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The American Frontier And The Westward Expansion

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A “frontier” is described as an undeveloped region that lacks vegetation and civilization. The American Frontier was the border area for the European settlers and their descendents. The frontier was located in the western part of what is now called the United States of America. The frontier promoted nationality for what became the American settlers. There were many different kinds of theories and legends of how the American frontier became civilized in 1875. It wasn’t until 1893 when Fredrick Jackson Turner presented his thesis that the U.S. historian’s developed a distinctive theory of the true meaning of the frontier. The American Frontier and the westward expansion provided many sources of opportunity to the American settlers and other immigrants. One popular source was the California Gold Rush that brought over 300,000 men and women from all different walks of life to the west. Many of the immigrants that came to America wanted the gold but, they also wanted to have a new start and a new life and the freedom to live how they want. There were many job opportunities as well like working on the railroad, mining for gold and ranching cattle. The Homestead Act of 1862 was a very important part in the westward expansion because it provided free land for those who were …show more content…

It all started between the Native Americans and the white settlers. The Natives were the original owners of the land that was now claimed by the white settlers. Instead of sharing the land equally or congregating both peoples, the settlers or “government” kicked out the Natives and made them live on poor land with low vegetation. That is when the government took over and started to make laws and regulations. After the Chinese finished building the railroad for less than minimum wage, they were banned from entering the United States. If they were already residents there they were offered few jobs and mistreated by many of the white

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In 1893 Frederic Jackson Turner a historian, introduces the “Frontier Thesis” in Columbian Exposition, he explains from this thesis about the importance of American history. Frontier thesis remarks the end of a great historic society. Because Frederic Jackson argues that continuous western settlement had an extraordinary impact on American social, political and economic development throughout 20th

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659 Words | 3 Pages

The Homestead Act brought many people to Western areas and was a major role in U.S. development. As a result of all of this, many miners moved to the West with ambition to earn more money; also settlers migrated west for new land and this helped with United States

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Manifest Destiny brought an age of expansion and exploration upon the United States throughout the 1800s. The vast Great Plains were unexplored, and held lots of promise and opportunity for new communities and businesses. With the establishment of the railroad system, transportation became much more reliable and efficient, sending a wave of settlers to the West. Railroad companies also posted many advertisements that encouraged settlers to buy plots of land for reasonable prices. The railroad during this time played a key role in Western Expansion by giving people access to fertile and open land, uniting communities together, and lowering transportation costs, but inflicted cruel treatment on those who worked on the railroads.

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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.

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The western area of the modern day United States remained largely unoccupied by American settlers for the first century of the country’s existence. The slow colonization was due to a variety of factors preventing successful, efficient, and safe occupation of the area. Likely one of the most influential factors was a simple logistical problem: traversing the continent prior to the advent of mechanized, overland transportation was extremely difficult, if not dangerous. This was not the only issue affecting would-be western settlers, but it was the first necessary challenge to overcome before any consideration of establishing a homestead. The development of a railroad network was the most important limiting factor in western settlement, and the

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The westward expansion is a movement of settlers promoted by the federal government that pushed west to get things that benefit them. Such as gold, land, financial reasons, and religious freedom. During this time, America was going through Indian removal acts, economic issues and so much more. The westward expansion occurred due to gold and cheaper land resulting in Native Americans being forced off their own land. To begin, One of the reasons for the westward expansion was gold.

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Overall, the closing of the frontier was a turning point in American history, marking the end of one era and the beginning of another. By transforming the economy and society, it laid the groundwork for the United States to become the global superpower it is today. During the period between 1865 and 1898, one additional factor that shaped American culture and character was the westward expansion and settlement of the frontier. The promise of land, opportunities for economic growth, and the idea of Manifest Destiny drove Americans to venture beyond the Mississippi River and into the

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The westward expansion of of the U.S. began to happen around the 1800s. during that time the social opportunities increased since many people moved to the west because the government was paying them or giving them free land. The political opportunities did not increased as much since most of the people moving westwards were poor or immigrants and only white males had the right to participate in those events. The economic opportunities increased for the people who moved westward because of the gold rush and the opportu tires that were provided.

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Introduction The Westward Expansion is about moving west to find better land. almost seven million Americans moved west to find better land to farm and to build a house and raise a family. Two topics about the westward is The Oregon Trail and The Gold Rush.

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Lawrence Shames has a great concept of America and its culture. In the ‘Major Factor’ he said ‘ America’s economy is its frontier.' This is true. From 1800’s the America is digging to get into the new world through growth and development and generating revenue. In Texas, the new towns were built up, and a railroad was built nearby.

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Most of the pioneers who settled the west became cash croppers. The South wanted to expand slavery into the North during the westward expansion but the North did not want slavery to be legal. The Gold Rush brought even more people to the west.

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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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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

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In conclusion, the westward expansion was one of the most important times in American history but one of the hardest for those who made the journey. The settlers had to go through a lot of hardships to get a new life in the west. The Gold Rush helped bring people to the west and populate California so it became a state. People such as Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark helped explore the new terrain and make maps so people could live there. Even though the pioneers got diseases, had conflicts with the Native Americans, and had to travel for long periods of time in a ship or covered wagon, they never gave up hope.

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Among all of the reasons westward expansion was necessary, the biggest was land and opportunity. “Various Native Americans tribes sign a treaty to cede most of what will become Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota; Choctaws cede nearly 8 million acres in Mississippi in return for Oklahoma land. ”(Chronology of the United States). This land was bought to increase the amount of farmland in America which would be used for agriculture. ”Two territories are created: Michigan (July 1) and Louisiana-Missouri (March 3).”(The American Years).

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