Westward Expansion Essay

The Westward Expansion of the United States, that had lasted from 1803 to 1853 was a very important event that had occurred in the United States. It was a way of American settlers justify the seizing of land in the Western part United States. This was also known as Manifest Destiny in that settlers thought that it was their God given destiny to explore and expand their territories. The Westward expansion had led to many technological advancements that benefited the U.S. and had helped settlers gain better opportunities to better their lives. However, the Westward Expansion had increased tensions that led to the Civil War by crumbling the compromises that had soothed the positions of pro and anti-slavery settlers. The westward expansion helped the

through the development of new technologies. Some major technologies that were developed through westward expansion was barbed wire, beef cattle raising, transcontinental railroad, and the mechanical reaper. Barbed wire had helped fence large plots of land and kept farmers livestock inside and predators of the livestock out. Another major technological development was beef and cattle raising. Some land plots in the west had natural grasses there which was key for raising cattle. This would help economic growth through trade and through industry growth of the beef industry. One of the most crucial technological developments was the transcontinental railroad. It was the product from the Industrial Revolution. The transcontinental railroad linked the western United States to the Eastern United States. It made transportation of mass quantities goods and mass quantities of manufacturing easier. It had shipped over fifty million dollars worth of freight from the West coast to the East coast every year. It also brought goods from the industry in the