There were several kinds of hardships and motivations for moving west in this time. Settlers had a lot to see and find in the westward expansion period including gold and land. They were mostly drawn by those very two aspects. The railroad systems also allowed for people to travel west easier, making for a perfect situation to travel westward. Although the end of the journey was most desirable, the in between presented a lot of hardships. One of them being that when off train, weather conditions presented many obstacles. Fires could break in the prairies and storms rolled throughout the west. Along with the weather, supplies could run low along the journey. Some other problems could have consisted of conflicts with Natives or possibly fights
They were starved, dehydrated, exhausted, and died because of this. Some were even killed! One out of every ten pioneers died along the way. Children fell out of wagons and were crushed by the heavy wheels of the carriage. Some deaths and troubles were caused by weather.
After the Civil War ended many people were in hope of finding land since population was increasing. Since the West was underdeveloped and uncivilized, many decided to expand the land. First the Louisiana Purchase increased the opportunity of expansion. Then industrialization and the Homestead Act also caused many companies encouraged to move West due to the low cost of land and that the transportation was provided through the railroads. In order to complete such goals, something had to be done with the Natives since it conflicted with their home area.
Before the Transcontinental Railroads there were few lines running West. There was a huge gap of hundreds of miles between many places. After the development of the Transcontinental Railroads manufactured goods as well as people could be quickly transported across the country. Many of the goods needed such as coal, timber, oil and iron could be carried to and from factories and mills. To encourage settlers to inhabits lands purchase prices were low but much of the land was turned over to railroad companies to continue to build additional
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 westward expansion of of the U.S. began to happen around the 1800s. during that time the social opportunities increased since many people moved to the west because the government was paying them or giving them free land. The political opportunities did not increased as much since most of the people moving westwards were poor or immigrants and only white males had the right to participate in those events. The economic opportunities increased for the people who moved westward because of the gold rush and the opportu tires that were provided.
The people who wanted to find a better life and wanted to find better land are probably the people who want to move west. These people are probably the types of people who want to explore and find new things. These people probably faced a lot of challenges while moving west. One challenge would be bad weather. it would not be easy to travel in a storm.
In the years following the Revolutionary War the United States would begin to expand, although not popular among all citizens, it helped shape the country into what we know today. The first acquisition of territory would be as a result of the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain ending the Revolutionary War. This treaty marked the boundaries between the British colonies still located in North America and ceded the thirteen American colonies to a newly recognized country known as the United States of America. This would not be the only acquisition of territory that the United States would complete between the years of 1789 and 1815 but it would be the initial acquisition of territory that would develop this newly formed nation.
The Oregon Trail: Some reasons why the Pioneers decided to go along the Oregon trail and head west were to find opportunity, have free land, good farmland, large forests, free of diseases, and to find jobs. What was the Oregon trail like? - Many diseases like typhoid fever, Cholera, dysentery, Diphtheria, and measles. - They traveled 15 miles on a average day and 18-20 on a good day.
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.
After their exploration, many people started to take interest in moving West. There were many different reasons why people moved, including a search for a fresh start at life, a chance at starting an economic success through agriculture and
Traveling hundreds of thousands of miles through dangerous paths American pioneers took on hardships as they sought westward in hopes of a better life. The journey westward began in the early 1800s when the US exploded with new territory’s nearly tripling the US’s size. It all started in 1803 when the US bought the Louisiana Territory from France. Quickly, many farmers picked up their belongings and headed out west to the rich, fertile land for a fresh start. Next, Andrew Jackson invaded Florida claiming it for the US which was also another opportunity for settlers to begin a new life.
The Oregon Trail is “this nation’s longest graveyard” (National Park Service). The emigrants on the trail looked for a new life in America. Some emigrants went looking for religious freedom, others went for land and power. They were not prepared for the dangers and difficulties that the trail presented.
That is just one of many reasons there was Westward Expansion. Overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. These are three of many reasons why Americans in the 1800’s felt urged to move west. Some may claim that Westward expansion was not right for America to do because of the conflicts that were aroused afterward.
For twenty years after the Gold Rush, Americans in California felt extremely remote from the rest of the United States. The early Forty-Niners of the California Gold Rush wishing to come to California were faced with limited options. Some options included sailing around South America from the Atlantic which could take up to eight months or travel by land but that came with many dangers as well. The railroads helped establish countless towns and settlements, it paved the way to abundant mineral deposits and fertile tracts of pastures and farmland, and created new markets for eastern goods. For many, the dream of a transcontinental railroad symbolized all sorts of hopes for better things.
There were both positive and negative components of westward expansion from 1800 to 1875. By the late of 1800s, the land of the United States was mostly purchased. In seventy five years, the United States continuously expanded westward, which was encouraged by the idea of Manifest Destiny. New land in the United States led to more economic, social, and political opportunities. Gaining more land also led to disputes between the states and wars with other countries.