ipl-logo

What Are The Key Events Of Westward Expansion During The Nineteenth Century

3912 Words16 Pages

A. Describe American Westward expansion during the nineteenth century and analyze two key features of this process in relation to questions of American national identity.
Introduction
The history of the United States is a history of westward expansion. In the early 19th century, the United States purchased the rights to landmasses west of the inhabited East coast of America. This is known as the Louisiana Purchase, and was arguably the event that set of the century of exploration, settlements and war, known as the Westward Expansion.
In this essay I will account for the key events of the Westward Expansion, while also incorporating a discussion of the United States national identity, and the procedures that best express this credence. I expect …show more content…

It was an ideal, that Americans and the American institutions were morally superior to their counterparts. Therefore, they were morally obligated to expand their presence, to end the alleged oppression of the European kingdoms. Furthermore, they were equally obligated to inspire and elevate the Mexican and the native populations “less significant” cultures.
With roots in the Puritan mindset of a New World in the eye of God, the Americans felt a responsibility to share with the world their great culture – a belief that arguably still stands as a defining factor in US foreign policy, at least under the previous administration.
Ironically, the Democrats were the most supportive party of the idea. The Whigs were opposed to the idea of expanding in the name of their superiority, as they feared it would advocate slaveholding. It is also worth noting that while the idea of branching out like this was flourishing, an exceptional amount of division was taking place. The annexation of the independent republic of Texas took place in the same years as the term grew popular, and the subsequent Mexican American War probably helped it along as patriotism grew as a result. The political debates on slavery were also heating up, and were dividing the country into Southern and Northern sub-republics. Meanwhile, a conflict with the British arose over the Oregon Territory. The idea of Manifest Destiny is very much a symbol of a new beginning, an idea that bloomed centuries before the Louisiana Purchase, but was very much starting to find its presence in the real

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
1420 Words | 6 Pages

Name: Maddux, Korzenko Date 5/25/2023 Mrs. Cimini / Mrs. Golden Westward Expansion Westward ExpaWestward Expansion Table of Contents Introduction Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark The Oregon Trail Native American Struggles California Gold Rush Introduction Westward Expansion was a time of many events, and in this report I will talk about a bunch of important events about the Westward Expansion. Some of these included the Louisiana Purchase, or the famous explorers Lewis and Clark who explored many lands.

Read More
1155 Words | 5 Pages

James K. Polk and the Expansionist Impulse by Sam W. Haynes Haynes’ biography of James K. Polk is a little bit different from the traditional biographical book with enumeration of important dates from life of historical figure. Instead the author takes different approach: while recounting development of Polk’s career, he looks at the Polk’s presidency through the lens of expansionism. Though he frames the 11th President as a strong adherent of aggressive territorial expansionism, Haynes also emphasises that Polk’s decisions cannot be separated from the political and social climate of his time. The author renders Polk from one side as the initiator of expansionists political moves, and from the other, as a product of contemporary social beliefs,

Read More
549 Words | 3 Pages

The expansion of the West territory fulfilled the US to become the ocean nation between Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean completely. Another identity bringing the US to change is “Gold discovery,” even if it was nine days before the treaty with Mexico in 1848, this discovery significant altered the US to the modern era. Based on above situations, the industrialization and the growth of the US began. It transformed the US society from rural to urban. The federal government offered the land distribution for agriculture, mining, and organizing settlers around many areas.

Read More
1431 Words | 6 Pages

Most Americans were pleased with the new outlines of their country. Still, not everyone rejoiced in this expansion. Until the Mexican- American War, many people had believed that the United States was too good a nation to bully or invade its weaker neighbors. Now they knew that such behavior was the dark side of manifest

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

It is our destiny to occupy that vast region” (Doc. 11). These example show that Americans believed it was inevitable that the US would control these lands. They believed God had chosen them to conquer the land and this allowed them to justify the war and spending of federal funds required to acquire this territory. Their true conviction in the idea of the United States being the rightful sovereigns of this land allowed them to passionately argue for further

Read More
537 Words | 3 Pages

Westward Expansion PEGS The decision to annex Texas produced problems within the government for example, whether or not adding a new slave state was equal according to the Missouri Compromise. They also feared that it would block the nation’s plan to accomplish Manifest Destiny. After President Polk annexed Texas, Mexico and Texas had to establish the border. Mexico believed that it was the Nueces River, however Texas and the rest of the U.S. believed it was the Rio Grande River, this caused a dispute between the two leading to the U.S. Mexican War. James K. Polk made it his mission during his campaign to annex Texas when John Tyler did not want to add the republic.

Read More
467 Words | 2 Pages

American expansionism from 1830-1850 affected America. Manifest destiny was the central idea behind the expansion, from coast to coast. Expanding the U.S was the main goal of Americans, as well as the government. Many things happened to expand the U.S, such as the Battle of San Jacinto or the Gadsden Purchase. Slavery separated the states in the union, although expanding was in a way supposed to join the United States.

Read More
274 Words | 2 Pages

The west started to become more popularized by Americans during the nineteenth century. Settlers in New England started to move westward because the soil of New England was not able to produce high amounts of grain. As a result, the farmers would set out to find a new piece of land to grow their crops on. The farmer’s lively hood as well as their families relied on land to produce the resources their family needed to live. However, most of the land settlers began to occupy was already the home to Native Americans.

Read More
842 Words | 4 Pages

Exam Paper 1 In what ways did the American West of the late nineteenth century represent a contrast to the East? In what ways did the two regions resemble each other?

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
2291 Words | 10 Pages

The birth of Westward expansion and Manifest Destiny in the United States can be traced back to the early 19th century when the country was still in its infancy. Manifest destiny is the belief that it was America’s mission to expand from coast to coast, and to spread its political, social, and economic systems to new lands. This belief evolved into the driving force behind westward expansion, and the American government adapted many policies and actions to make it a reality (Policarpo). One of the most significant events that marked the beginning of westward expansion was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The idea that it was the destiny of the American people to expand and conquer new lands was viewed as a divine mission, and it became a popular rallying cry for politicians, intellectuals, and common citizens alike.

Read More
2016 Words | 9 Pages

“Once we became an independent people it was as much a law of nature that this [control of all of North America] should become our pretension as that the Mississippi should flow to the sea” –John Quincy Adams (Henretta, p. 384). In the 1840s, Americans had a belief that God destined for them to expand their territory all the way westward to the Pacific Ocean. This idea was called Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, Americans were recognized for coming together and building up one another for one cause: westward expansion.

Read More
1015 Words | 5 Pages

One of the consequences of Manifest Destiny was the Mexican-American War. Following the ideology of Manifest Destiny, Texas was annexed into the United States in 1845, creating tensions with the Mexican government. While the annexation of Texas had great benefits for America, from the Mexican point of view it caused many issues legally and threatened national security (Document C). In pursuit of the grand ambitions of Manifest Destiny, President Polk and many Americans forgot to consider the consequences of achieving their ultimate goal of controlling the whole of North America. While before the United States had supported the independent countries, such as Mexico, that had broken free of Spanish rule, during this time period America lost sight of their ideals and made

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

Frederic Jackson Turner, an American historian in the early 20th century, is known for his essay “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”. In his writings, Turner theorized that certain defining aspects of the United States, such as geography, government, and economy could be traced back to the development of the American frontier. The U.S. census of 1890, which announced the disappearance of a contiguous frontier line, claimed that the since the land was already claimed, “there can hardly be said to be a frontier line.” However, Turner theorized that “the existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward,” meant that the American development was an ongoing process of

Read More

More about What Are The Key Events Of Westward Expansion During The Nineteenth Century

Related Topics

Open Document