Reasons For Westward Expansion

It was the start of a new era in America and the thought of more land in the west caused many people to take up their belongings and head over. This was the beginning of the Westward Expansion. The people that moved over had different incentives on why they wanted to move across America. The main purpose that many sought was to gain cheap and bountiful land. However, the whole ordeal was not just fine and dandy. There were challenges that played out as they tried to expand. Many of the challenges were overcome, but there were still obstacles that had to be examined. The economic motivations that encouraged the Westward Expansion were one of the reasons that many truly wanted to expand. The people that were expanding gained land for America

Crossing the land was not as easy as it was thought to be. There were wars with the Native Americans, on who owned the different pieces of land. While they were traveling many animals were unhappy that there were settlers on their land, which created another challenge; animal attacks were unavoidable challenges that they had to face. As they moved to the West they had to learn how to let go of some of their belongings and learn how to handle rough roads. They had to pack light when they were traveling because the wagons that they rode in where small and their belongings would tumble around because of the bumpy roads. Diseases were a big part of the challenges these travelers faced. Yellow fever was a deadly disease that took the lives of many people. Troops could not be spared because a lot of the soldiers were dying from the diseases. One last challenge was a rumor that was spreading. This rumor said that the west would have a lack of rainfall and trees. This rumor caused the birth of the title the “Great American Desert.” Not many were willing to give up their land to move out to a desert that only few had

It was believed that they could gain natural resources that were needed by expanding. They saw that the Mississippi River would be a helpful source. The river would allow for more food, would become a trade center, would provide a natural barrier, and, of course, be a source of water.
There were more than just essentials that were wanted from the expansion. People wanted gold. The idea that they could get rich was very intriguing. There was enough gold but the amount of gold was not the only problem. There was not enough food for all the people that were coming to the west. The people, also, wanted to double in size after. This would allow for more living space and help their expanding population to grow even more. They would use the extra land to resettle the Native Americans’ land that they invaded when they were expanding to the West.
There was a lot of land that was obtained after the Westward Expansion. In April 30, 1803, there was a treaty signed for America to finally gain the Louisiana Territory from France. The Louisiana Territory was located from the Mississippi River to the Rocky