Why Did So Many American Settlers Move To West In The 1800s

Early in the 1800s, United States began to expand from the original 13 colonies to a bigger Country. At that time many settlers came to America because it was the land of freedom and the land of opportunities. There were several reasons for migrating to the west in the 1800s. First, the New England colonials were getting over crowded with less area for farming. Second was the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 in which president Thomas Jefferson bought the land from the French. Third was the “Manifest Destiny.” Many Americans believed in expanding west and gaining more land. As a result, many Americans went west, and many businesses were interested in the west, for example, railroad companies. Later, the Home Act was established, which allowed homesteaders

America needed to expand before the over populated areas turned into chaos. One of the first movements was the Louisiana Purchase Act. The territory made up all or part of fifteen modern U.S. states between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains almost 828,000 square miles of new land. America had found a new opportunity for the settlers to migrate. Jefferson, who was the president, thought the westward expansion was the key to the nation’s wealth. Other settlers moved to the west for religious reasons and personal economic gain. Many Americans

In 1845, a journalist named John O’Sullivan gave the spirit of expansion a name, calling it Manifest Destiny. He said, “Our manifest destiny is to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” (History Westward Expansion). It graved many Americans attention and brought more settlers to move west. Migration to the west caused a lot of controversy and one of the most important battles was the Mexican war. Settlers were migrating to the west and reaching Mexican territory. In 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War and added more than 1 million square miles to the United States. United states had new land to expand but needed advertisement. The Homestead Act, 1862 gave settlers more reasons to move to the west. It allowed homesteaders to claim 160 acres of land free if they lived and worked on it for five years. The prospect of free land was very attractive to people who could never have afforded a farm back home. The government wanted businesses to join the expansion and one of them was the railroad. They thought easier transportation would encourage Americans to migrate. The government gave them a two-mile stretch of land either side of the railroad so that the company can gain profit. They wanted people to migrate that they they launched a massive sales campaign, offering a 'settlement package', which included: a