New People Dbq

The rapid industrialization of the United States brought many changes to its people. New technologies, inventions, and the railroad brought better fuels, stronger steels, changed the way people lit their homes, and even changed the way people did their shopping. The integrated railroad was especially exciting, because it would allow people to move from the west coast to the east coast as they pleased. Economic development was also on the rise, especially in the west. Americans were excited to discover and tame the “wild west”, eager to claim a piece of land that they could call their own. Greediness often took over, and what was best for the white people was not always best for all people, like the Indians. Westward expansion was full of riches for the whites, but full of tragedies for the Indians. The western frontier was anti-democratic, and a prime example of how Anglo-American expansion could be brutal.

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

In addition to railroads, Congress passed numerous acts and laws to encourage people to move west. One of the first acts was the Homestead Act of 1862. Which “gave 160 acres of land to anyone who would pay a $10 registration fee and pledge to live on it and cultivate it for five year” (Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, and Williams 502). Passing this law forged a “mass migration of land-hungry Europeans” (Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, and Williams 502), amazed that a country would relinquish millions of acres for free. Between 1862 and 1900, close to 600,000 families made their way west from free homesteads. However, the Homestead Act required farmers and labors to have the cash to move, buy equipment, and have patients for their farms to become self-sufficient, which was not always the case. Therefore, in 1873 the Timber Culture Act was passed to adjust the Homestead Act. Each homesteader was inclined to claim another 160 acres if within four years if they planted trees on a quarter of it. Successfully distributing 10 million additional acres, Congress continued to pass laws to encourage more to go west. The Desert Land Act of 1877 aided cattle ranchers by allowing them to obtain 640 acres if they promise to irrigate it. The prospect of finding gold and silver also brought in waves of people to the west. The California Gold Rush of 1849 holds the name of one of the most famous waves of miners to the west. Gold and Silver mines in Deadwood, South Dakota; Leadville and Silverton, Colorado; Salt Lake City, Utah; Sutter’s Mill, California; and Virginia City, Nevada attracted hundreds of people. The main motivation to move west included the hope of a better future in farming or

In the late nineteenth century, the railroad industry was booming. But it’s growth was followed by labor arguments, including the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. This strike was the first major rail strike, and it was disputed with enough violence to bring in various state militias. The Strike began when northern railroads cut salaries and wages because they still felt the impact of the Panic of 1873. The cuts were met with strikes and violence, but the railroads fought back with even more pay cuts, like the Pennsylvania Railroad lowering all wages by ten percent. A few months later, the same rail line decided it would double the length of all eastbound trains but kept the same amount of workers. The employees

The period after the civil war saw the United States of America economy transform to become a national economy and an industrial giant. The already existing industries quickly expanded and new ones emerged including steel manufacturing, electrical power, and petroleum refining. This period saw the rapid expansion of the railroad network which would subsequently connect even the remote parts of the country into the national economic grid essentially transforming the regional markets into a national economy. Following the economic expansion, the American society was greatly transformed creating a new crop of wealthy individuals and a dynamic middle class. Additionally, there was a vast expansion of blue collar job opportunities which quickly

In the 1800’s , the Plains Indians moved westward to allow them to  make a better living and have a good life on the frontier because of the Homestead Act. The homestead Acts were several U.S. laws that gave the citizens ownership of land. It gave men and women 160 acres of land free of charge if you paid $10 to claim the land. If you cultivated for at least five years the settler could gain ownership of the land. The government encouraged citizens to move westward and live on the reservation of the Great Plains. The government did this to reduce the amount of land the

During the late 1800’s, many settlers were expanding to the West and the Transcontinental Railroad helped them move from the East to the West. Some wanted to gain 160 free acres of land known as the Homestead Act. The Transcontinental Railroad connected the East and the West. The Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad were the companies that built the Transcontinental Railroad; however, the companies were run by greedy men and felt no guilt as they asked the government to pass special bills for them. The railroad cut through many lands and affected the Native Americans in a perilously way. Furthermore, many resources, such as buffalo were slaughtered and were almost made extinct, and Native Americans lost their land to American settlers, as well as these resources.Therefore, the Transcontinental

