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Westward Expansion And Industrialization During The Gilded Age

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America faced a lot of change and transformation during the 19th, also known as the Gilded Age. America was heavily influenced socially, economically, politically, and culturally by westward expansion and industrialization. Many people expanded west of the Mississippi River because of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 (Westward Expansion: Encounters at a Cultural Crossroads). The United States brought the state of Louisiana from France for $15 million (Milestones: 1801-1829). Industrialization ties into westward expansion in a way. America had shifted from an agricultural society to an industrial society (Gilded Age - 19th Century). Essentially, industrialization during the Gilded Age had its roots in the Civil War (SparkNotes). This had urged …show more content…

The transcontinental railroad was constructed between the years of 1863 and 1869 (Terrell). It was also the first continuous railroad line across the United States that connected the eastern states to the western states (Transcontinental Railroad). The transcontinental railroad benefited three things: travel, trade, and communication (History.com Editors). The West would send crops and raw materials to the East on the railroad (Kiger). In return, the East sent manufactured goods to the West (Kiger). The railroad construction encouraged the government to provide loans, even land grants as well (Beech 2/23). The transcontinental railroad was of extreme significance to America because it increased and benefited the travel, trade, and communication, which was a start in leading the country to advancement. John Gast, a famous painter and lithographer painted a picture titled Spirit of the Frontier, also known as American Progress (Sandweiss). This painting shows the progress of having people travel from the east to the west, and the progress of America as a whole (American Progress). The railroad in the painting portrays the connection between the East and West coast

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