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Westward expansion during the 1800s
Impact of westward expansion on the US
Impact of westward expansion on the US
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The United States began as a group of 13 colonies controlled by Great Britain. These colonies won their independence in the American Revolution and became a unified country. Since that moment, the United States has been continuously expanding its borders. The Northwest Territory was gained as a result of the American Revolution, the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France, and the lands of California, New Mexico, and Texas were gained after the Mexican-American War. All of these gained lands helped expand the borders of the United States and develop the country into a global force. Expansion into the western lands of the United States became a growing trend in the early 19th century and continued to gain popularity amongst Americans. These lands promised a new start for some people, and for others, an opportunity for great wealth. Western expansion also created conflict between Americans. Competition for the best land, debates over slavery, and conflicts with Indians began to emerge with the increased expansion. The benefits and conflicts associated with western expansion defined the area and its role in America. The expansion to the western lands of the United States created a number of benefits for the economy and its citizens. With the expansion to these lands, Americans gained the added land area along with the resources that the land possessed. One of these valuable resources that attracted Americans to the West was gold. During the mid-1800s, gold was discovered in northeastern California. This inspired a movement of many Americans to leave their homes to settle in the West in the hope of discovering gold. This gold rush attracted primarily single men into the uncharted western lands. Another resource that attracte... ... middle of paper ... ...tate when it was accepted into the Union (Hewitt and Lawson 309-313). Other states also struggled with the issue of slavery in the West. California and the territories of New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska all were under dispute of being admitted as free or slave states. These areas were above the line separating free and slave states, so according to the Missouri Compromise, they should be admitted as free states. However, with the nullification of the Missouri Compromise as a result of the Dred Scott case, the territories did not need to be admitted as free states. Settlers of these territories were conflicted in their views on slavery and whether enslavement of blacks should be permitted in the area. California was eventually admitted as a free state and the territories of New Mexico, Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska would decide on slavery by popular sovereignty.
During the years surrounding James K. Polk's presidency, the United States of America grew economically, socially, and most noticeably geographically. In this time period, the western boundaries of the Untied States would be expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans in the 19th century believed that the acquisition of this territory to the west was their right and embraced the concept of "Manifest Destiny". This concept was the belief that America should stretch from sea to shining sea and it was all but inevitable. Under the cover of "Manifest Destiny", President Polk imposed his views of an aggressive imperialistic nation. Imperialism is the practice of extending the power and dominion of a nation by direct territorial acquisitions over others, and clearly America took much of this land by force rather than peaceful negotiations with other nations. Polk acquired three huge areas of land to include: the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico under the Mexican Cession.
Additionally, the majority of states had conflicts between slavery in their territory, one of them dealt with missouri. Missouri applied for admission into the Union as a slave state; this became a problem because missouri ruined the balance for free slaves and slave states. The northern states wanted to ban slavery from occurring in missouri because the unbalanced situation it put towards the other states. In response, the southern states declared how congress doesn’t have the power to ban slavery in missouri. However, Henry Clay offers a solution, the missouri compromise of 1820. Missouri admitted as slave state and Maine becomes a free slave state. Slavery is banned in Louisiana creating a 36 30 line in missouri’s southern border; this maintained the balance in the U.S senate.
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.
The California Gold Rush in 1849 was the catalyst event for the state that earned them a spot in the U.S. union in 1850. This was not the first gold rush in North America; however, it was one of the most important gold rush events. The story of how the gold was discovered and the stories of the 49ers are well known. Men leaving their families in the East and heading West in hopes of striking it rich are the stories that most of us heard about when we learn about the California Gold Rush. Professors and scholars over the last two decades from various fields of study have taken a deeper look into the Gold Rush phenomena. When California joined the Union in 1850 it helped the U.S. expand westward just as most Americans had intended to do. The event of the Gold Rush can be viewed as important because it led to a national railroad. It also provided the correct circumstances for successful entrepreneurship, capitalism, and the development modern industrialization. The event also had a major influence on agriculture, economics, and politics.
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.
The economy would also blossom during this expansion. 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. These occurred in Denver, Colorado (1859), Virginia City, Nevada (1859), Last Chance Gulch (1861), and in the Black Hills of the Dakotas (1875). All of these sporadic improvements of the economy helped us grow into a big super power.New inspirations entered the art world at this time too. Many artists tried to capture the image of Manifest Destiny by illustrating families traveling west.
As most folks do, when I think of the term “Gold Rush”, it conjures up images of the West! Images of cowboys and crusty old miners ruthlessly and savagely staking their claims. Immigrants coming by boat, folks on foot, horseback, and covered wagon form all over the US to rape and pillage the land that was newly acquired from Mexico through the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo… California. But let me tell you about a gold rush of another kind, in another place, even more significant. It was the actual first documented discovery of gold in the United States! Fifty years earlier…in North Carolina!
