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Dec 15, 2009 · The westward expansion of the United States is one of the defining themes of 19th-century American history, but it is not just the story of Jefferson’s expanding “empire of liberty.”
- It made the Western U.S. more important. The Industrial Revolution. “What the transcontinental railroad did was bring the West into the world, and the world into the West,” explains James P. Ronda, a retired University of Tulsa history professor and co-author, with Carlos Arnaldo Schwantes, of The West the Railroads Made.
- It made commerce possible on a vast scale. Centralization of Money. By 1880, the transcontinental railroad was transporting $50 million worth of freight each year.
- It made travel more affordable. In the 1860s, a six-month stagecoach trip across the U.S. cost $1,000 (about $20,000 in today’s dollars), according to the University of Houston’s Digital History website.
- It changed where Americans lived. During the railroad’s construction, numerous temporary “hell on wheels” towns of tents and wooden shacks sprung up along the route to provide living quarters for workers.
Westward movement, the populating by Europeans of the land within the continental boundaries of the mainland United States, a process that began shortly after the first colonial settlements were established along the Atlantic coast.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny, a term coined by journalist John O’Sullivan in 1845, was a driving force in 19th century America’s western expansion—the era of U.S. territorial expansion is sometimes called the Age of Manifest Destiny.
- Louisiana Purchase. In 1803, during President Thomas Jefferson’s administration, the U.S. purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 50 million francs and the cancellation of debts totaling about 18 million francs.
- The Corps of Discovery Expedition (Lewis and Clark Expedition) In late 1802, Jefferson asked his private secretary and military advisor, U.S. Army captain Merriweather Lewis, to plan an expedition through the Louisiana Territory to survey its natural resources, look for “the most direct & practicable water communication across this continent,” and explore the Pacific Northwest in order to discover and claim it before Europeans could.
- The War of 1812. The War of 1812 is sometimes called the second war for independence in the U.S. since it was fought against British colonial Canada, which allied Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader of a confederation of native tribes.
Ever since the first pioneers settled in the United States at the East , the country has been expanding westward. When President Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana territory from the French government in 1803, it doubled the size of the existing United States.
Apr 24, 2024 · My new book, “The Northeast Corridor,” shows how America’s most important rail line has shaped the Northeast’s cultural identity and national reputation for almost 200 years.
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Nov 21, 2023 · Learn the most relevant Northeast Region facts, understand the Northeast geography, and learn what the Northeast Region is known for. Also, see the physical features of the Northeast Region...
