The slightest action or movement by the government or the people can alter a nation’s economy drastically. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the United States of America was, most assuredly, in need of a positive economic agent. This agent became a geographical expansion to the West. Unquestionably, the settlers’ means of excelling production, efficient distribution, innovative services, and rich resources in the West were incorporated in the enhancement of the economy countrywide. United States inhabitants along with foreign immigrants moved west to pursue a healthier life consisting of more available, individual land and an assortment of economic opportunities. Land acquisitions from both Mexico and the Native American population by the government, increased availability of capital, and favorable land policies such as the Homestead Act of 1862 and Morill Land Grant College Act made this drive probable for both men and women (Berkin 434). With the construction of the transcontinental railroad …show more content…
After all, the Native Americans who had been living in these Great Plains had survived solely off their surrounding natural amenities. Bounteous grasslands, valuable gold deposits, silver deposits, copper deposits, oil reserves, fertile ground, water supply, and adequate lumber permeated the region (Berkin 440-444). Particularly, the Gold Rush of 1849 led to a bulging population growth specifically in California that therefore assisted in improving economic conditions for the United States and stirring development of new mining technologies (Berkin 437). In fact, the government strongly encouraged the investment in such manufacturing of raw materials by willing entrepreneurs and investors. Essentially, agricultural innovations like irrigation systems, drought-resistant wheat seed, dry farming methods, steel plows, barbed wire, reapers, and much more changed the lifestyle of the entire population (Berkin
Western migration increased a lot in the late nineteenth century. “Many of the first American migrants had come to the West in search of quick profits during the mid-century gold and silver rushes.” (II. Post-Civil War Westward Migration) Most Americans first started to move westward because of the gold rush. “It was land, ultimately, that drew the most migrants to the West. Family farms were the backbone of the agricultural economy that expanded in the West after the Civil War.” (II. Post-Civil War Westward Migration) Land also drew most americans to the west. The homestead act was the main reason migration increased. The Home stead act allowed settlers to claim federally owned lands in the West. They just had to head to the west pick a plot of land, file a claim, and begin “improving” the land.
Following the western expansion in the late nineteenth century, the American society and economy would experience significant growth and development amidst numerous challenges and benefits. From this, the United States would grow in geographical size and in power. This expansion started in 1860s and continued until the 1890s. Due to the discovery of gold in California, people wanted to continue and search for more riches in the West. The benefits of the expansion were mainly for the Americans because it helped the rise of industrialization and the United States economy.
Yes, Late Nineteenth-Century Immigrants were “Uprooted”. They were uprooted physically and culturally. The immigrants came to America for a better life, since they had a rough time economically and politically in their own homeland. When they got here they had to get used to a whole new place with a different language, religion, culture and even different government. There were a lot of industries here, but all paid very small wage and a lot of the American citizens didn’t want them, they wanted a higher wage instead. The immigrants came in and took all jobs, even the ones that paid little wage. All these immigrants came from different backgrounds, therefore, getting used to American traditions was very hard for them. Some could not even continue
In 1880-1830, immigration to America was revolutionized because of steamboats, which provided a much faster route to America. People came from different parts of the world, including the Mediterranean, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and Canada, with the amount of people coming including many Italians, Russians, Germans, Englishmen, and Canadians. This is because for many immigrants, America was safety in dark, dark times. Many of these immigrants came for work, and then would either have their families sent for or would return to their original countries after saving up money. However, many immigrants would face tough times when trying to enter the U.S., particularly with the Chinese Exclusion Act, the “Gentleman’s Agreement”, and World
The 1840s and 50s experienced a massive escalation in the number of immigrants from Europe especially from Ireland, and Germany, arriving on U.S shores in densely populated urban areas (Arenson, 2011). Most of them afterward became vigorous in domestic politics, much to the aggravation of old-stock, authentic Americans. The consequence was a renaissance in the formation of “nativistic” societies (small, indistinct, anti-foreign and anti-catholic organizations), some which banded together in the early 1850s to form the American Party (Arenson, 2011). Commonly referred to as the “Know-Nothing,” the party rode a wave of racial intolerance as well as racism into the mid-1850s.