The people who settled the west were greatly dependent on the US government and the policies they adopted. The settling of the west in the late 19th century was similar to the settlement of the south in the 1830’s. Andrew Jackson drove out the indians so that the valuable land of the south could be secured by white settlers. Once again, the federal government made it possible to settle the west by forcing indians off of their lands. A recurring theme in American history is manifest destiny and the attempt to develop unsettled lands by the federal government. Although the success is credited to the hardy individualism of settlers and pioneers, the reality is that nothing would have been possible without federal

Crossing over rivers, rolling hills, endless plains, and mountain passes to finally reach a salvation with huge plots of land with boundless capabilities is what many Americans did while passing through the Oregon Trail. The trail allowed many Americans to have an opportunity to prosper, but there were many dangers and perils that they would have to face. The motivation to travel the Oregon Trail was so strong because it allowed endless possibilities for Americans to escape debt, start businesses, farm large sums of land, and for Manifest Destiny.

First, government policies made a progress in increasing individual opportunity which specifically about land distribution and education system among the farmers between 1860-1900. For land distribution, one of the policies was the Homestead Act. The Homestead act was the act that encouraged people to move west and develop agriculture in 1862.

The Dawes act of 1887 was a law that allowed distribution of Indian reservation land between tribesmen with the task of making whiteman’s image as responsible farmers. It was presented to congress several times by Sen. Henry L. Dawes from Massachusetts. On February 7, 1887 it was finally enacted under terms that the president presented. It was determined the recipients that were suitable were issued grants. The 160 acres of land was issued to head of households. Another 80 acres would go to each unmarried recipients. It was stipulated that the land could not be alienated for 25 years. Any Indian that received land automatically became citizens of the U.S. They were obligated to state, federal and local laws. All of the supporters of this act

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.

During the 1840s and later through the Civil War Reconstruction Era, western expansion faced a wave of American interest. Many people thought the west was overflowing with wealth and opportunities. The land was advertised and sold by the government in an attempt to increase the nation’s farming productivity and territorial expansion. Land legislation promised to reward young farmers and families for their successful Midwest homesteads. This legislation included the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Timber Culture Act of 1873. Under the Homestead Act westerners were provided up to 160 acres of land in which they would live and farm for five years before obtaining ownership of the land. Though five years was a rather substantial trade off, the land

They settled those lands because Special Field Order 15 prompted them to do so, but President Johnson decided that he wanted to give the land back to the original owners. So he sent O. O. Howard, head of the Freedmen’s Bureau, to tell them to get off the land. Howard was met with resistance when he reached the land. The freed people wrote up a petition requesting that they may either keep the land or purchase it. The people showed that they were doing well with the land, and also showed that they were completing their goal of practicing religion. In the petition they wrote, we “do therefore pray to god (the preserver of all and who has through our Late and beloved President (Lincoln) proclamation and the war made Us a free people.” This shows that they were finally becoming their own people, and furthermore that they wanted to continue growing as new people. They further went on in the petition to remind Johnson that the government was the reason that they were living were they were, and that the land was what it was because of them. They wanted to stay so bad that they even said they would pay for the land. Why would they want this particular land so bad one might ask? Because this was the land they grew up on. It was their home even though they were slaves at that point, so it was important to stay. However, despite their attempt at keeping their home, Johnson still gave the land back to the original owners because he was sympathized with the South, and for this reason rural African Americans for the most part had no

During the 1800s, many people migrated to urban areas because they wanted jobs and land. Many people thought that migrating to urban areas would be like a perfect dream, however they were disappointed when they realized that the benefits of migration did not outweigh the drawbacks.