Incorporation Of America

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The Incorporation of America by Alan Trachtenberg discusses historical trends and events that led to the rise of America as an industrialized nation. The expansion of the West led to booming corporations that helped grow particular industries. Due to the industrial expansion it led to a growth in a variety of industries and the country itself. The Incorporation of America is an argument that the rise of corporatization in the Gilded Age restructured the idea of American culture. The Railroad industry extended to the West as the factory system developed within cities. However, the conception of the “West” did not appear until the late 19th century. The West was viewed as the land of opportunity. The West began railroad development, mining, and cattle ranching. Cities such as Denver, San Fransisco, and Salt Lake City flourished. During the expansion of the West there was confrontation between the Whites and Native Americans. The white men believed that the removal of Native Americans was crucial to develop the America they imagined. To “Americanize” the Native Americans they were placed in a form of “concentration camps”. In these camps their hair was cut, not allowed to wear traditional dress, and they were not allowed to call one another by their Native names. They were given new English names instead. The goal was to surprise Indian culture and assimilate Indian children into mainstream American culture. From the Whites standpoint The Dawes Act of 1887 offered Native