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Manifest destiny and territorial expansion dbq
Transcontinental railroad modernisation
Transcontinental railroad modernisation
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The last 19th century is a time of great prosperity and innovation. It is a time of men and women who do everything within their power to enhance the United States and introduce true efficiency and revolutionary designs. PBS created an interactive map that displays the expansion of the United States from 1860 through 1890 and shows just how considerably the country grew. The progression of cities, railroad networks, and agricultural land are remarkable to occur is such a short period of time (map). During the 19th century, a number of people believe that Americans are destined for greatness and that it is their duty to expand their country. The Manifest Destiny is the perfect example of a literary work that exemplifies the notion that Americans …show more content…
Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862, which marked the beginning of the first transcontinental railroad (Duran). The 1860s is a difficult decade in the American history. The Civil War between the North and the South causes many hardships within the country. The nation is at war with itself, quickly exhausting the government’s funds while thousands of men are dying. Consequently, the nation has fewer men to build cities and railroads, less money to pay off debts, and the citizens have less trust in their political leaders. Despite the current issues the country faces, the Transcontinental Railroad is still being worked on tirelessly. The use of Chinese laborers is necessary to replace the diminishing availability of American workers. Chinese railroad workers also demand smaller wages, which in turn save the companies money (the book). The railroads are a dangerous place for any worker to be. Countless workers die as a result of the weather, lack of enough food and water, and the use of dynamite to make paths through the mountains. Due to the Civil War, the government’s financial resources are slowly diminishing. Therefore, the Congress pays the railroad companies with federal land to settle their debts. Although the country seems divided because of the war, it is soon reunited with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. …show more content…
They also needed to build a house, prove to be productive, and pay a small fee (the book). There is little civilization in the Midwest because most people went to California and Nevada for the gold rush and metals. The uninhabited land does not good for the American people. By allowing people the opportunity to have ownership of the lands in the Midwest, this quickly prompted citizens to build towns in areas nearest the railroads. In less than a year of the bills passing, over 1.5 million acres are now occupied by American citizens. The small towns that were built pushed for democracy and a sense of nationalism was born within these areas (Anderson). Small towns and cities are not the only outcome of the Homestead Act. From 1860 to 1890, the map shows how seven more states are established during this time period. Unfortunately, as more and more Americans migrate to the Midwest, the Native Americans are pushed west once again as the settlers claim their 160 acres of
America’s Manifest Destiny first surfaced around the 1840’s, when John O’Sullivan first titled the ideals that America had recently gained on claiming the West as their ‘Manifest Destiny.’ Americans wanted to settle in the West for multiple reasons, from the idea that God wanted them to settle all the way to the West co...
In Henry George’s article, What the Railroad Will Bring Us, it discusses the main social, political, and economic transformations that the trans-continental railroad would bring to the state of California. More importantly, he discusses not only the benefits, but also discusses the major drawbacks with the arrival of the railroad. Henry George stated the railroad would be the “greatest work of the age” (297). With a railroad stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, multiple benefits would be brought to the state of California. First, the railroad will not only create a new means of transportation across the United States, it additionally would also become “one of the greatest material prosperity” of its time (298). This means more people, more houses,
The availability of inexpensive land in the American West provided opportunity for many Americans to fulfill the American dream of individualism, economic opportunity and personal freedom. Immigrants, former slaves and other settlers moved across the country to become western farmers and ranchers to make a new life. One of the reasons why the west was a land of opportunity for the farmers and ranchers was the large quantity of cheap available land. This allowed for many Americans, both rich and poor, to buy land for farming and raising cattle. The Homestead Act of 1862 aided the process. The Homestead Act gave title to 160 acres of federal land to farmers who staked a claim and lived on the land for five years. Alternatively, a farmer could buy the land after six months for $1.25 an acre. Many blacks and immigrants joined the westward expansion, looking for a better life. Immigrants saw the land as opportunity because many could not own land in the countries where they were born. For example, in Nebraska, a fourth of the population was foreign born. These immigrants transformed...
Behind the scenes of Manifest Destiny, what really transformed the country was the ability to move products across great distances and the Erie Canal was a huge turning point for economic growth in America. Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal was the engineering breakthrough of the nineteenth century: Its four waterways would connect manufacturing and eastern ports with the rest of the country. Farmers could now ship their goods, they could move out, come down the Hudson River and this way of commuting became a part of a global economy. This Moment would bring about the thought of expansion which will become the fuse to enormous economic growth that will ultimately in the next century, become the belief of manifest destiny. The nation that both reflected the pride which reflected American nationalism, and the idealistic image of social perfection through God and the Church caused the nation to separate.
In the 1830’s America was highly influenced by the Manifest Destiny Ideal. Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. Propaganda was and is still an incredibly common way to spread an idea to the masses. Though Manifest Destiny was not an official government policy, it led to the passing of the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave applicants freehold titles of undeveloped land outside of the original thirteen colonies. It encouraged Westward colonization and territorial acquisition. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. To America, Manifest Destiny was the idea that America was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic, to the Pacific Ocean. Throughout this time Native Americans were seen as obstacles because they occupied land that the United States needed to conquer to continue with their Manifest Destiny Ideal. Many wars were fought between the A...
