Watershed Moment Essay

761 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Chapter 16 america's gilded age

The year 1865 marked the beginning of great change in the United States. “An argument can be made that 1865 was a watershed moment, making it the most significant year in America’s young history (CSU, n.d., “Watershed Moment”). The Civil War came to an end in April of that year along with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The post- Civil War era marked the start of a new era in the country’s history. The period of Reconstruction to the Progressive Era if often referred to as the Gilded Age. The country continued to move West in the quest of Manifest Destiny which would lead to confrontations with the Native Americans. These confrontations would include the acquisition of land and extensive mineral deposits that would be discovered in the western territories of the United States. The citizens of the United States began to look for opportunities out West after the Civil War. The Homestead Act and other government programs pushed for the settlement of the western territories of the United States. As more and more settlers moved west conflicts began to emerge with the Native Americans. Americans believed they had the right to the land out West as part of the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny. The land out west was not only …show more content…

Mark Twain was quite the satirist and the term is used to describe the greed, corruption, and economic inequality that troubled America during this time period. Twain also used this term to describe the mass consumption of cheap, worthless goods that began to be mass produced as the nation became an Industrial Society. A great deal of these faults stemmed directly from the government. Andrew Johnson followed Abraham Lincoln after his assassination and became the first President to be impeached. The administrations that followed President Johnson also fell victim to corruption and

Show More
Related

  • DBQ on Western Front

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many Americans packed few belongings and headed west during the middle to the late nineteenth century. It was during this time period that the idea of manifest destiny became rooted in American customs and ideals. Manifest Destiny is the idea that supported and justified expansionist policies, it declared that expansion was both necessary and right. America’s expansionist attitudes were prominent during the debate over the territorial rights of the Oregon territory. America wanted to claim the Oregon territory as its own, but Great Britain would not allow that. Eventually the two nations came to an agreement and a compromise was reached, as seen in document B. The first major party of settlers that traveled to the west settled in Oregon.

    Read More

  • Compare and contrast America’s “Manifest Destiny” of the mid-19th century with its “Imperialism” of the late 19th century.

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    America’s Manifest Destiny first surfaced around the 1840’s, when John O’Sullivan first titled the ideals that America had recently gained on claiming the West as their ‘Manifest Destiny.’ Americans wanted to settle in the West for multiple reasons, from the idea that God wanted them to settle all the way to the West co...

    Read More

  • Civil War Reconstruction Dbq

    941 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the time period of 1860 and 1877 many major changes occurred. From the beginning of the civil war to the fall of the reconstruction, the United States changed dramatically. Nearly one hundred years after the Declaration of Independence which declared all men equal, many social and constitutional alterations were necessary to protect the rights of all people, no matter their race. These social and constitutional developments that were made during 1860 to 1877 were so drastic it could be called a revolution.

    Read More

  • The Growth of Government from 1877 Through 1920

    693 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Transportation Revolution in the 1800s, sparked up industrialization and the building of railroads that stimulated every other industry causing an economic boom known as the Gilded Age. From the outside, America seemed like the place to go to make all your dreams come true. But in reality, in was an era of serious social problems mainly caused by an economy with a free market policy, low tariffs, low taxes, less spending, and a hands-off government. This type of economy would eventually lead to the development of monopolies. These monopolies would then, in turn, lead to worker uprisings ‒caused by the suppression of unions created mostly by unskilled workers‒ that would contribute to the rapid rise and downfall of America. An example of this suppression is the Homestead Strike of 1892; due to hostility created by the unions, the employer fired all the workers, and rehired them on the basis that there would not be any more unions. After the workers started working again, the conditions were still unbearable, so the workers shut down the facility. The police got involved, the workers were pushed back, and the facility was reopened union free.

    Read More

  • Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Manifest Destiny

    789 Words  | 2 Pages

    Man has always had the desire to expand, venture forth to develop greater wealth. With the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory and the prospects of future land acquisition, Americans used the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify their actions for moving westward and their treatment of Native Americans. The idea of Manifest Destiny was created directly by the European-used Doctrine of Discovery and industrialization; this direct correlation was proven to be true from the verdict of the court case Johnson v. M’Intosh.

    Read More

  • Political Crisis Of 1850 Essay

    1630 Words  | 4 Pages

    This decade, surrounded by great periods in US history such as the Gold Rush and the Civil War, was in direct correlation with everything around it, being greatly influenced by the Gold Rush and directly influencing the Civil War as well as making ripples throughout history. Understanding influential periods before the crisis of the crisis of the 1850’s, the substance of the discussion, and the ominous effects of the 1850’s crisis, it is difficult to deny the importance of that decade in American

    Read More

  • Corruption and Greed in the Gilded Age

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    The post-Civil War years between 1865 and 1900 were a time of immense social change and economic growth in the United States. This time period, commonly referred to as “The Gilded Age,” saw an end to Reconstruction, rapid industrialization, and new wealth. Despite these achievements, however, the era between Reconstruction and the beginning of the twentieth century was plagued by political stalemate, a decline of human values, increased materialism, and widespread corruption.

