What Role Did Railroad Play In Westward Expansion Essay

From 1860-1890 the United States began to dramatically increase in population and land. The increase in population required the need and use of more resources, in order sustain the living conditions at the time, thus requiring more land. Additionally, the resources were necessary, if the United States was to continue to thrive and expand as a nation of power. Some of the resources that were continuously sought after were lands for farming and agriculture, transportation, and housing. The establishment and usage of the railroad system played a critical role in the westward expansion of the United States, it was crucial in providing a means of communication, but more importantly it was the key in transporting the much-needed resources across the United States and the territories in order to expand. In 1860, the majority of cities within the United States with populations of 500,000 to 100,000 were found in the North-Eastern states, cities such as Boston

Several other railroad systems were connected along the North Mid-West to the Western states, creating additional links to the eastern parts of the United States. During 1890’s the territories of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nevada was admitted into the Union, leaving Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Alaska as territories. It would seem that, because of the increase in railroad systems, the land and acreage for agriculture also increased. Also, something to note is that the majority of the cities with densely populated areas were still found in cities located in the North-Eastern states, in comparison to the Southern states of the United States. The westward expansion of the 1890s eventually brought the native peoples to cede their lands and eventually confined to reservations scattered throughout the