The Rise Of Westward Expansion

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.

In the mid-1800s, many Americans began to move westward, with a variety of motivations. Farmers were drawn west by all of the fertile, open land in the west, offered to them cheap by the Homestead Act. The California Gold Rush was another reason many moved west. Gold was discovered in California, and miners flocked there, hoping to strike it rich. Additionally, cattle ranchers were attracted to the west because their beef cattle thrived on the abundant grasses and open range of the Great Plains. Later on, newly built railroads, including the first transcontinental railroad, made transportation of people and goods west much more feasible, and opened the West to rapid settlement (History Alive). Although Westward Expansion was a time of full

America into an "empire for liberty". He made that happen by expanding westward, to create "room enough for our descendants to the thousandth and thousandth generation”. This westward expansion is also known as the "manifests destiny", where many Americans was our God-given right to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican Territory.

In the eyes of the government, the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was 2,000 miles of opportunity ready to be seized. Westward expansion started with the idea of Manifest Destiny coined by John L. O’Sullivan in 1845. This was the encouragement of citizens to start a new life in the west, with the hope of acquiring land. Despite this encouragement by the government, the land was occupied by Native Americans who were not willing to give up their land without a fight. The government knew of their existence from the previous expedition of Lewis and Clark, but still encouraged western expansion. This decision resulted in conflicts between the United States and Indians which lasted decades. The difficulties included the environment, developing industries, and conflicts with Native Americans.The environment and the Native Americans had minimal effects on the west, but the industries such as mining and cattle had significant impacts on the settlement west of the Mississippi.

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.

The westward expansion saw the emergence of major cities, railway networks, more interactions and improved agriculture which kept on improving in the 1800s. In the interactive map helped me realized a few important things. For instance. there are several ways through which the United States experienced a huge growth during the 1860–1890 westward expansion. Increased population, development of railroads, as well as large-scale agriculture are amongst the decades' major achievements as indicated on the decade base maps. Furthermore, the map showed as some of the natural barriers that prevented growth as well as the indigenous populations which existed prior the expansion (Billington, Allen, and Martin 2001, 201).

From the years 1800-1850 the nation was filled with battles and affluence. Westward Expansion was America's inclination to possess western territories that have yet to be claimed or negotiate claims with other countries. Expansion of the U.S. was a cause for most battles fought during this time; however, our nation was continuing to prosper. Under, the idea of Manifest Destiny which was the belief that the United States was divinely made to expand from coast to coast, the country began to use any means necessary to expand. Among these were battles, purchases from other countries, and treaties. Conflicts during this period included, but not limited to, The Oregon Territory, Louisiana Purchase, and the Mexican-American war. I believe Westward expansion was an

During the Westward expansion it impacted many people's lives. Americans were proud of what they did and accomplished, but didn't realize what truly was happening in other people’s lives. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French government for $15 million. The Louisiana Purchase stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and it doubled the size of the United States. Progress can be both positive and negative because of the westward expansion, the gold rush, manifest destiny.

“Evolution is a process of constant branching and expansion.” That quote, once said by Stephen Jay Gould, can represent the Westward Expansion of the United States. In the early 1800s, the United States started trying to expand west. The U.S. acquired Florida, Texas, the Gadsden Territory, the Mexican Cession, the Oregon Territory, and the Louisiana Territory. All of those acquisitions helped evolve the United States into what it is today. Almost all of the land we own is from the Westward Expansion. Unfortunately, the United States were greedy and had to keep branching and expanding out west in order to become a more powerful country. The actions that the U.S. chose to expand were not just to harm others. In fact, none of the acquisitions in the Westward Expansion were through war. The reason for the United States’ actions was to acquire more land, and some of the time, the opposing country would refuse a treaty, and the U.S. showed their greed by attacking those pieces of land, trying to force the opposing country to cede the land. Therefore, the U.S. was greedy and would use any way that it could to acquire land from other countries

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.

There are many actions that led to the westward expansion. Most of the actions resulted in conflicts which led to harsh consequences. Despite Texas being an independent nation, conflict still arose over the rightful owner of the land. Some of the main causes for westward expansion was land, war, power and the most important was freedom. During the 1840’s west of the Unites States had an abundance of scarcely inhabited land. The thought of cheap land, room for families to grow, and business opportunity lead to, "hundreds of happy millions, calling, owning no master, but governed by God 's natural and moral law of equity," heading west. Americans found out about this land opportunity through the invitation of the Mexicans which is very important on how expansion occurred. Freedom was a huge driving force in the westward expansion. American immigrants not only came looking for land but they also wanted, "individual freedom of universal enfranchisement, along with freedom of conscience, freedom of person, freedom of trade, and business pursuits, universality of freedom, and equality. Power was another driving force, when the American’s eventually take over the western part it then opens up the expansion of the United Sates. The Mexicans were not going to let this land go easily which led to several conflicts between the United States and Mexico, and most importantly conflicts between the Americans themselves. O 'Sullivan makes a point that is very true, he says, " If Texas

In Robert Morgan’s article “There is No True History of the Westward Expansion,” he talks about how there are famous people, yet some of those people are unknown while all the famous figures, such as Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, are known because of the victories they have made. He also talks about how westward expansion is the greatest folk movement of modern times. However, many have lost their lives upon this movement. The westward expansion has made more trouble in the country than people realize.

The term of Manifest Destiny originated in the 1840s and in the 19th century it was a belief that the United States will expand its territory throughout North America by influences of social, economic and political aspects. The topic for this research is about the Manifest Destiny and the Westward Expansion. This research highlights how manifest Destiny helped expand the United States territory. Manifest Destiny aided American westward expansion with contributions made by the Lewis and Clark explorations, Railroads and Telegraphs systems, and military conquests.

To understand current this American ideal, one must look at the past and the damage that has been done through capitalism of resources and westward expansion. Colonialists did not take after their Native American processors who grew, “corn and beans together to preserve the richness of the soil” (Jacobs, 25) Instead colonialists began soil erosion across the US with cash crops such as tobacco that continually eroded the soil and its nutrients away. As Jacob observes, the colonists continually cleared land, use it as pasture fields when the soil became depleted, and would then move on to new land. There was not regard for the destruction of nature and natural resources only the desire to make more money. This trend would carry on for more than a century as it was carried west by settlers looking for new resources to exploit. Unfortunately, the resources would become the buffalo.

How do you see progress, as a process that is beneficial or in contrast, that it´s a hurtful process that everyone at one point of their lives has to pass through it? At the time, progress was beneficial for the United States, but those benefits came with a cost, such cost that instead of advancements and developments being advantageous factors for humanity, it also became a harmful process in which numerous people were affected in many facets of life. This all means that progress is awsome to achieve, but when achieved, people have to realize the process they had to do to achieve it, which was stepping on other people to get there.