    Read More

  • Territorial Expansion Of The Civil War Essay

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Civil War, a devastating conflict amongst the American North and South in the mid to late 1800s, was caused by growing tension between the opposing sides for many reasons but also because of territorial expansion of America. In determining the impact of territorial expansion in the mid 1800’s on the sectionalism that led to the civil war, one would first have to look at the tactics for territorial expansion in America. Americans began to entertain the idea of heading west in the early 1800’s, which then brought forth the acts and events of the United States spreading its boundaries from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Historical events involving the expansion of America such as Manifest Destiny, the War with Mexico, and popular sovereignty in the west, all contributed to the growing tension between the North and the South, ultimately starting the Civil War. 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.”

    Read More

  • The American West: A Land of Opportunity

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the Civil War, Americans abandoned the sectional emphasis caused by slavery and developed a national focus. During the period from 1865-1890, Americans completed the settlement of the West. For the farmers and ranchers, the American West was a land of opportunity because land was cheap and the Homestead Act provided land to farmers, including immigrants and blacks, in order to grow crops, raise cattle and make a profit. The American West was also seen as a land of opportunity for miners due to the gold and silver rush in the far west which they believed would make them rich. However, both groups faced many challenges and few achieved great wealth.

    Read More

  • American History, 1865-1900

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    The years after the civil war left one half of America, the north, satisfied and the other half, the south, mostly dissatisfied. Therefore the last third of the nineteenth century, 1865-1900, was a time period in which America was mending, repairing, improving, reshaping, and reconstructing its society, economy, culture, and policies. Basically it was changing everything it stood for. This continual change can be seen in the following events that took place during this time. These events are both causes and effects of why America is what it is today. These are some examples: the reconstruction of the south, the great movement towards the west, the agricultural revolution, the rise of industrialism, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, and America's growth to gaining world power. All of these are reasons and events that characterize America as being an ever-changing nation.

    Read More

  • Westward Expansion In America In The 1800s

    1528 Words  | 4 Pages

    White settlers started moving westward to settle the land gained by the victory over the Native Americans. A major factor that caused this major movement, other than by the victory of the war, was the homestead act. This act provided and granted 160 acres of free land to any citizen who was the head of a house or family. While moving, the settlers were challanged by the new enviornment of the plains and they had to start adapting to the new enviornment. While moving west, all farmers were supported by the government on technical aspects and on agricultural education.

    Read More

  • American Manifest Destiny

    1863 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The 'New' Expansionism Ideas of the United States (1880-1914)

    1262 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the United States grew in power, so did her ideas of expansion. The foreign powers were beginning to move out of their continents and seek land in other countries. The United States soon followed. They followed in their founder’s footsteps and tried to occupy lands in the far seas. However, in the beginning, this need for more land was called Manifest Destiny. This idea claimed that God was forcing them to occupy the new western lands. The expansionism that occurred in the late 1800’s was not a result of Manifest Destiny, and thus this "new" idea of expansionism was different from the expansionism ideas of early America. For the most part, the United States’ need for more land was primarily to keep other nations (mainly European powers) out of the western hemisphere. However the United States began to see reason behind change towards the "new" expansionistic ideas.

    Read More

  • The United States Industrial Boom

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    After the Civil War had ended the United States had many challenges to face. There are a variety of factors that aided the country through the tough years that followed the war. The rapid growth of the United States helped to accommodate a large flow of immigration, and build an extremely powerful industrial infrastructure, as well as temper the hostility still present throughout the country. Trains, and eventually automobiles, opened the West to the rest of the country. People now had an escape from there lives in the East, and eagerly began to populate the farthest corners of the country. America was on its way to making an enormous impact on the world’s industrial market.

    Read More

  • The Homestead Act

    1405 Words  | 3 Pages

    The expansion of the United States is such a vital part of American history, yet some often forget how it all happened. Many thriving settlers were given an extraordinary opportunity starting on January 1, 1863 that would end up laying the floor work for many Midwestern and Western citizens today. The rights and responsibilities to live on and maintain 160 acres of land may seem like a lot to take in for a student learning about an Act about land from the 1860s. However, think about all the people the Homestead Act of 1862 affected. There was a lot of pressure on the original homesteaders to make good use of their newfound land, the government was giving out land that wasn’t exactly theirs, and the Native American would have some their rights stolen.

    Read More

More about Watershed Moment Essay

Open Document