The Pros And Cons Of The Westward Expansion

The westward expansion took place from 1783 and ended 1853. During the westward expansion, everyone knows the basic thing that happened. Expanding the country, taking over land, and just having it grow throughout the years. But what exactly happened? And this type of change impacted the expansion the most?

Westward Expansion: Impact of Natives Thesis Statement: Due to the taking of land and resources, Americans treated the Natives negatively during the Westward Expansion When watching the recent movie ‘The Revenant’, audiences wonder what the message of the story or the theme. Setting up in the 18th century it follows a man (Hugh Glass) that was helping the Americans collect game in exchange for money. He was taken in because he knows the language and land of the Native Americans, due to his wife and child being part of the culture of Indians. Natives were killed for defending their land and keeping the White men from claiming it. The movie also shows the violence directed toward the Native Americans such as the rape of the women.

One reason why Americans moved westward was to gain opportunities for themselves. The two most promising land claims were Oregon Country and the Louisiana Territory. The idea of starting a new life on the recently claimed land of Oregon Country lands all began when Lewis traveled to the land and discovered that “this passage across the continent as affording immense advantages to the fur trade,” (Doc 9). As a result of Lewis’s expedition some settlers headed to the new land to start trading on this land. Afterward, more Americans flooded this land upon learning that it was, “nice and (it had) streams full of fish,” and that “the valleys are rich and the mountains high

From sea to shining sea. That line from “America the Beautiful” defines the goal of the United States in the 1840’s. But why was this the goal? What caused this drive for expansion? During the mid-19th century, Americans set their sights of land west of the Louisiana Purchase.

In Robert Morgan’s, “There is no true history of the westward expansion”, his claims of westward expansion are more sensible than any other mans at that time. “It is natural and perhaps necessary for historians and story-tellers to view the dramatic shifts of history through the actions of a few famous figures, whether heroes or villains.” (Robert Morgan paragraph 4 line 2) By saying this, Morgan is saying that most stories that a reader will read, will be one sided. With westward expansion, nobody wants to tell the bad things that happened, but only the good things.

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.

To the president at the time, Thomas Jefferson, expanding westward was a major key for the nation to be successful. Many of the United States citizens believed in Manifest Destiny. Because of the Manifest Destiny, citizens truly believed it was destined for the United States to expand far west. Although some federalists opposed it, the Louisiana Purchase was essential in the growing of the size of the United States. The Louisiana purchase was the purchase of 820,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River.

The economy is the collection of resources and money. Also all across the world, all countries that trade and use some sort of money. The economy includes tariffs, banking, trusts, railroads and all about the new transportation, and acts that expand the power of the federal government. Some issues with the economy that affected all people were railroad corruption, banking expansion, working conditions, trusts, and most of all, the corruption within the government. The changing economy positively impacted the common people.

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 Westward Expansion began in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. President Thomas Jefferson wanted to make the United States a better place and to do so he believed that if people moved to the west that the nation would improve. ‘By 1840 almost 7 million Americans had migrated westward in hopes of securing land and being prosperous.’ This was the beginning of the westward expansion with the Louisiana Purchase.

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.

The establishment and growth of the railroad had many influences on the Westward Expansion of America in the later half of the 1800’s. The railroad fueled the conflict with the Native Americans of the Plains, induced growth in population and economy in previously established urban areas, and lastly expanded the lands that were used for agriculture. The railroad affected various aspects of America’s West and the Great Plains. The advancement of the railroad West added to the already tense relationship with the Native Americans of the Plains.

That is just one of many reasons there was Westward Expansion. Overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. These are three of many reasons why Americans in the 1800’s felt urged to move west. Some may claim that Westward expansion was not right for America to do because of the conflicts that were aroused afterward.

Was American expansion justified during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s? This was a debate that Americans fought over then and still now fight over now. There were two types of people some were for expansion and others were against expansion of the U.S. Both sides of the story will be well explained in this essay. First, this will explain the people for expansion’s side.

The Donner Party and Westward Expansion Since the founding of the country, Americans have had an innate desire to move Westward. Americans justified this endless conquest of Western land by calling it manifest destiny, that they had been chosen for the inevitable job of establishing Western settlements. Thousands of people reached the West Coast and established territories like Oregon and California, which became beacons for people to flock to. Wagon trains set out yearly, carrying emigrants hoping for a better life.