There was a significant increase in population and migration in the West with the frontier settlement. Not only this but there was also a desire for more revenue for their families to be able to eat, and to also buy land. Railroads also had a huge influence in the United States development; it helped to connect the Central and Eastern part of United States to the West. With the Congressional appropriation of funds, many corporations agreed to build the railroad for the right of land in the West. With more railroads being built, it helped to establish the United States, and industries in the West used the railroads to connect industry to retail markets in Eastern United States. Without railroads, it would have been hard for the Western States to expand. …show more content…
Farmers and miners would not be able to get their crops to the market because most of the Americans lived east, and the only way for them to get it across the country were the railroads. Gold also played a role in developing United States. Known as the Forty Niners, one hundred thousand U.S. citizens moved West to find gold at Sutter’s Mill to make money. The gold rush played a factor in the Western Expansion. The Western expansion also guided by the Homestead Act, which offered citizens 160 acres of free land in the west, if you lived there for 5 years. The Homestead Act brought many people to Western areas and was a major role in U.S. development. As a result of all of this, many miners moved to the West with ambition to earn more money; also settlers migrated west for new land and this helped with United States
From 1840 - 1890 the west became a target for United States expansionist campaigns. Motivated by the many job and life opportunities offered by this new land, people flocked by the droves to the West. Although ideological factors formed a small role in this trend, the natural resources, new technologies, and abundant land played the major roles in the development of the West beyond the Mississippi. For starters, the fertility and abundance of the West encouraged settlers into its land, and influenced the lives they led once they established there. The rich soil, pastures for grazing, and precious natural minerals led to the settlement of thousands of miners, ranchers, and farmers.
The expansion of the railroad developed a stronger united nation. Positive to the expanding of the U.S. territory was that over-populated cities in the north would become less populated as people would soon start leaving to own their own land in the west. The west then became established with settlers and immigrants moving in. Another positive to the U.S. expanding their territories was that the Pacific Ocean was a new source of income to people living or traveling to the west coast. The U.S. soon had docks and trading posts for people wanting to trade from other countries.
The Transcontinental Railroad not only made travel and shipping faster and cheaper, but it also contributed greatly to the Westward expansion of the United Stated (Haycox, 2001). In 1830 America introduced the
“During three months in the summer of 1848, a partnership of five miners collected $75,000 in gold” (Gillon 64). During the mid 1800s, people in America moved west for a fresh start in life or for cheaper land, this was called manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the belief that the United States should expand from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Therefore, the gold rush had more of a positive effect on America because it created a flouring economy and had more people travel west for a new life or jobs.
The railroad system was a huge factor in in developing the west. It took away the need of steamboats and was much cheaper and safer than traveling on water. The railroad changed the way of transportation, products and animals were shipped from the west to the east coast, and it allowed the United States to expand the west at a much faster rate. In the years between 1855 and 1871 the Federal government operated a land grant system that gave companies millions of acres of land in the uninhabited west.
The railroad replaced stage coaches and wagon trains and provided a quicker and safer means of transportation for both people and goods. The section titled “Results of the Railroad” of the textbook explains that “The transcontinental railroad increased both economic growth and the population in the West”. Further in the passage our textbook states that “...wood, metals, meat and grain...” were sent from the west and in return “eastern businesses shipped manufactured goods to the west”. With the increased ease of moving materials and expanding commerce, more and more people chose to move west.
Because of the gold rush there has been so much land, people, and events spreading like wildfire. The gold rush added 500 million dollars to the nation 's wealth. The funny thing is that the people who found the gold, James Marshall and John Stutter had no benefits for their findings. They did lose workers, but because of their findings, they did make a milestone for america, so that is a huge benefit. Ever since the gold rush erupted, everything started, from the industrial revolution and the railroad and trading
Most of the pioneers who settled the west became cash croppers. The South wanted to expand slavery into the North during the westward expansion but the North did not want slavery to be legal. The Gold Rush brought even more people to the west.
Few families had the resources to even start farming. “The Homestead Act (May 20, 1862) set in motion a program of public land grants to small farmers”(History.com) They say that the transcontinental railroad was literally the transportation of traveling to the West. Removing the main barrier of to expansion and settlement. It may have improved moving to the west a lot easier, but it doesn 't mean that the farmers and free men were wanting to go to the west just because there was transportation.
Since the Transcontinental Railroad was created, the Native Americans land and culture was impacted by the Western Expansion. People thought the railroad was a positive thing because it improved transportation and communication, but many Native Americans were harmed because of it. During the years of 1850 to 1890, the Native Americans were forced off their land because they were in the way of the making of the railroad and the discovery of gold. Also, Americans broke the treaty of Fort Laramie, caused the Battle of Little Bighorn, and lost many lives because of their selfishness for the gold. In addition to that, Native American’s culture changed throughout time.
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.
Westward expansion was in many ways by the federal government in the 1800s. This extension of the United States had a big influence on the country. Westward expansion brought railroads, new cities, gold mines, new farmland, more resources, and much more. Expansion of the country came with a lot of positives and also some negatives. From 1805 to 1900 the population of the natives went from 15,000 according to document 1 the non- Native Americans went from zero to 95,000.
For some, it was destiny to move west. Although there were many conflicts and disagreements between ourselves and others, it was destiny to move west because of overpopulation, new inventions of transportation methods, and new opportunities. In the 19th Century, overpopulation was one of the major reasons for Westward Expansion. Immigrants were flooding into America for new opportunities and new ways of life and there was just not enough land to suffice the needs for all of the people. These immigrants were arriving in America in the port cities on the East Coast.
The Freehold and Jamesburg Agricultural Railroad was a short-line railroad in New Jersey. In 1853, the establishment of the Jamesburg and Freehold Agricultural Railroad caused Jamesburg to become a railroad hub. Jamesburg had two major lines and a roadhouse. The property of the Freehold and Jamesburg was operated from the date of acquisition to December 31, 1917, by the Pennsylvania Railroad, as agent, under an agency agreement dated July 16, 1879.The Freehold and Jamesburg has connections with the road of The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company at Jamesburg, NJ.
In 1694, Thomas Savery invented what would revolutionize the united states indefinitely, he called it the steam engine. This invention lead to the first steam engine locomotive which many would say was a beneficial turning point in the industrialization of america’s economy,allowing the steam engine to be used on the railways. Although the railroads did impact the United States and certain groups in positive ways,there were also negative effects that occurred. During this time period, there were many chinese immigrants that entered the United States who made up most of the workers that built the tracks.