GENERAL CURRICULUM TEST OBJECTIVE : 0006 Understand major developments in the history of the United States from precolonial times to the present.
Before, during, and after the Civil War, many Americans turned their attention to the task of Western expansion and settlement.
As early as 1803, the emerging new country of the United States made a signifcant purchase from France of western territory known as the Louisiana Purchase, covering what are now the midwestern states including the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
The reasons for this push westward include the innovations of The Industrial Revolution in England. Discoveries of new machines, such as the cotton gin, increased the need for more land and more agricultural workers. The Cotton Gin allowed the seeds to be separated from the cotton quicker than by hand. Farmers and slaveowners moved west, as well as many trappers, miners, merchants and ranchers.
The explorations of Lewis and Clark (1804-1806) stimulated interest in western expansion. The California Gold Rush (1848-1850), missionary work in the western territories, and fur trading also contributed to the increase in populations moving west. The idea of "manifest destiny", the belief that the United States was destined to control all of the land between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was a popular idea. However, others were already living in western territories, such as native American tribes, and Spanish colonists in the southwest.
The post-Reconstruction era represents a period of tremendous change both geographically and socially. Great numbers of former slaves moved west and north to secure land and the promise of a better life economicaly. Through a series of purchases from the annex of Texas in 1845 through the Gadson Purchase in 1853 which added New Mexico and Arizona, boundaries of the 48 states in the mainland were established.
The transcontinential railroad was completed in 1869 and helped to faciliate the expansion of people and movement of goods toward the west coast connecting the new states with the rail lines already existing in the east. The building of the railroad contributed to the demise of many Native American groups and extinction of Bison.
Overseas Expansion:
Once the boundaries of the United States became more settled, the United States began to look overseas for development. The navy was developed and by 1900 was ranked 3rd in the world. In 1867, Midway Island and Alaska became the first overseas land possessions. In 1898, the Spanish-American War began with the invasion of Cuba, who was in rebellion again Spain, by the United States. The U.S. was victorious and gained control of Puerto Rico, Guam, and Hawaii as territories. Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and The Phillipines were also ceded to the United States' control. During this period, the United States expanded its influence to the Carribean, Pacific, and also to Central and South America. In 1880, U.S. influence continued with the opening of the Panama Canal and control of the canal zone.
Resources:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/west/
http://www.ducksters.com/history/westward_expansion/
http://video.pbs.org/video/2365053190/
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