ipl-logo

The Spread Of Westward Expansion During 1860-1890

1122 Words5 Pages

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.). Lastly, I will key in on the factors that facilitated how the East coast touched …show more content…

They foresaw our nation growing westward and needed a catalyst to help drive this expansion. There had already been a few brave groups that took the trek out West to see what it had to offer. Some of the most notable treks were Lewis and Clark expedition, California gold rush, and the Oregon Trail expedition. All of these had driving forces of exploration of what the West had to offer. Some settled on the West coast, but some returned back home with their stories. With the East coast populous busting at the seams, the only way to expand was westward, towards the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and new lands. A political party named the Free Soil party in 1852, wanted homesteads to reach further West, which took almost a decade for their idea to come to fruition. The first major driving point for this was the Homestead Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln which took effect January 1, 1863. This opened the door for something more than just exploration, it allowed people to take ownership of something bigger than …show more content…

This Act pitted the two companies against each other in completion of the tracks. Each company received 12,800 acres of land and $48,000 in government bonds for each mile of track completed. With the Central Pacific company starting in Sacramento and the Union Pacific starting near the Iowa and Nebraska boarder, the race was on. As the companies progressed towards each other, it was not without dangers. The Union Pacific were building the railroad tracks directly on Native Americans lands which lead to many altercations and deaths. The Central Pacific had their troubles with progressing their track through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Often dealing with the harsh environment, weather and blasting tunnels through the dense rock with gunpowder and nitroglycerine. On May 10, 1869 in Promontory Summit Utah, a golden spike was driven into the last tracks that connected the East and West coast. The completion of the railroad system opened many doors for our Nation and built the “arteries of America” in which it grew economically and financially. (History.com Staff,

Show More
Related
390 Words | 2 Pages

Westward expansion was in many ways by the federal government in the 1800s. This extension of the United States had a big influence on the country. Westward expansion brought railroads, new cities, gold mines, new farmland, more resources, and much more. Expansion of the country came with a lot of positives and also some negatives. From 1805 to 1900 the population of the natives went from 15,000 according to document 1 the non- Native Americans went from zero to 95,000.

Read More
189 Words | 1 Pages

The course text states that in the mid-1800s many people in the United States felt a sense of uniqueness about the United States that helped drive westward expansion. As the course text elaborates, “rooted in Puritan utopianism and revolutionary republicanism, this sense of uniqueness and mission also stemmed from the rapid growth and progress of the early nineteenth century” (365). With this in mind, looking back over the course, explain how each of the following elements of United States history influenced attitudes on western expansion in the mid-1800s: Puritan utopianism, revolutionary republicanism, and mid-1800s’ economic growth. Be clear and specific in connecting each of these elements to westward expansion in the mid-1800s. Then, explain

Read More
938 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1080 Words | 5 Pages

Central Pacific Railroad started from San Francisco, and used Chinese laborers for their work, pushing through the Sierra Nevada mountains. In 1867, to encourage quick progression, Congress deemed the land remaining between the two companies, which was the Utah plains, to be paid at mountain rate. This motivated the Union Pacific crew to lay 360 miles of track, and the Central Pacific crew to lay 425 miles of track within the year (Stockwell, 2011). Unfortunately, this hasty pace came at a cost.

Read More
1023 Words | 5 Pages

On the map, it is evitable that the railway line from Sacramento in California was joined to the rail line in Omaha Nebraska in 1869 (Torr, 2003). The construction of these two railway lines took a period of six years, and they were joined at Promontory Point in Utah. The rail line was named the transcontinental railroad. Similarly, there were many other rail lines constructed in the region at this time including the California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains railway line. Most of the railways at this time were done by the Chinese people, this is because they seemed more willing and able to tolerate the tough conditions as compared to

Read More
1119 Words | 5 Pages

One reason why Americans moved westward was to gain opportunities for themselves. The two most promising land claims were Oregon Country and the Louisiana Territory. The idea of starting a new life on the recently claimed land of Oregon Country lands all began when Lewis traveled to the land and discovered that “this passage across the continent as affording immense advantages to the fur trade,” (Doc 9). As a result of Lewis’s expedition some settlers headed to the new land to start trading on this land. Afterward, more Americans flooded this land upon learning that it was, “nice and (it had) streams full of fish,” and that “the valleys are rich and the mountains high

Read More
1233 Words | 5 Pages

After the Civil War, the United States began to expand Westward. Much of this expansion was due to the transportation revolution. Railroads were spreading; roads, canals, and steamboats were improving. Allowing for more ways to travel West. As the country entered the Industrial Revolution, not only were people migrating within the country but immigrants began to emigrate to America.

Read More
846 Words | 4 Pages

This was needed so people would be able to know when their train was coming and going and so trains could stop crashing (Daniel K. Boorstin). The transcontinental railroad began developing in 1862 which was a connection of railroads that connected the union pacific to the central pacific and met up in Utah. These were the results of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 (Pacific Railway Act). The third way the west was able to develop was through its new opportunities that resulted from it.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

To begin, one may wonder, what made these people move west? For miners, the sense for adventure along with the hunt for gold and silver was a huge motive that drove them west. Open range and search for wealth sent cowboys west. Lastly,

Read More
1757 Words | 8 Pages

The Transcontinental Railroad is an important part of American history. This paper will include the influences that caused the Transcontinental Railroad, the union pacific A Transcontinental Railroad had been talked about for decades. It would be a railroad that would connect the East and western part of the country. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1860, talk of the railroad was set aside by the U.S. Congress due to talk of war.

Read More
359 Words | 2 Pages

Discuss the reasons why Americans were drawn to expansion in the late nineteenth century? America’s was drawn into continual westward expansion in the late nineteenth century because it wanted to expand trade amongst other reasons. There was that small-group of Americans who warned that the country must not let itself be shut out of the scramble for empire. American was beginning to a overflowing population of America, which according to, a census, which stated by census that there was no longer a clear line separating settled the land from unsettled land.

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

Americans were naturally curious about the land west of them after receiving letters from the emigrants describing “really great land”. “To get free land in the heavenly country where sickness was hardly ever known” also “ The emigrants sent letters back home describing the great land. This is showing that the oregon trail was the Americans right because there was only emigrants there meaning that it was unclaimed, and that the land was great meaning that it had excellent farming, it was free.and there was hardly ever any sicknesses. Another reason that people moved west on the Oregon trail was because of the discovery of gold. “After the discovery of gold in California in 1848, more prospectors set out on the Oregon Trail”.

Read More
1039 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

The Westward Expansion all started when America made the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. There were many benefits from the purchase for the US that the French didn’t realize before they sold it. The purchase gave the US access to the Mississippi river which allowed for expansion of river trade to the North and South from the center of the US. The port city of New Orleans was bought by the US and its prosperity benefited the US greatly. The US sent Lewis and Clark west to investigate the land they purchased.

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

More about The Spread Of Westward Expansion During 1860-1890

Related Topics

Open Document