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Comparison Of Western Expansion Between 1860 And 1890

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Western Expansion Between 1860 and 1890 America has got an impressive expansion history; in particular, the western expansion is considered a central theme in its history. The greatest influence or force that has shaped the American society and democracy was its free land which intensely affected the American society as put forth by Fredrick Turner. Economists pushed for the full utilization of the American soil which consequently resulted in more worth (Quay, 2002). New cities popped up, businesses developed, railway networks built, agricultural land improved and territories and states also expanded. The expansion occurred progressively, much of the expansion took place the periods 1860 to 1890. This essay seeks to provide an interpretation, …show more content…

Similarly, the extension of the railway to the westward side was primarily intrigued by the need of taking cattle from Texas to railheads at Dodge City and Abilene in Kansas through Oklahoma in the Indian territory. The drive was about 1300 miles. During this period, there was a lot of railway construction on the western side. The railways were mainly constructed in trying to provide a means of transport of the agricultural products being produced in the regions. Railways were tying together the East and the West. On the map, it is evitable that the railway line from Sacramento in California was joined to the rail line in Omaha Nebraska in 1869 (Torr, 2003). The construction of these two railway lines took a period of six years, and they were joined at Promontory Point in Utah. The rail line was named the transcontinental railroad. Similarly, there were many other rail lines constructed in the region at this time including the California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains railway line. Most of the railways at this time were done by the Chinese people, this is because they seemed more willing and able to tolerate the tough conditions as compared to …show more content…

However, as the American population increased, most people moved and settled in these areas. To the west side, there were hundreds of thousands of miles of open fertile land having mountains, forests, rivers, and plains. The earliest inhabitants of the area were mainly the Spanish-Mexicans and the indigenous people. The land was bought explored and taken over by the Unites States Government. The immigrants from Europe were settled in the area. The first batch of people was settled along the western sides of the Mississippi river after the US government purchased Louisiana area. Other immigrants were settled on the west to California. After the immigrants relocated to these regions, mines, railroads, farms and several industries sprung up. After settling, these areas grew to the current cities and towns as populations increased, more land was occupied and more developments initiated and done in the areas. Centers such as Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Minnesota all grew into towns due to the increased development activities and increased population. The growth can mainly be attributed to economic activities. Different towns developed because of the different economic activities. For instance, Northern Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin cities grew due to mining activities. The Midwest cities such as Ohio and Illinois attracted farmers seeking rich natural resources (Billington

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The necessity of supplies from the established communities in the eastern United States kept new cities closely tied to their supply lines. The lengthening of supply lines by railroads facilitated the western expansion. In addition to its direct impact on movement of supplies and people to developing communities, the railroads were a source of hope for expanding and quickening trade with foreign lands. Connecting the coasts was thought to be a means for improving trade with Asian countries, which coincided well with the imperial trends of the time. Despite limitations provided by lack of agriculture, hostile natives, and territorial status of western lands, it was the lack of railroads and the solution to this paucity that dictated the western edge of American presence on the

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Was American expansion justified during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s? This was a debate that Americans fought over then and still now fight over now. There were two types of people some were for expansion and others were against expansion of the U.S. Both sides of the story will be well explained in this essay. First, this will explain the people for expansion’s side.

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After the railroad lines had been built out west changes occurred for both the Western and Eastern United States. By 1860 railroads connected nearly every major city and over 80 percent of farms were 5 miles from the railroad. It was easier and faster to transport goods such as; lumber, grain, corn, etc. to the Eastern United States. Farming changed with railroads because farmers could put their products and animals on the trains and make money. Within the first 10 years of completion the railroad had shipped over $50 million in goods.

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Transcontinental Railroad Tera Richardson, 4336787 History 102 B008 Sum 17 Professor Traci Sumner American Military University July 22, 2017 Abstract The transcontinental railroad was one of the biggest advocates for the industrial economy and westward expansion. The railroads could transfer goods and people across the country with ease, and quickly. While some bad came from this miraculous progression, such as the panic of 1873 and a yellow fever epidemic, the good outweighed the bad as it enabled the United States to fulfill its Manifest Destiny through westward expansion.

