Essay on Westward Expansion

Document Type:Thesis

Subject Area:History

Document 1

In contrast to England which had a high population with short distances between the cities and a vast financial resource backing, the USA was a vast country with limited sources of finance. Infrastructure development such as the railroads was hence a critical contributor to the growth of the westward expansion and the successes thereof. In 1860-1890, the Transcontinental railroad construction was one of the significant contributors to the Westward expansion by the USA. Built-in 1863-1869 the transcontinental railroad joined the Western and the Eastern sides of the USA hence facilitating the Westward expansion. Notably, the Southern States blocked the westward states prior to 1860 (Loosbrock, 2017). The developed railroads connected the ends of the United States making interdependence of the parts more visible.

Sign up to view the full document!

The Texan cattlemen had cattle that had been kept through the time with lack of transport could not sell their beef products across the USA. The railroads opened the transportation up offering them a way to transport beef to the North such as in Kansas, Abilene, and Chicago. 1870-1890 marked a significant development which was westward and one that further extended the taking over of the open lands in the West. The success of the railroads was replicated into agriculture pushing for the movement of settlers into other areas such as Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and Oklahoma. In the 1870s the security fencing was available for sale and the idea of sealing off land to practice ranches was more economical an provided a space within which the farmers could economically cut out a piece of land and grow products with more control.

Sign up to view the full document!

Mechanization of farming also contributed to the increased investment in farming and ranches. There was new machinery that was introduced into the sphere that was critical to increasing the growth of agriculture through improved efficiency in production. In the 1860s, the Midwest and the North of the country constructed more networks of the railroads which further enhanced communications between the parts of the country. The building of the railroads also aimed to promote International trade through connecting the agriculturally fertile areas such as the cotton regions to ports and oceans that facilitated the movement of the products opening up international trade to market the products. 1017/s0022050713000065 Loosbrock, R. The Filth of Progress: Immigrants, Americans, and the Building of Canals and Railroads in the West.

Sign up to view the full document!

From $10 to earn access

Only on Studyloop

Original template

Downloadable

Similar Documents