The Dangers Of Westward Expansion In The 1800s

Westward expansion was a period of American history in the 1800s when the United States expanded its territories westward, acquiring new lands and extending its borders. This period of expansion was driven by a combination of factors, including economic, political, and cultural forces. The United States was a new country with an enormous amount of assets and a developing population in the early 1800s. Over the next few decades, the United States continued to expand westward, with settlers moving across the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Coast. This period of expansion was marked by conflict and conquest, as the United States clashed with Native American tribes, Spanish colonizers, and other nations for control of the land.

These challenges included harsh environmental conditions, dangers posed by Native American tribes, and the difficulty of traveling long distances across rough terrain. One of the biggest challenges facing settlers moving westward was the harsh environmental conditions they encountered. Settlers would be walking for miles and miles on end every day just to get to the other side of this country. Imagine walking or wagoning 20-30 miles every day for months with formidable obstacles, extreme temperatures throughout the day and night, and unpredictable weather patterns. However, these long treks were not for nothing. Settlers from far and wide would travel west for new opportunities, a new life, a new chance. The west of the United States was known for its mining and agricultural aspects. The 1849 Gold Rush was a huge event in America’s history when it came to mining gold and silver. Below is an official report from the San Francisco gold mines in 1848. This is an official account of a visit by Colonel Richard Barnes Mason, dated August 17,

W. T. Sherman, 3rd Artillery, A.A.A. General, I started on the 12th of June last to make a tour through the northern part of California. We reached San Francisco on the 20th and found that all, or nearly all, its male inhabitants had gone to the mines. The town, which a few months before was so busy and thriving, was then almost deserted… At Sutter’s, there was more life and business. Launches were discharging their cargoes at the river and carts were hauling goods to the fort, where already were established several stores, a hotel, etc. Captain Sutter had only two mechanics in the employe—a wagon-maker and a blacksmith, whom he was then paying $10 per day. Merchants pay him a monthly rent of $100 per room, and while I was there a two-story house in the fort was rented as a hotel for $500 a