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The Central Pacific had their troubles with progressing their track through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Often dealing with the harsh environment, weather and blasting tunnels through the dense rock with gunpowder and nitroglycerine. On May 10, 1869 in Promontory Summit Utah, a golden spike was driven into the last tracks that connected the East and West coast. The completion of the railroad system opened many doors for our Nation and built the “arteries of America” in which it grew economically and financially. (History.com Staff,

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Many people wanted to explore pass the river, and through the land covered by trees, plains, mountains, and many rivers. And when settlers would travel, they often risked getting snowed in. Many people wished they could expand the land. The nation's first opportunity for expansion during the early 1800s involved the vast territory to the west of the Mississippi River, then known as Louisiana.

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began its westward expansion during the 1830’s because of the depression America was going through at the time. The West was considered “the last home of the freeborn American.” The land in the West was readily available and the settlement and economic exploitation promised to prevent the U.S. from following the same path as Europe (Foner, 352). Until the 1840s, people in the West had been limited to fur traders and explorers, and from 1840-1845, there was a spark that drove 5,000 people to travel 20,000 miles to the West by wagon trails. Then by 1860, over 300,000 people risked disease, starvation, the Rocky Mountains and Indian attacks to get to Oregon, California, and Utah.

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The land we American's call, the United States, is defined by different events that happened during the Western Expansion. The Western Expansion began with Thomas Jefferson’s purchasing the territory of Louisiana in 1803. Many wars, treaties, and Acts would happen during the Expansion to be successful in forming the modern United States. Gold rushes during this time would increase settlements and the population in western territories. The Westward Expansion would define the land borders of the modern U.S., promote land ownership and develop the railway system in the continental U.S.

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The United States became first place in the world in farm output and and in number of factories. For example, the number of American export tripled wile American direct investments increased as well. Generally, new businesses and economic interest motivated expansionism within the United States. However, the book also states that politics, joined profits, patriotism, and piety played a huge role in expansionism. What do you think the biggest role in expansionism in the 1890's was?

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The transcontinental railroad was constructed between the years of 1863 and 1869 (Terrell). It was also the first continuous railroad line across the United States that connected the eastern states to the western states (Transcontinental Railroad). The transcontinental railroad benefited three things: travel, trade, and communication (History.com Editors). The West would send crops and raw materials to the East on the railroad (Kiger). In return, the East sent manufactured goods to the West (Kiger).

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The Transcontinental Railroad The completion of the first Transcontinental Railroad was an important event in the United States history. There were many challenges in building it, but after it was finished, it connected the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast. The railroad took three whole years to build, with the help of two railroad companies and thousands of other hired workers.

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The contrasts between the American West and East in the nineteenth century range from a new start to the adventure of the living in the Wild West. The east had become overcrowded and did not allow much opportunity for people of lesser wealth. “In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a celebrated lecture, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” in which he argued that on the western frontier the distinctive qualities of American culture were forged: individual freedom, political democracy, and economic mobility. The West, he added, acted as a “safety

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In 1862, an act was passed down called the Pacific railroad act. This act chartered the Central Pacific and the Pacific railroad companies. In addition, the Pacific railroad act tasked them to build a transcontinental railroad that would link the United States from coast to coast or east to west. It needed about 5,000 men to do this and since the chinese did the great wall of china why not make the Chinese to came to America and to build the railroad and ⅔ did. Over the next 7 years both companies would race toward each other, starting at Sacramento, California on one side and Omaha, Nebraska on the other.

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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

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For some, it was destiny to move west. Although there were many conflicts and disagreements between ourselves and others, it was destiny to move west because of overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. In the 19th Century, overpopulation was one of the major reasons for Westward Expansion. Immigrants were flooding into America for new opportunities and new ways of life and there was just not enough land to suffice the needs for all of the people. These immigrants were arriving in America in the port cities on the East Coast.

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