Westward Expansion Essay

The Westward Expansion of the United States, that had lasted from 1803 to 1853 was a very important event that had occurred in the United States. It was a way of American settlers justify the seizing of land in the Western part United States. This was also known as Manifest Destiny in that settlers thought that it was their God given destiny to explore and expand their territories. The Westward expansion had led to many technological advancements that benefited the U.S. and had helped settlers gain better opportunities to better their lives. However, the Westward Expansion had increased tensions that led to the Civil War by crumbling the compromises that had soothed the positions of pro and anti-slavery settlers.
The westward expansion helped the

U.S.

through the development of new technologies. Some major technologies that were developed through westward expansion was barbed wire, beef cattle raising, transcontinental railroad, and the mechanical reaper. Barbed wire had helped fence large plots of land and kept farmers livestock inside and predators of the livestock out. Another major technological development was beef and cattle raising. Some land plots in the west had natural grasses there which was key for raising cattle. This would help economic growth through trade and through industry growth of the beef industry. One of the most crucial technological developments was the transcontinental railroad. It was the product from the Industrial Revolution. The transcontinental railroad linked the western United States to the Eastern United States. It made transportation of mass quantities goods and mass quantities of manufacturing easier. It had shipped over fifty million dollars worth of freight from the West coast to the East coast every year. It also brought goods from the industry in the

Eastern part of the United States to people that settled beyond the Mississippi River. The transcontinental railroad also contributed to the development of western factories through transportation of supplies to help build these factories which ultimately led to economic growth in the United States. In addition to technological advancement through the Westward Expansion the mechanical reaper was a very important one. The mechanical reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormick. This invention revolutionized farming in that it could cut stalks of wheat and corn much much faster than a human could. This helped farmers significantly because they could cut more stalks of wheat or corn and could sell more of the finished product.
Another reason why the Westward Expansion was important was that it helped settlers gain better opportunities to better their lives in the U.S. which led to a better economy. It helped settlers gain better opportunities in that settlers would be able to own huge plots of land for free just by claiming it. . By 1840, almost forty percent of the U.S. population had lived in the trans Appalachian West Region. This showed that many settlers took the opportunity to better their lives and to gain more opportunities for themselves and for their families. Through Westward Expansion, settlers were able to maximize their potential, learn new ways of living, and learned to be innovative. Many settlers took this chance by becoming farmers and innovating farming in the West through dry farming. This method was used to make farming easier in the west by planting seeds deep into the soil so that seeds would retain as much water as possible. This was used because the West did not get much rainfall so farmers had to adapt and find a way to farm in the West. The use of dry farming showed that settlers in the West were innovative because they found ways to adapt to the farming conditions. The Westward Expansion had also improved the economy of the U.S. The expansion made it possible for farmers and merchants to produce, sell, and consume more of the goods coming from the West. This led to a better and improved economy which was all due to the settlers moving west to look to better their lives and to also innovate to help improve the economy of the U.S.