The Expansion Of The United States

The Westward expansion began for the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. For $15 million dollars, President Thomas Jefferson purchased from France 828,000 square miles, including most of 14 current states, thus doubling the size of America. Jefferson now had the land, but how to populate it was another story. On a three year expedition, Lewis and Clark were sent by Jefferson to explore the lands to get a better understanding of the geography and resources of the West. During the 1830s to 1840s, to promote further territory expansion, the “manifest destiny” came into play – which was the idea that America was destined to expand across the entire country westward. Quickly, the nation expanded.

To what extent was late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century United States expansionism a continuation of past United States expansionism and to what extent was it a departure?

During the 1890’s, the United States began building and advancing their economy, as well as focusing more independently on becoming an even more powerful nation. Not only did the Americans begin to create a stronger national military and navy, they also began to look overseas towards the Pacific Ocean for resources and territories; this is when America began to look less like a national power and more like an imperial power. There were many reasons as to why the United States began to expand between 1880-1929, two of which include the military opportunities countries abroad had to offer, such as Pearl Harbor, as well as the domestic and political objectives the U.S. felt obligated to fulfill. Although, there were many important reasons for the United States to began to expand, the most significant reason for the expansionist foreign policy was the economic resources and opportunities other foreign countries had to offer the U.S.

Spreading the American Dream: American Economic and Cultural Expansion 1890-1945, is a book written about America spreading its influence around the world. It’s author, Emily S. Rosenberg writes how America expanded its influence through culture, politics, economics, and business. Described as the “American Dream,” Rosenberg just doesn’t tell us what America did, she shows how it affected the world, and how America was behind the scenes pulling the strings making sure it carries out its agenda. The thesis of Rosenberg’s book, which is stated on page 13 is “This book narrows its focus to examine the process by which some Americans, guided and justified by the faiths of liberal-developmentalism, sought to extend their technology-based economy and mass culture to nearly every part of the world.” (Rosenberg, pg13). Rosenberg wants to show us how America broke free of it’s own borders, and through it’s own laws and beliefs spread it’s influence around the world. Critiquing this book, we can see if Rosenberg was able to prove her thesis statement to show how America was spreading the American Dream.

Prior to the Antebellum Period, the United States began to expand its influence to the Midwest. Although there were conflicts regarding the state of slavery, the expansion of land helped the people of America attain cheaper and larger plots of land out west. Due to the fact that more land was available within the United States, immigrants had the desire to emigrate to America and establish new ways of life. Since both the Irish and the Germans brought their own ideologies with them, conflicts arose with them and the Americans, which made the American’s fear change. Along with immigrants came the European Romantic Movement. This movement emphasized the ideas of man’s perfection and the metaphysical and spiritual side of humans. Although, during the Antebellum Period, the American’s fear of change led to reforms involving the immigration of others and, ultimately, the Second Great Awakening, but the Romantic Movement, brought from Europe by the said immigrants, also led to reforms such as abolitionism and feminism within American society.

History is like a die. It can have a small or large number of sides, but it can never have just one. Regarding the United States Westward Expansion in the Post-Civil War era, there were many sides to be taken into account, including (but not limited to) the Apache Indians, the US Government workers and soldiers, the American Elite, journalists, and scholars. How historians and others perceive this era is dependent on the primary sources available. By looking at sources such as Apache Chief Geronimo’s Story of His Life, Harvard Educated Ranch Manager Richard Trimble’s Letters to his Mother, and Financial Editor H.D. Lloyd’s “Story of a Great Monopoly”, one can unearth little nuggets of information that help determine how the process of incorporation affected large and diverse groups of people.

Westward expansions of the united states molded and affected the nations advancement socially, politically and economically holding quick to its connections to agriculture, its relations with and through slavery with the westward expansion therefore there would not be an abolishment movement and the women would not have been there to find against it. Although the Indian removal has helped shape the westward expansion politically and economically because it has given America more land and cotton. The Mexican war shaped the western expansion culturally and politically because the Mexican were racially religiously superior.

From 1830 to 1860 the United States, as a country, experienced change unlike any other before. This change was the territorial expansion of the United States, otherwise known as Manifest Destiny or “The Way West.” This expansion exponentially grew the size of this young country. When there is change, controversy is not far behind, uniting and dividing people. In the case of territorial expansion, this change was able to unite the United States. It was because of territorial expansion that the economy of the United States thrived. It was because of territorial expansion that the United States was viewed as a supper power, helping the countries National Security. It was also because of territorial expansion that more people were able to life the American dream of freedom and prosperity.

The westward expansion of America involves many events that are important to history as a whole. It took place during the Age of Imperialism which began during the nineteenth and twentieth century. Westward expansion was a major event that took place throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In the early half of the nineteenth century, the westward movement arose numerous issues involving social class, gender roles, and slavery by both political and social means.

The expansion and sectionalism throughout American history, the colonial resistance to the "proclamation line" had been one of unifying factors that had committed many English colonists to revolution and helped spread an emerging nationalism.  The exciting textbook American Nation, states that, "American independence and control of a wide and rich domain were the most obvious results of the Revolution."  The revolution provided access to vast western lands and for many years western expansion would serve as an element that bound the various sections together. Yet, as the decades rolled on and the United States added even more land in its march to the Pacific, expansionism led to sectionalism which resulted in the Union being torn apart.

After settling the land on the east coast of the United States, many wanted to gain more out of the land in order to create wealth. The main location of population in Michigan was in certain places for certain reasons. Their lives were not the greatest, but they worked hard for what they had. Western expansion into Michigan was for many important reasons, and became very important in the future of the United States.

Ever since the first English colonists arrived in Jamestown and Plymouth, the colonists and eventually Americans have always considered expanding west, whether the land was previously inhabited or not: And like most things, many people had different opinions if and how it should be done. Before the 1800s, this issue already had opinions on the best solution. One example of this can be observed by King George III in The Royal Proclamation of 1763, in which he forbade all English settlement past a line in the Appalachian Mountains. Contrarily, Daniel Boone carved out the Wilderness Road and built the settlement of Boonesborough in the late 1700s. These sharp contrasts in ideas led to future debates. From 1800-1855, territorial expansion ignited nationwide debates: The supporters of territorial expansion rallied behind the term “manifest destiny,” while the opposition argued the unconstitutionality of the acquisition of territory, and the future negative consequences expansion may cause.

The purchase of the Louisiana Territory in 1803 opened the door to westward expansion. Thomas Jefferson purchased this extensive plot of land with the hopes of strengthening and expanding the Republic, unaware that it would have the opposite effect. Jefferson’s fateful decision to expand the United States nearly destroyed the Republic that Americans worked so hard to build. It triggered the rise of divisions amongst Americans. These small cracks continued to grow and tear at the seams of the nation. Although westward expansion between 1800 and 1848 granted many new opportunities to the American people, it also brought about tension that plagued the nation for years to come.

What is American Imperialism? It is the influences that the United States makes on other countries. Some of the influences are economics, military, and culture. Expansionism is conquering those countries and taking over the land. Without imperialism and expansionism, our county would not be as big and productive as it is in today 's society.

All of these philosophies worked together to help further American expansion. The first two philosophies that I discussed and explained gave us reasons why we should expand. Turner told us that the reason why society has changed and the reason why we have been such a great country has been due to free land. He then goes on to explain that there is no free land for us to have on our continent. So what is the only reasonable answer to continue our exploration of the frontier? Why of course to expand overseas. Mahan’s philosophy only helps convince us by telling us that we need to have a bigger navy. He says that every country with a good navy lasted longer and was stronger than other countries no matter what the size. He also tells us that the