What did the westward expansion offer?

What did the westward expansion offer?

However, westward expansion provided the United States with vast natural resources and ports along the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts for expanding trade, key elements in creating the superpower America is today.

How did the westward expansion help America?

Rooted in the idea of manifest destiny, the United States militantly expanded westward across the continent in the 19th century. Americans saw their nation’s mission as one of bringing education, modern technology, and civilization to the West and driving away the “uncivilized” American Indians.

Why was westward expansion necessary?

When President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French government in 1803, it doubled the size of the existing United States. Jefferson believed that, for the republic to survive, westward expansion was necessary to create independent, virtuous citizens as owners of small farms.

How did westward expansion help the economy?

Overview. Land, mining, and improved transportation by rail brought settlers to the American West during the Gilded Age. New agricultural machinery allowed farmers to increase crop yields with less labor, but falling prices and rising expenses left them in debt.

What influenced westward expansion?

Geographic and economic factors that influenced westward movement

• Population growth in the eastern states.
• Availability of cheap, fertile land.
• Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush), logging, farming, freedom (for runaway slaves)

How did the westward expansion impact slavery?

The westward expansion carried slavery down into the Southwest, into Mississippi, Alabama, crossing the Mississippi River into Louisiana. Finally, by the 1840’s, it was pouring into Texas. So the expansion of slavery, which became the major political question of the 1850’s, was not just a political issue.

Was westward expansion necessary or were the consequences too great?

Expansion was necessary for the nation to grow and prosper, despite the negative impact on Native Americans. The impact on Native American tribes was not worth expansion.

How did westward expansion affect agriculture?

Agricultural prices, which had sparked the boom, dropped off sharply, bringing the value of land down. Farmers could not afford to pay their debts, and since speculators could not collect payment for lands they had sold, the value of land plummeted even further.

What were the positive effects of the westward expansion?

It brought more land for farming and improvement. Those who were in favor of the movement said that with more land area acquired, there were more agriculture land made available which was good for the economy and for supply of food and vegetables for the people.

What inventions helped westward expansion?

Dry Farming. o Type of farming that allowed farmers to farm without muchwater.

How are Manifest Destiny and the westward expansion related?

Manifest Destiny was a popular belief in the mid-to-late 19th century. Its proponents claimed that the United States had the divine right to expand westward—meaning that U.S. expansion was the will of God. Manifest Destiny continued as a key American philosophy until after World War I.

Why did African Americans move west during the westward expansion?

In addition to a significant European migration westward, several thousand African Americans migrated west following the Civil War, as much to escape the racism and violence of the Old South as to find new economic opportunities. Some also became “Buffalo Soldiers” in the wars against Indians.

How did the United States expand westward?

Westward expansion began in earnest in 1803. Thomas Jefferson negotiated a treaty with France in which the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana Territory – 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River – effectively doubling the size of the young nation.

What motivated the settlers to settle in the west?

When the settlers reached land populated or previously promised to Native Americans, they had no qualms claiming it for their own benefit. It was not just spiritual prosperity that inspired settlers—outright moneymaking opportunities also motivated Westward Expansion.

What was the impact of the expedition to the west?

Their journey helped open the American west to further exploration and settlement, providing valuable geographical and diplomatic information, giving the U.S. a foothold in the region’s fur trade and making contact with more than 72 Native American tribes.

What factors contributed to the westward expansion of the California Gold Rush?

The California Gold Rush was a major factor in expansion west of the Mississippi. That westward expansion was greatly aided by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and passage of the Homestead Act in 1862. That act provided free 160-acre lots in the unsettled West to anyone who would file a claim,…