Schwieder, Dorothy. IOWA The Middle Land. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 1996.
Print.
Schwieder, Dorothy. “History of Iowa” Iowa Official Register. Web. 15 February 2014

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