Westward Expansion Essay

The Westward Expansion was an important and essential part of the United States growth during the nineteen centuries. The main contributor to this phenomenon was the settlers, agriculture and the construction of the railroad networks. Using this perspective, and through research the author of this paper will analyze the expansion during different decades in the 1800’s. All America benefited from the massive agri-business that has its roots in the West as well as the settling and the construction of the railroad during the 19th century. When we think of the western expansion of the United States, we are conditioned to imagine the loner. The self-reliant, unattached roaming the prairie in search of lost calves, or the half-addled

The addition of the railroad was tremendously important for the introduction of a stronger economy to Americans due to the faster trade in the West as well as the increase of agriculture. The author believes the railroad to be the direct responsible for the existence of a major city in the West since the railroad extended as far as San Francisco making trade easier with the rest of the country. As the decades kept moving on so did the trade, allowing for the creation of new jobs and new technology increasing major cities growth. In 1880 some of the territories became states and now the railroad extended to Texas improving more land and increasing agriculture in said state. The East also experimented and increase in railroads and agriculture. At that point in history the Westward Expansion was nothing short of a domino effect. The more the railroad extended the more the cities and economy grew. Settlers kept moving into territories subsequently making them states. Cities such as Denver, Omaha, and Kansas began to appear shaping not only the economy but the country as a whole. The railroad revolution had two effects on the Westward Expansion. First, settlers moving cost decreased. Second, the monetary cost of shipping goods to and