Western Expansion Essay - 4115 Words

The Westward Expansion Introduction The Westward Expansion has often been regarded as the central theme of American history, down to the end of the19th century and as the main factor in the shaping of American history. As Frederick Jackson Turner says, the greatest force or influence in shaping American democracy and society had been that there was so much free land in America and this profoundly affected American society. Motives After the revolution, the winning of independence opened up the Western country and was hence followed by a steady flow of settlers to the Mississippi valley. By 1840, 10 new western states had been added to the Federal union. The frontier line ran through Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas on the western side†¦show more content†¦When the treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, the Americans had thought that they had enough land between the Atlantic coast and the Mississippi river. Yet in 1803, by the Louisiana Purchase, the area of the United States doubled and not long after, it was augmented by the half-purchase-half-conquest of Florida. By the end of 1820, as many as 6 states were created, east of Mississippi-Indiana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Alabama (1819), Maine (1820) and Missouri (1821). By the 1830s, the frontier line had been carried to Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas-about one-third of the way across the continent. By the 1840s, the expansionist policy, typified by the Manifest Destiny doctrine, became very strong with many sections willing to go to war to acquire more land. Slavery became a bone of contention between the Northern and southern states with the control of the senate in question. The South wanted expansion to increase slave states, the North to keep the balance with free states and the West wanting expansion to increase their land. The antagonism between the North and the South sees the beginnings of sectionalism leading to the civil war later. The spirit of equality becomes a banner with which the expansionist policy was proclaimed. P hases Of Development Before the 1830s, most sections of the west passed through the same phases of development in a regular order. The first white men to usually enter a new area were theShow MoreRelatedExpansion of Western Europe1095 Words   |  5 PagesThe expansion of Western Europe started with the Iberian phase. Spain and Portugal, the two countries of the Iberian Peninsula, had a short-lived yet important role in European expansion. European expansion then turned to Western Europe. Western Europe consists of the Dutch, French, and British. While Western Europe was exploring new worlds overseas, the Russians were expanding westward across all of Eurasia. Religion played a major role in expansion for both the Portuguese and the Spanish dueRead MoreThe Expansion Of Western Europe929 Words   |  4 Pagesoptions to facilitate their expansion into Western Europe. These include exportation, licensing, or foreign direct investment in the form of a wholly owned subsidiary. Each of these options presents risks and benefits that must be evaluated before an entry-strategy is formulated. Export from the United States For an exportation strategy, this organization would manufacture their new computer domestically and ship it overseas for sale (Hill, 2014, p. 230) in Western European markets. The financialRead MoreThe Expansion Of The Western Expansion During The Nineteenth Century915 Words   |  4 Pageswith Western Expansion using bounds and leaps starting from the East Coast until the Pacific. 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While Western expansion contributed to growing sectional tensions between the North and South from 1800-1820, sectionalism intensified significantly from 1820-1850. Since the turn of the nineteenth century, Western territorial expansion started to increase a sense of sectionalismRead MoreJohn K Polk And Western Expansion2495 Words   |  10 PagesJohn K Polk and Western Expansion Under James Knox Polk, the United States grew by more than a million square miles, adding territory that now composes the states of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, much of New Mexico, and portions of Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Much of the United States is owed to the expansion planned by Former President John K Polk. His actions would lead to the annexation of Texas and purchase of California and New Mexico from Mexico. In theRead MoreThe Process of the Western Expansion into South East Asia686 Words   |  3 PagesThe process of the Western Expansion into South East Asia occurred in two phases. These two phases can be characterized by their unique features, which differentiated them from one another. Historical records have shown that, the expansion was facilitated by the major Western Imperial powers, as known as: The United States of America, Holland, Britain, and France. In addition, historical doctrine have shown that, there were certain econ omic and social factors that facilitated the occurrence of theRead MoreThe Impact Of Western Expansion On The East Coast Of The United States1489 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States, many wanted to gain more out of the land in order to create wealth. The main location of population in Michigan was in certain places for certain reasons. Their lives were not the greatest, but they worked hard for what they had. Western expansion into Michigan was for many important reasons, and became very important in the future of the United States. The Northwest Ordinance was established in 1787 (Lecture, February 2). The ordinance allowed for the creation of the Northwest territoryRead MoreWestern Enlargement : A Case Made For Further Expansion Of The Eu?2065 Words   |  9 PagesHard Road to the Eastern Enlargement: A case made for further expansion of the EU? Challenging the challenges: The Eastern Enlargement was, and remains, a point of dispute when arguing the costs and benefits. It provided numerous opportunities for the EU, but with them came challenges, some of which could be argued were too much and too soon for the EU. This chapter will engage the major costs and benefits in the way they were presented by dominant theories of EU enlargement and integration. Furthermore