During the 1920’s many hopped on ships to make a great journey to the mysterious and prosperous land of America with hopes of achieving the American dream. However, many of these new immigrants held ideals of socialism and passionately tried to spread the idea to the population. As a result, immigrants were not desired and often segregated into communities of people from the same background. The Klan, like the majority of Americans at the time, believed that the massive intake of immigrants threatened the American way of life. However, the Klan “goes back to the American racial instincts”. Essentially, this meant that the Klan rallied around the idea that white Americans should dominate society as it was the reason the country had prospered
One component of the shift from agrarian to industrial in American society in the late 19th century was the advent of the railroad industry. Due to Manifest Destiny, Americans believed it was their God-given right to expand west, and the inexpensive development of steel that Henry Bessemer brought a need for an industrial economy in order to build railroad tracks that could span the continent. This is what allowed three companies in the 1860’s, Union Pacific, Central Pacific, and Western Pacific, to build the first ever Transcontinental Railroad that reached from the Missouri River to the San Francisco Bay. This led to more and more people fulfilling the dream of moving west, adding to the already massive demand, and creating the need for more
The new activities people could do was the railroad, eager to sell land and build up the traffic on their lines, distributed tempting propaganda in Europe in a medley of language. The money changers cheated new arrivals, railroad agents overcharged them for tickets, and baggage handlers engaged in blackmail. With the reports of such abuses filling the newspapers, the Congress ordered an investigation, which resulted in the closure of castle Garden in 1890. Then, Ellis Island opened its door to the "huddled masses" of the world. Many people were greeted by a family and friends who had come over before them, others by representatives of immigrant-aid societies or by hiring agents offering jobs in mines, mills, or sweatshops.
The United States is known as a free country, and has become a popular destination for many to immigrate to. Along with this immigration, came many problems and controversy since the 1790s and still continues to raise concerns today. The immigration problems in the late 1800s and 1900s are very similar to today. This is evident in the different complications and disputes that occurred in the late 1800s and 1900s all the way to 2015.
The second Industrial Revolution attracted more immigrants as businesses in the United States grew quickly. New technology and new ideas helped develop large factories where many new products were made. These businesses needed more workers to keep growing. Between 1880 and 1920 nearly twenty-four million immigrants came to the United States. Because of poverty, no future and various discrimination in their country, they left their country and came to America for better salaries, religious freedom, and a chance to get a better life. Many immigrants fueled by the California gold rush, came to America to have a better life and strike it rich or to build up wealth for a few years and bring it back to their poor families. Chinese workers came to
Over the course of history immigrants began to settle and occupy New York City and many other growing towns like Chicago and Philadelphia. These immigrants faced many harsh treatments from the native born Americans. When the immigrants came to America they had nowhere to go. They ended up moving into neighborhoods that were highly neglected and buildings that were very run down and poverty stricken. The buildings they moved into were known as tenements. They are for multiple families and they are set up like apartments. The tenements were very well known for their small size and they contained no more than two rooms. One room was the kitchen and the other was a bedroom. This was an issue for families containing many members because the lack
Between 1880 and 1920, more than 25 million immigrants arrived on the American coast, which drastically transformed the country. Most immigrants consisted of the ethnicity of European, Chinese, or Japanese. Ellis Island was a federal immigration station for the Europeans. It consisted of 5 hour processing which included physical exams, document checks, and questioning. For Asians, they arrived at Angel Island on the west coast of San Francisco. Around 50,000 chinese immigrants entered.
In 1952, Immigration and Nationality Act started eliminating race as a requirement to immigration or citizenship. Japan's quota was 185 immigrants annually; China's stayed at 105; other Asian countries were given 100 each. Northern and Western Europe's quota was defined at 85% of all immigrants. However there were some restricts on British colonies' immigrants in order to avoid the tide of black West Indians entering under Britain's generous quota.
Depression in Italy, pogroms in Europe, famine in China and drought in the Midwest were causes that sent million of immigrants to New York, Chicago and San Francisco. “Between 1977 and 1890, more than 6.3 million immigrants entered the United States”(609). Of the millions that came to the USA, 75 percent went to New York City.
The Westward expansion provided settlers with fertile lands and according to the Homestead Act, settlers did not require to be an American citizen to fill for lands. Farmers farmed extensively, which led to smaller agriculture’s share of the economy. Although the country was producing more than its consumption, statistically; reflect a decline in the importance of farming, the farmers exported the excess. However, the migration from rural to urban areas increased due to the dominance of wage labor and the rise of industrial America, such as railroads. At this era, the whole economy seemed like to revolve around railroads, every company needs railroad to export/import goods, or accessible transportation, and it was a major supplement that powered the industrial economy. The steel rails accounted for an enormous percentage of the steel production in the United States, also a major consumer of coal and lumber, opened an unlimited