Late Nineteenth Century: Contrast To The American West

The Donner party, one of the most legendary tales of the American expansion of the West. Eighty-seven people, men, women, and Children risked it all. Their Lives, Fortunes, and Density. Beyond the obvious tragedy of the Donner party, one can find examples of Human Character in the story. Courage, Perseverance, Hopefulness.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States federal government was trying promote westward expansion in the United States of America. They tried to do this in many ways and the methods that they used drastically changed and shaped the country. The United States federal government was trying very hard in the late 1800s and early 1900s to expand the country westward and their actions had many major impacts on the United States of America. Some of their actions include: relocating the indigenous Native Americans, passing the Homestead Act, and greatly promoting the construction of railroads. All of these efforts greatly altered the country and the lives of the Native Americans and the United States citizens.

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

After the Civil War ended many people were in hope of finding land since population was increasing. Since the West was underdeveloped and uncivilized, many decided to expand the land. First the Louisiana Purchase increased the opportunity of expansion.Then industrialization and the Homestead Act also caused many companies encouraged to move West due to the low cost of land and that the transportation was provided through the railroads. In order to complete such goals, something had to be done with the Natives since it conflicted with their home area. Before the 1860’s the native americans were living in peace until the Colonists attacked. The Western Expansion of 1860-90 greatly affected the lives of Native Americans, due to the powerful role

Following the great explorative successes, some Americans would soon venture westwards which was largely supported by rhetoric, law and the vision of the founding fathers to have a far-reaching territory. As the manufacturing industry rose in New England, the westward expansion was both timely and economically viable. The American settlers were moving rapidly to what is referred to as the Midwest today and this necessitated the development of infrastructure through the development of canals, roads, and railroads. The rapid expansion of infrastructure, more specifically the railroads, would then purge the country into a new era of medicine, manufacture, and agricultural inventions (Neil, 1964). The Midwest became an inspiration that saw the symbolic development of the American identity in the 19th century with development of acting, painting, and writing. Through such developments, America was quickly gaining worldwide recognition both in the intellectual world and

They also played a major role in developing the agricultural West. The perfected refrigerator cars allowed the cattle/meat market to grow immensely due to the large quantities of cattle grazing land now opened up by military campaigns. They also transported numerous amounts of settlers and treasure hunters to the new lands. During the exploration of the West the Americans found gold, silver, and other precious metal deposits all over. These findings brought many more settlers to the West, even though after a while many of these “boom towns” began to fade; bigger mining corporations came bringing more people and

The social opportunities improved greatly because train tracks were being built since more people were moving to the West. If train tracks were built it would be easier for people from New York to socially

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.

Frederick Jackson Turner was a major figure among American historians who lived during the years between 1861 to 1932. His famous essay, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” was published in 1893 and he became known for his studious exploration of American history during the United States’ westward expansion. Frederick Turner stated in an interview that his interest in the study of American frontier’s past, because of his upbringing in Wisconsin which is a newly emerged state from its own trail-blazing past. Turner earned his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and where he met a noteworthy teacher, Professor William Francis Allen, who guided him toward the study of history. Turner attended John Hopkins University

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. In the excerpt from the A Plea for the West, written by Lyman Beecher, the author argued that the West had much importance to start out on the right foot and become a place that is respectable and stable. There are no churches, schools, homes, or anything that the East and the South already boasted during that time period. Beecher even

There were both positive and negative components of westward expansion from 1800 to 1875. By the late of 1800s, the land of the United States was mostly purchased. In seventy five years, the United States continuously expanded westward, which was encouraged by the idea of Manifest Destiny. New land in the United States led to more economic, social, and political opportunities. Gaining more land also led to disputes between the states and wars with other countries. Between 1800 and 1875, America continuously expanded westward through the acquisition of new land; there were both favorable and unfavorable consequences and outcomes of westward expansion.

In 1893 Frederic Jackson Turner a historian, introduces the “Frontier Thesis” in Columbian Exposition, he explains from this thesis about the importance of American history. Frontier thesis remarks the end of a great historic society. Because Frederic Jackson argues that continuous western settlement had an extraordinary impact on American social, political and economic development throughout 20th

Regionalist Richard White argues that "[i]t is this sense of historically derived relationships … that is central to the regionalism of the New Western History" (qtd. in Neel 114), defining the West as the result of conquest and the interchanges within the variety of groups and cultures in this specific territory, logically indicating intense struggles and conflicts over possession of land and natural resources. Limerick defines those relationships as a conquest, meaning "the drawing of lines on a map, the definition and allocation of ownership … and the evolution of land from matter to property" (qtd. in Neel 114). Worster concludes by shaping the western identity as a result out of adaption of modes of production. These arguments favoring the definition of the West as a region rise yet again doubts about the promised clarity since contradictors might question the uniqueness of these factors in the American west. Indeed, Dan Flores argues that Neel should have had considered the South as an example in her examination, since this region is also characterized by the lack of environmental

This paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze Frederick Jackson Turner. He was an American historian from Portage, Wisconsin that grew up in a middle class family. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1884, and acquired his Ph.D. in history at John Hopkins University in 1884. My goal is to examine Turner's essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History ." Turner's essay is a masterpiece of historical thought and sentiment, enhanced by analysis and critical thinking from a variety of different sources.

A massive amount of Americans moved west of the Mississippi River between the Civil War and the end of the 1800s for many reasons. I think the biggest reason for the movement was all of the new land. People even lined up at the border of Oklahoma in 1889 waiting to claim land. Another reason people moved west was to earn lots of money. When gold was discovered in a town, a tremendous amount of people moved to that town so it became a boomtown. 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