The growth of agriculture and railroads in Texas and in the United States helped form our economy today. Railroads today pass through a lot of Texas, and even in big cities like Houston or Dallas. Since there are so many farms and open farmland (especially in south and west Texas), railroads can carry the produce and livestock to their destination. James Watt invented the first steam engine in about 1769, and from then on, railroads were a must for transportation, since cars had yet to be invented. Railroads began to be built before the Civil War. It originally took about 6 months to get from the west of the US to the east, but now it only took 7 days. With railroads expanding all across the country, agriculture was affected in a mostly positive way. Now, crops and other goods could be transported by train anywhere in the US, and fast.
Railroads first appeared around the 1830’s, and helped the ideas of Manifest Destiny and Westward expansion; however, these were weak and didn’t connect as far as people needed, thus causing them to be forced to take more dangerous routes. On January 17th, 1848, a proposal was sent to Congress by Asa Whitney to approve and provide federal funding...
Americans throughout history have always felt that they were superior. The concept of “Manifest Destiny” has been the fuel to the fire of superiority. Manifest Destiny is the belief that it is American’s are the chosen ones and have the obvious right to conquer and own land between the eastern and western seaboards and that such expansion was inevitable. Manifest Destiny along with Christianity were two reasons that drove and encouraged both expansion within North Amer...
The Manifest Destiny that was painted on the fabric of this nation in red, white and blue was finished before the dawn of the twentieth century. With the nature of polictics and the temperament of political leadership, the ink from that painting spread its pigment across the Western Hemisphere and well into the blue waters and pulsing tides of the Pacific Rim. The stars and stripes would expand from the earth to the moon in the latter half of the twentieth century, they will continue to expand until that day when providence my sign his name to the master piece titled, “Destiny, Manifested.”
...spaper in the early nineteenth century, to building a nation, Manifest Destiny has changed not only the United States but possibly the world.
According to Benjamin Franklin, “No man e’er was glorious, who was not laborious.” A hard working character or a dedicated spirit is always a respectful value that humanity should strive for. However, there are some outstanding constructions that were accomplished with more intensity and dedication than others, such as the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramid, and the Arc de Triomphe of Paris. On May 10, 1869, the completion of the First Continental Railroad signaled the success of another laborious construction. However, it is crucial to grasp the underlying context and reasons that a completely different ethnic group would immigrate from the other side of the world to the United
Many Americans packed few belongings and headed west during the middle to the late nineteenth century. It was during this time period that the idea of manifest destiny became rooted in American customs and ideals. Manifest Destiny is the idea that supported and justified expansionist policies, it declared that expansion was both necessary and right. America’s expansionist attitudes were prominent during the debate over the territorial rights of the Oregon territory. America wanted to claim the Oregon territory as its own, but Great Britain would not allow that. Eventually the two nations came to an agreement and a compromise was reached, as seen in document B. The first major party of settlers that traveled to the west settled in Oregon.
A transcontinental railroad is a train route that crosses an entire continent. The route may be operated by a single company or by multiple companies. In the United States the First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line that ran approximately 1,800 miles from Sacramento, California, to Omaha, Nebraska, where it connected with a network of existing rail lines and continued to numerous points on the East Coast. Known as the Overland Route, the railroad was built between 1863 and 1869 primarily by two companies, the Central Pacific Railroad (CP), which laid track east from Sacramento, and the Union Pacific Railroad (UP), which built west from Omaha (the Central Pacific sold the rights to construct the 132-mile line from Sacramento to the
The expansion of the United States is such a vital part of American history, yet some often forget how it all happened. Many thriving settlers were given an extraordinary opportunity starting on January 1, 1863 that would end up laying the floor work for many Midwestern and Western citizens today. The rights and responsibilities to live on and maintain 160 acres of land may seem like a lot to take in for a student learning about an Act about land from the 1860s. However, think about all the people the Homestead Act of 1862 affected. There was a lot of pressure on the original homesteaders to make good use of their newfound land, the government was giving out land that wasn’t exactly theirs, and the Native American would have some their rights stolen.
As shown, America’s rapid change as the 19th century came to a close was supported by a variety of imperialistic beliefs, motives, and incidents that almost jumpstarted the U.S. onto the world stage. Many of these incidents, such as the public’s thirst for expansion, the annexation of several faraway lands, and the build-up of U.S. military forces, would not have been possible without the Spanish American War. Moreover, the Spanish American war would not have been possible without the American people. Imperialism was a consequence of the American Democratic experiment, giving the people what they want. . Works Cited http://www.course-notes.org/us_history/notes/the_american_pageant_14th_edition_textbook_notes/chapter_27_empire_and_expansion_18