Post Civil War, America was looking for new opportunities to become a stronger and more efficient nation. Though reconstruction collapsed, they took the opportunity of the Manifest Destiny to gain the territories of the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican-American War and settle the west. With this expansion, it provided numerous opportunities for the people to gain success alongside the nation. The gold rush caused an increase in immigration that brought more people to the newly flourishing nation, and allowed the west coast to become settled as well as help the economy from the new wealth. The land that was gained in the Louisiana Purchase provided the Great Plains, where pioneers settled and ranching operations were run. Though it sadly pushed away the native tribes who originally lived there, throughout the gilded age the government has tried to return to them their land and rights – and gives them reparations today. All of which provided a basis to the American dream that gave the opportunity for a better life to many people. Towns and economy was...
As more people migrated to the United States, the demand for land increased, and the federal government needed to expand the nation in order to accommodate the rapidly increasing population. As seen on Document 1, the territorial growth of the United States spanned from 1783 to 1853. The United States started from the original 13 colonies which seceded from Great Britain in 1783. The government expanded the nation’s territory by forcing their ideology on the Native Americans and purchasing land. At the “...west of the river, Mississippi, not included in any state or organized territory, and to which the Indian title has been extinguished [revoked], as he [the president]” deems necessary (Document 2). Without the consent of the Natives, their
James Marshall discovered gold in the American River in northern California which caused a great migration to California. Due to this discovery, the United States commodity prices increased and raise in commodity prices urged workers to go on strike in order to protect their standard of living. The U.S. provided 45 percent of the world's gold production between 1851 and 1855. Many people benefited from finding gold because the amount of gold that was found will determine how well they succeeded in becoming rich. The Gold Rush led to the exploration of different territories in California, the encountering of gold, and the exchange of different cultural ideas. The exploration of gold in California during the 1800's affected immigration, the exchange of cultural ideas and shaped the social structure during this period also known as the "Gold Rush."
One of those many whom roamed the land before Americans decided that they owned were the Native Americans. Many tribes had reigning governments and tribal counsels also a way of life. With westward expansion brought changes. Many Americans were killing their live stock, the food which they ate, also Americans were settling more and more on the Indians lands. In time Indians began to fight back and take what had been theirs. Once this happened the Americans decided to make the Indians like Americans, so we took their land and tried to make them Americans. But this was only one group that we affected, another was the Mexicans.
released the Compromise of 1850 to address the issue of whether the new states should be slave states or free states. As shown in the map in document A, California was declared a free state to keep a balance of free and slave states to keep the unity between the North and South. The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854 was also passed to allow the states of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they wanted to prohibit slavery or not without disrupting the balance of free and slave states. The number of fugitive slaves began to increase, so the
find gold in Colorado and Oregon because they wanted to strike rich. Also, people that didn't have a lot of money, saw this as an opportunity to become more wealthy. So most people ended up trying to go and strike it rich. So people found the “hot spots”, and others found the “crap spots”. The creeks near Jacksonville, Illinois River, and Josephine Creek was where gold was found in Oregon. Once the news about the gold near Oregon spread, miners from California and Willamette Valley came. People trusted that they would find gold because Oregon was supposed to have mild weather and very rich soil. The faster you came, the better for two reasons. First, if you came early you could claim land where the gold was. So the earliest people claimed land with a lot of gold on it. Second, the earlier you came the more gold there would of been. So more opportunity for the early people to strike rich. Most men ...
The Americans during the early 1800's were very manipulative and were willing to do anything in order to accomplish their goals. Westward expansion was very important to the United States, claiming more land to the west was a symbol of power and the more power the United States had the more intimidating they were to neighboring countries. The only thing standing in the way of the Americans westward expansion were the natives that called that land home. In the beginning of westward expansion the Americans wanted to create a friendship with the native Americans and establish trust. So they decided to discreetly take advantage of the Indians by creating treaties that claimed to offer amazing opportunities as long as the Indians aggreged to relinquish their land to the Americans. For example in the document entitled, A Treaty between the United States of America, and the Kaskaskia Tribe of Indians. (August 13, 1803) it states, "The annuity
On that note, as of 1860, there were some unorganized territories in the west, while the structured ones were yet to be admitted to the Union. However, by 1870, the Westward Expansion eliminated the former, except for one. The growth resulted in the admission of more territories to the Union, where only four remained independent as of 1890 (“Westward Expansion”). The changes in the political structures of the western territories were attributed to the fact that the expansion performed an integral role in remodeling the national and ethnic identities of the residents (Brady 485). For example, the Indian populations became civilized as they abandoned their traditions for modernity, including education, a new code of dressing, and democratic leadership. Overall, the Westward Expansion increased the political power of the U.S. because new territories were admitted into the union, which provided enhanced access to resources; hence, it triggered economic