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Essay On Post Civil War Dbq

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Mina Farooqi The era following the close of the Civil War saw a shift in government attitudes away from laissez faire; the government no longer practiced non-interference in the direction of economic affairs, rather initiated policies that shaped the economy. The government initiated the building of private companies including railroad networks, while providing essential loans, subsidies and grants of public land, thus transforming US capitalism. The entire industrial US was the product of a massive public-private partnership in which the government played critical roles. Federal power allowed for the launch of the transcontinental rail project and communication lines, which opened up the vast Western frontier for farming, trade, tourism and …show more content…

Railroads replaced much slower, less efficient modes of transport with an all weather, 24 hour, year round alternative. The Railroads, in conjunction with telegraph lines, and steamships connected the nation and opened vast regions to the development of industries. Railroads, eager to sell land on the Great Plains granted to them by the government, advertised migration in conjunction with land speculators, transatlantic steamship lines and western territories. The government initiated Homestead Act allowed for the establishment of farms along the frontier, and built up the interior west which was only occupied by Natives, for it allowed 160 acres of land to anyone who was willing to farm it for five years. The Morrill Land Act allowed 140 million acres of federal lands to be sold by states to raise money for the establishment of public universities/ land grant colleges to broaden educational opportunities and foster technical and scientific expertise, thus allowing agricultural education to be available to migrants with little experience, thus opening up the prospect of western settlement to urban workers in the East. A series of geological surveys allowed for unknown western terrain to be charted and resources cataloged. In order to encourage the development of western resources, Congress passed the General Mining Act of 1872, allowing anyone who discovered minerals on

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The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 authorized the construction of the transcontinental railroad which made it easier for settlers to travel West. Since it was more affordable and safer, it was easier for railroad companies to encourage western

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With the East coast populous busting at the seams, the only way to expand was westward, towards the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and new lands. A political party named the Free Soil party in 1852, wanted homesteads to reach further West, which took almost a decade for their idea to come to fruition. The first major driving point for this was the Homestead Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln which took effect January 1, 1863. This opened the door for something more than just exploration, it allowed people to take ownership of something bigger than

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1. Railroad expansion provided new avenues of migration into the American interior. 2. Congress passed the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862. It gave the state governments millions of acres of western lands, which the states could then sell to raise money for the creation of "land grant" colleges specializing in agriculture and mechanical arts.

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During the late 19th century, there was a huge increase in new technologies that would eventually affect the Indians that lived on the Great Plains, including the Trans Continental railroads and barbed wire. In fact, the government would also make efforts to limit the presence of the Plain Indians, and establish acts that would affect their culture of life, like the Dawes Severalty Act and the Homestead Act of 1860. The establishment of the Railroad finished in 1869, connecting the East and West. It influenced the amount of white settlers traveling to any part of the country and would eventually affect the Indians. This would affect the Indians because it brought more white settlers to their land.

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The idea he brought into light about the image of the frontier and the west inspiring American development can be seen throughout this time, and into the 20th century as well. As America moved to the west, more areas where becoming populated and developed, creating new challenges for the government. Some included requesting protection provided by the government against feared Indian tribes. Also, large land owning railroad companies would ask for lessening fees paid to the government and acquiring additional lands to assist them in developing rail lines in many portions of the west. As the frontier grows, the government continued passing legislation to support and give incentive to those to go out west.

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During the 1800s, American settlers began to explore the land in the United States that was received through purchases and agreements such as the Louisiana Purchase, Mexican Cession, and Gasden Purchase. These agreements lead to settlers moving onto western land and begin to develop the land there. In 1862, the Homstead Act was passed by Congress, granting government-owned western land to farmers. The goverment gave 160 acres of almost free western land as long as the settlers had to live in and work for 5 years in the land. As more and more people began to move in to the west, drawn by the promise of cheap land, the Native Americans lost even more land.

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The transcontinental railroad and the westward expansion of the 19th century was key in American development. During the first colonization during the 17th century, settlers made their home along the east coast of North America. Establishing homes and farms along waterways such as rivers and the Atlantic Ocean. By the 1860’s, settlers had moved as far west as St. Louis, Missouri and as

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The homestead act helped make this happen, it seemed good at first but after a while the immigrants realized the negatives of the land that they gained outweighed the benefits. The homestead act was passed by congress on May 20,1862. This act was supposed to get people to move to the Great Plains. This act stated that “any citizen of the U.S could claim 160 acres of government land”, however they had to pay a small fee. After paying the homesteaders had to improve their land by living on the land, building a home, and planting crops.

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In 1862, congress began the pacific railroads act, it also provided funding for the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad. But, the other transcontinental lines came in shortly after. There were problems with finance in 1873 and 1893, which they had to immediately stop the process of construction; and many ventures were

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Jimmy Waw Mr. Mancha September 26, 2017 Essay I will describe to you three federal land grants that were instrumental in opening westward expansion in the United States. These three include the Transcontinental Railroad, Homestead Act, and the Morrill Act. The transcontinental railroad is a train route across the United States that was completed in the year 1869. This was a project of two railroad companies called the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific.

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This caused settlers to use the Oregon Trail as the “main trail” as they wandered off into other lands. At some point, the Congress had decided to pass the Preemption Bill. This bill gave permission to occupy and settle (or to “squat”) on a piece of land after it being surveyed by the government. Law encouraged the movement towards the west along with reports made by Lieutenant John C. Fremont. This way, more people were exposed to the West and what more land it had to offer other than

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Life for the Native Americans was much harder during and after the western expansion. For example, the US took land from the Indians leading the formation of reservations, White men almost hunted the Buffalo , an important food source for the Indians, to extinction, and forced the Indians to get rid of their culture. Because of the western expansion, the area of land the Indians could occupy decreased significantly. The government would make treaties with the Indians allowing them to keep a certain area of land, but this would soon be broken ; When the Pacific Railroad Act was passed it stated that wherever a track was laid the company would own any land 200 ft surrounding the track including Indian land ; the Government would make sure that

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After the Civil War, railroads were built to the West for economic development. There were white settlers that were transferred from the East to Mississippi so they could work on mines, farms, and ranches. Another group of settlers were African-Americans who came from Deep South with the promise that they will find prosperity in the West. Later on, Chinese workers also contributed with railroad

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These acts expanded the amount of land one would receive, and “Once again the plains became a feverish scene, as thousands rushed to get their share of the last agricultural frontier.” (Worster 87) Although these acts were instrumental in populating the west and ultimately the country, they led to a tremendous influx of new and inexperienced

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