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. After their exploration, many people started to take interest in moving West. There were many different reasons why people moved, including a search for a fresh start at life, a chance at starting an economic success through agriculture and …show more content…
People were drawn to the West because it was scene as the last resort to make a living when all else failed in the East. Communication with friends and family who had moved west led these pioneers to believe the journey would be easy and the reward for getting west would be best. And the greatly available land was the strongest pulling factor to people interested in adventuring west. Migration was a personal choice that depended on several key factors, “Age of the head of household; economic status; personal attitudes; and projected costs and benefits of the resettlement.” Most historians agree that the majority of the people who migrated west were middle class and mostly immigrants to the US. With the 1848 Gold Rush, traveling miners wanted temporary settlements while the settlers wanted permanent living. These mining camps were full of promiscuous behaviors and the miners moved out of the towns when the mines were emptied. The homes that were once occupied suddenly became vacant. These houses were sold for next to nothing and families moving west often find them as a safe haven. Most establishments at this time were without floors and if a building did have a floor it was most likely new and very
The first thing is the westward movement. Around 1803 the Louisiana Purchase occurred. After this purchase many Americans traveled to the new land to gain land and be successful. However, the journey to the land wasn’t a piece of cake. These people who chose to move West ran into many obstacles such as, animals dying, becoming lost and even death.
During the mid-1800’s western expansion was influenced by economic growth. The attitudes that they needed more land in order to grow as a nation economically lead to more western expansion. So promises of land to homesteaders influenced Americans to travel west for economic gains.
Many people migrated west for many reasons during the 1800's. Some of these reasons were government sponsored and others were not. Some examples of government sponsored reasons include the Homestead Acts, Mexican War, and the Gadsden Purchase. Some nongovernment sponsored reasons include the Gold Rush, and the Mormons. The Homestead Acts was one of the first reasons for westward expansion.
The West was a blank slate: a new land with uncharted areas with unfamiliar scenery, animals, and inhabitants, as well as different weather patterns. The West was an entire new place to view. It could be settled about in so many different avenues. It was up to the individuals in the East and South to move west and make it a place of success. Additionally, a whole new way of thinking was born into the region.
and they had came from various places around the country. They wanted to move west because they had heard it was a good opportunity for a better life and a opportunity to buy land. To travel to the west, they had to use their own money and make enough money to provide for their family. The way they
The westward expansion of of the U.S. began to happen around the 1800s. during that time the social opportunities increased since many people moved to the west because the government was paying them or giving them free land. The political opportunities did not increased as much since most of the people moving westwards were poor or immigrants and only white males had the right to participate in those events. The economic opportunities increased for the people who moved westward because of the gold rush and the opportu tires that were provided.
Once all of the resources were found and used up, the miners would move on and the town would become a ghost town. Many African Americans moved out west because in the west your skin color didn’t matter much, just your ability to work hard. When women began gaining rights in the west, more women wanted
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.
The immigrants tired of slaving for big corporations in the east moved west and brought their cultures with them. The west had cultures from all over the globe because the ones that moved out west for the opportunities that the west presented also brought family members that hadn’t even been to this country yet. The east at times was just as scary as the west with gangsters, and mobsters, and rich powerful politicians. You could just as easily disappear in New York as you could in San Francisco.
Westward Expansion The idea of westward expansion was a pivotal point in our nation’s history. People were looking for something new and exciting. They found it in the form of adventure, excitement, fame, and untold riches! Two key events played a role in the move to push colonists farther into new territory.
The families came together to form what was called a wagon train in May 1846. Another reason for the Americans movement westward, was the belief in manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the belief of the United States expanding towards the California coast. It was also because the views on religious freedom, were nowhere near as strict as they wear on the East
The Westward Expansion consisted of almost 7 million Americans migrating west, hoping to get land and be wealthy. It is often called Manifest Destiny, because many people believed settlers was intended to expand the west. Because so many people thought this way it was also thought the U.S was physically separated from Europe. This migration of people included people from Spain, France, Mexico, and other countries. The Western Expansion had a part in the foreign policies in the expansion towards the pacific and the way the U.S treated their relationship with other
Other settlers moved to the west for religious reasons and personal economic gain. Many Americans
Basically, the reason why the Gold Rush of 1849 was the most important event in the Westward Expansion was because gold was discovered in California, consequently this brought too many people to there. The Homestead Act set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers and any adult citizen or who want to become a citizen. “The Homestead Act opened up settlement in the western US, allowing any american to put a claim for up to 160 acres of land” (History.com). When the Homestead Act was signed, anyone including freed slaves, could have their own lands, this cat also helped small farmers. “The Homestead Act provided that any adult citizen or person who wanted the become a citizen who headed a family, could qualify for a grant of 160 acres of public land by paying small registration fee and living there for 5 years” (History.com).