Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
American settlers history
American settlers history
American settlers history
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
American settlers history
American settlers history
American settlers history
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Furthermore, the New World was rapidly overpopulating, forcing the Europeans to migrate west of the region. In the book, Amy Greenberg states that the ideology of western expansion began when Puritans, upon arriving in the New World, “They envisioned their experimental settlement as a ‘citty upon a hill,’ a beacon of light for less blessed people elsewhere that would prove superiority not only of Protestantism over Catholicism but also of strict Puritans over less rigorous practices of Protestanism. ”1 In the 18th century, many settlers believed in a God established community. In addition, settlers believed that the New World was the place to establish a Christian nation and expand throughout the vast region.
The Homestead Act: A Driving Force Behind the Westward Movement Introduction The Westward Movement in the United States, as explored in “Exploring American Histories, Vol. 2: Since 1865 1st edition” (Hewitt and Lawson, Chapter 15), was influenced by various factors such as the gold rush, the Homestead Act, and the expansion of railroad companies. However, the question remains: what led to the migration? After careful consideration, it becomes evident that the Homestead Act played a pivotal role in motivating Americans to head West. This article will delve into the reasons behind this assertion, drawing specific points from the book to support this perspective. The Homestead Act’s Impact on Migration According to “Exploring American Histories, Vol.
Problems of British Settlers in Early 17th Century Going to another country or land always means to explore or advent. By viewing the new world can open people’s mind, especially for people who remain in the same place for a long time. Because of the advanced technology and the development of the map, British people started to explore America in the early 17th. However, starvation during the winters, no central authority, and low quantity of the population were some of the major issues British settlers had when they tried to settle at the beginning. Without a central authority would be hard to settle and build up the foundation of civilization in a new land.
The United States is always in an ever changing state. This is especially true during the westward expansion that followed the Civil War and the ever expanding American Industrial Revolution. There are three major events that occurred in the late 19th century that set the precedence for the westward expansion of America. With American still in a new born state, there was many great accomplishments and many failures. I am going to breakdown the westward expansion during 1860-1890 after analyzing the Westward Expansion map from PBS Learning Media website, to assess how the westward expansion moved between the 1860’s and 1890’s (Westward Expansion, 1860-1890, n.d.).
New groups of people from Europe and all over the world came to settle to escape religious persecution or just make a better way of life in the East. In the same sense, those that were tired of the East and wanted a new livelihood, decided to travel west and make a better home. The West was wild. It was untamed and needed people to come develop and make it a booming part of the country. Therefore, the West being settled could be developed even better than how the East and South were developed.
During the late nineteenth century, people were continuously expanding westward. White pioneers were continuously expanding and since the Native Americans were in the way, they had to be moved. Not only was there an economic aspect for moving the Native Americans, there was also a racial aspect. Native Americans were forced to give up their culture for the one of whites. This was all justified because whites wanted to expand westward to create more railroads, create farms, and mine for precious minerals.
“In 1820, about 58 towns more than 2500 inhabitants; by 1840, there were 126 such towns, located mostly in the Midwest and Northeast.” The fastest growth occurring in areas were near canals, railroads, and roads because of the easy access of raw and manufactured materials. Toward the later 19th century, the settlers began to move west for cheaper property because the land inhabited near the town built around transportation was getting
A pivotal key in the development of United States is defining what and where the West is located. There are many “wests” depending on how the west is defined, either by environmental, economic, cultural, or political factors (Steiner & Wrobel, 20). The West is unique in the sense that the story of the West has many beginnings. The first notable location of the West was first defined as anything west of the Mississippi River. As the nation expanded during the 19th century, the western territories were
The people who settled the west were greatly dependent on the US government and the policies they adopted. The settling of the west in the late 19th century was similar to the settlement of the south in the 1830’s. Andrew Jackson drove out the indians so that the valuable land of the south could be secured by white settlers. Once again, the federal government made it possible to settle the west by forcing indians off of their lands. A recurring theme in American history is manifest destiny and the attempt to develop unsettled lands by the federal government.
New economic opportunities were opened up to the country nation west of the Appalachians in the form of iron and cotton which made the United States economy boon into an example of success for the rest of the world. Transportation also served as the backbone to the new frontier and connected the old and new continent by a tether of economic growth. Finally, the expansion of slavery caused by settlers west of the Mississippi River forced the country to deal with the moral question of slavery, and ultimately led to America’s learning that their declaration of all men were created equal was starting to come true. Westward migration can be seen as a search by pioneers. While each settler searched for something different, whether it be for land, gold, or an escape, combined they formed a nation moving westward in search for one common goal; World
The similarities between the east and west didn’t stop there, with the introduction of the railroad the west became a booming place for business. A lot of smart business men saw this potential and jumped on it just as they had building huge manufacturing plants on the east coast they bought up land to create mega ranches that eventually put a lot of the smaller farms out of
During the 19th century there was a tremendous amount of attention from the rest of the nation of the issues of land and Indian removal. These issues were centered around economic problems or developments that might arise as a result of Indian removal, Humanitarian issues, and finally political troubles that are caused by this act. During this time period senator Thomas Benton who represented Missouri wanted remove Native Americans off their land, he was a firm believer in extending the area of slavery. He was a huge advocate for “converting Indian soil to slave soil” as it a had a positive economic impact on the state and led onward on the march for cotton cultivation. The early and middle portion of the 19th century proved to be a difficult time for American Indians as they were constantly rattled by acts that led to them to emigrate their native land.
People were drawn to the West because it was scene as the last resort to make a living when all else failed in the East. Communication with friends and family who had moved west led these pioneers to believe the journey would be easy and the reward for getting west would be best. And the greatly available land was the strongest pulling factor to people interested in adventuring west. Migration was a personal choice that depended on several key factors, “Age of the head of household; economic status; personal attitudes; and projected costs and benefits of the resettlement.” Most historians agree that the majority of the people who migrated west were middle class and mostly immigrants to the US.
Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.
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.