Social
Manifest Destiny This was the belief that it was the destiny of the U.S. to expand its territory over the United States in order to enhance political, social, and economic influences. This belief was the reason for Westward expansion and was the leading factor in the movement, strictly effecting society at the time. Assimilation With west ward expansion there was much controversey with Native American's, and the idea of assimilating them into American culture was brought about. This was the act of incorporating and gradually adopting the customs and shaping their culture to be more like that of the East. |
Ecomonic
Wheat Belt This was an area in the Grean Plains, also known as the Bread Basket of America. It was inexpensive land where these bands of wheat could be grown and was convenient to the new settlers because they could ship their products back East which enabled a growing economy. Railroads A few things during this time played into Railroad systems that helped out economically. The governement allotted large amounts of land for railway systems, and boomtowns (towns built around mining sites that began as tents but slowly attracted mining companies and merchants) flourished near the railroads. Also, railroad workers at this time were paid to shoot and kill any buffalo that they saw. Buffalo were a source of food for Native Americans, and without that their economy could not remain stable. Additional TermsNativism
Extreme dislike toward immigrants by the native born people, which led to desire to limit immigration. Originally seen during westward expansion between the Native Americans and white settlers, but is a re-occurring problem throughout history with the chinese exclusion act and emergency quota act in the 1920's. |
Political
Land- grant colleges The government set land aside to start building universities specifically to teach farming during this time. 17 million acres of federal land are granted to the states, the purpose being to sell it and use the profits to create a college which would teach agriculture or home economics. Over 70 land grant colleges were established, mostly in the middle and far west. Reservations The government in an effort to make peace with the Native Americans, aside portions of land to relocate them. These lands were managed by a given tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs. |
How did Westward Expansion lead to Industrialization?
Westward expansion led people to spread out across the country where they could be exposed to more land and materials. With exposure to the area and resources their lifestyles were able to change and improve, and they could now begin industrializing. Resources such as coal, water, timber, iron and copper were obtained cheaply and their accessibility enabled production to increase and there was an increased demand for workers, helping the industries flourish. This was a period of progress for America, we began expanding and opened up a lot of opportunites for new resources and buisness.