The Impact Of Westward Expansion On Developing The United States

During the mid-1800’s western expansion was influenced by economic growth. The attitudes that they needed more land in order to grow as a nation economically lead to more western expansion. So promises of land to homesteaders influenced Americans to travel west for economic gains.

America today would not be the same without westward expansion, the railroad and the American dream. Westward Expansion is the all American story “Cowboys and Indians “is the first thing that comes to mind when people say America and without westward expansions that would have never happened. Without Railroads transporting items and people took thousands of dollars and a weeks upon weeks. “The railroads were the arteries of America” Tom

The construction of railroads in the western United States made the West more accessible. People realized that without the railroad, western land would be unreachable

Americans believed that god predestined them to expand from coast to coast in the concept of Manifest Destiny. The increase in mining precious metals, building of a transcontinental railroad, cattle herding, and farming the Great Plains helped the US not only to reach their goals of expanding from sea to shining sea, but it also had the ideals that our Founding Fathers always wanted. America’s Western Expansion started from all the sightings of gold and other precious metals in the west. From the gold rush, people were settling west so that they can strike rich from all the precious metals that was there. Not only that, instead of using animals to travel a long way from their homes, the invention of railroads made travel easier, faster, and

Westward Expansion had significant political, economic, and social effects on the United States. While it brought economic growth and new opportunities, it also led to significant economic upbringings with women and the assimilation of Native Americans. Most political issues tied in with some of the other effects, economic and social. Firstly, white people thought that one of the only ways to stop future conflicts with Native Americans was with assimilation (Doc B). White settlers believed that the Native American way of life was unethical and that it’s lower and worse than their culture (Doc B).

In this unit of Westward Expansion, there were many examples of hardships and opportunities, which were all caused by something called the Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the belief of the American citizens that God gave them the right to move West to conquer the land on it and to spread their values across the continent. There are many good things that happened from the Westward Expansion, such as being able to gain more resources and industrialize the cities. The industrial revolution was a time of new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States. Many of these things during this revolution included production methods replacing hand production, and new iron processes.

The westward expansion was impacted by three main things and that is social, political, and economic. The westward expansion was impacted on a social scales with the tension between the Native Americans and the U.S., also during the journey to the west many people died. On a political scale the westward expansion was affected by the many wars and treaties that has to happen in order for the U.S. to gain the land, which then allows us to expand to the west. The westward expansion was effected by the economy because of the many technology that was created like trains, also because of the westward expansion there was an increase in business and industry's triumphed and since businesses grew there were many job opportunities which inclined people

The Westward Expansion and Industrialization has negatively impacted the United States (U.S.) politically, economically, socially and culturally. The Westward Expansion was a push to move America West in the 1800s (Westward Expansion) and it created the Indian Removal Act. The Industrial Revolution created machinery to make and provide goods on the shelf, started in the 1700s (Cooper). America took the Native Americans during the move West and assimilated them and completely changed everything. The Robber Barons had affected the Industrial Revolution, by cutting competition to make all the decisions for the businesses and started monopolies.

In conclusion, the westward expansion was one of the most important times in American history but one of the hardest for those who made the journey. The settlers had to go through a lot of hardships to get a new life in the west. The Gold Rush helped bring people to the west and populate California so it became a state. People such as Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark helped explore the new terrain and make maps so people could live there. Even though the pioneers got diseases, had conflicts with the Native Americans, and had to travel for long periods of time in a ship or covered wagon, they never gave up hope.

From the late 18th early 19th centuries, Westward expansion dominated the United States of America. Westward expansion was the push towards going to the west coast whether it was for new job opportunities, a better home life, or safer living options or pull factors. This changed American ways and views of life as well as altered other cultures' ways of life. Westward expansion and industrialization negatively affected America's political views, social views, cultural views and overall economic development of the United States due to the amounts of discrimination and assimilation that different groups faced, the amounts of capitalism in the work industry, and the idealization and spread of Manifest Destiny.

America was proliferating with the expansion of people “modernizing” to the new America with the growth of the West, urbanization, and building of industries across America being the development of the practice of freedom. Beginning with the expansion of the West, it played a vital role in the urbanization of the expanding American land. Americans chose to migrate West because people could start again(249 TAE). The Westward expansion is what caused urbanization in the short term.

The Westward Expansion began in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson wanted to make the United States a better place and to do so he believed that if people moved to the west that the nation would improve. ‘By 1840 almost 7 million Americans had migrated westward in hopes of securing land and being prosperous.’ This was the beginning of the westward expansion with the Louisiana Purchase.

In the 1800s, America was expanded from “sea to shining sea”. The expansion was a responsibility of the presidents of the United States. More people came to America which caused farmland to be scarce and decrease. Settlers had to move west for more land and opportunity, which would have not been possible without the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Other than land and opportunity, there were many reasons someone would have chosen to move to the new land in the west.

The westward expansion is a movement of settlers promoted by the federal government that pushed west to get things that benefit them. Such as gold, land, financial reasons, and religious freedom. During this time, America was going through Indian removal acts, economic issues and so much more. The westward expansion occurred due to gold and cheaper land resulting in Native Americans being forced off their own land. To begin, One of the reasons for the westward expansion was gold.

During the 1800s, the federal government promoted westward expansion in various ways. This expansion changed the shape and character of the country. America was able to get Westward Expansion in various ways like purchasing it and fighting for it. There were also various impacts that the expansion had on America, a positive result was the Homestead Act of 1862. This was when the government gave people land, but they had to grow a field full of crops in 5 years to obtain the land for free.