Westward Expansion of America 1860-1890

Whether it was agricultural, industry or railway, the economy of America was emerging. There was substantial growth to west during the late 18th century, especially in the population. There were enormous number of immigrants, ready to start a new life and bring new traditions to the up and coming America. With the increasing population, there had to be a way to transport them, hence the rapid expansion of the railway to the west. With the new railway system, the populace of major cities enlarged exponentially. The more people there is the more mouths you must feed. America soon blew up agriculturally, a lot of immigrants and families heading to the west, obtained land and farmed it for produce. Not only agriculturally but America soon became a powerhouse for industrializing as a country.

The railroad may have had the biggest role in rapid westward expansion. Moving countless numbers of people, animals, and anything from tools to shoes. The west showed promise and tantalized a lot of families that already settled in the east. Not only that but immigrants who were coming from Europe, Asia, Mexico, or even Canada, were settling in the west ready to start a new beginning. All that couldn’t be possible without the railway system. Although there were downsides to the construction of the railway and the new settlers finding a new home. It was the fact that the land was already occupied, mainly by Native Americans. The tragic fact that the Native Americans were driven out of their home land and slaughtered, only so Americans could have more land and make it easier for them to industrialize. Heading out west and taking land that didn’t belong to them quickly became an American tradition. Most new western settlers would use their new land to farm or ranch and America quickly became a very agriculturally based country.

Farming and ranching soon became very popular in the west. During the mid-late 18th century, produce such as wheat, corn or even cotton overtook production of previous commodities in America. Within this period, the United States population more than doubled, creating more needs from these farmers. But these farmers soon grew enough produce and raised enough cattle for meat, that they created a surplus. There were many reasons that influenced this outcome. It wasn’t only the ridiculous number of people moving to the west, but what they brought with them. With the ever-industrializing America, new farming equipment were being invented, innovated, or developed. Making it so much easier for farmers to be able to do their jobs. Factories in major cities making a lot of these farming equipment, created jobs that assisted in the westward expansion.

We have the early industrializing of America to thank for helping populate major cities, creating jobs almost out of thin air. Factories and businesses attracted people from all over the world, helping expand the population to the west. People migrated from major cities like New York to Chicago to Milwaukee or even Omaha. Again it comes back to using the railway to move west, not everyone migrating west was looking to find land and farm it, some had other ideas. Not everyone heading west could participate in the agricultural movement, many settled in these cities and worked in factories or other industrialized fields. Which was okay because it helped in the successful westward expansion of an early America.

Who was to gain from the expeditious move west? Well, a lot people have better lives now because of it, but again it couldn’t have happened if our ancestors didn’t do some unspeakably cruel things to the Native Americans. Taking their land and slaughtering men, women and children, for the prospect of moving west and creating new jobs and starting new lives. America’s economy did grow, it grew substantially, agriculture and industry played arguably the biggest roles in that. Without the railways hasty move west, that may have not been possible. The Westward Expansion of American from 1860-1890 played an integral role in the early growth of the modern-day United States.

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