Question

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DBQ: What were the causes of westward expansion and what effect did westward expansion have on the United States?

Answer 1

The causes of westward expansion in the United States were demographic growth, economic motivations, and political concerns about foreign claim to western lands. The effects included altering U.S. foreign policy, impacting diverse ethnic groups profoundly, and contributing to tensions leading to the Civil War. The federal government's policies, like the Homestead Act, were instrumental in promoting this expansion.

Step-by-step explanation:

Causes of Westward Expansion

The United States experienced significant growth from 1800-1850, with the population increasing from about five million to over twenty million. This demographic surge, coupled with declining soil fertility in Eastern farms, prompted many to seek land in the West. Economic motivations also played a major role as Eastern merchants desired control of West coast ports to facilitate trade with Asia. Politically, there was a fear that if the U.S. did not claim the West, other powers such as Britain might, and westward expansion was seen as a way to maintain the republic's agrarian roots reminiscent of Jefferson's yeoman farmer ideals.

Effects of Westward Expansion on the U.S.

Westward expansion deeply influenced the nation's foreign policy, particularly with tensions between the U.S. and Mexico over American immigration into Texas. The quest for new land also affected various groups differently; while it meant opportunity for some, for others, notably Native Americans, it resulted in dispossession and cultural upheaval. The expansion also prompted the spread of slavery into new territories, contributing to the sectional tensions that led to the Civil War.

Government's Role in Promoting Westward Expansion

The federal government actively encouraged the westward movement, even during the Civil War, through measures such as the Homestead Act of 1862, which offered free land to settlers willing to cultivate it. This policy aimed to sustain Union support and bolster the economy during the war by providing opportunities for prosperity through land ownership.

The Realities of Homesteading

The life of an American farmer carving out a homestead in the Midwest was fraught with challenges. While these settlers did not face traditional urban issues, they dealt with hardships such as isolation, extreme weather conditions, and the difficulty of turning the untamed land into productive farms against a backdrop of limited resources and support.

Legacy of Westward Expansion

The legacy of westward expansion includes both the triumph of American growth and the darker aspects of displacement and exploitation. Turner's frontier thesis postulates that the frontier shaped the American character and democracy by constantly providing a safety valve for economic distress through available land. However, as land became scarcer, this tension escalated, affecting society and politics within the growing nation.

Answer 2

Since the first English settlers arrived at Jamestown in 1607, the story of America has been one of movement westward. As more and more Europeans came to our shores, colonists spread further and further into what was called the frontier, which is defined as an area of unsettled land. We know, however, that America was already inhabited by Natives whose ancestors had arrived thousands of years earlier. Conflicts over land ownership, religion, and culture, combined with broken promises by the U.S. government, moved the Indian population away from their homeland. The presidency of Andrew Jackson forced the removal of the tribes of the Southeast on the “Trail of Tears” to what is now Oklahoma. In the period following the Civil War, many people moved west for new opportunities and a new life. This would mean more clashes—this time with Plains Indians. Although America had changed much in the 250 years since the first settlers arrived, the attitude toward Native Americans had not. The building of the transcontinental rail road was the beginning of the end for many proud tribes of the West.

In the mid-19th century, the quest for control of the West led to the annexation of Texas and the Mexican–American War. President James Polk’s administration (1845–1849) was a period of intensive expansion for the United States. After overseeing the final details regarding the annexation of Texas from Mexico, Polk negotiated a peaceful settlement with Britain regarding ownership of the Oregon Country, which delivered to the United States what are now Washington and Oregon.

The acquisition of additional lands from Mexico, a country many in the United States perceived as weak and inferior, was not so bloodless and culminated in the Mexican–American War. After U.S. victory, the Mexican Cession added nearly half of Mexico’s territory to the United States, including New Mexico and California, and established the U.S.–Mexico border at the Rio Grande. The California Gold Rush of 1849 rapidly expanded the population of the new territory, while also prompting concerns over immigration, especially from China.

Efforts to seize western territories from native peoples and expand the republic by warring with Mexico succeeded beyond expectations; few nations had ever expanded so quickly. However, this expansion led to debates about the fate of slavery in the West. Increasingly, the South came to regard itself as under attack by radical northern abolitionists, and many northerners began to speak ominously of a southern drive to dominate U.S. politics for the purpose of protecting slaveholders’ human property. As tensions mounted and both sides hurled accusations, national unity frayed. Compromise became nearly impossible and antagonistic sectional rivalries replaced the idea of a unified, democratic republic. Tensions between the North and South ultimately led to the collapse of American democracy and a brutal civil war.

After 1800, the United States militantly expanded westward across the continent. Rooted in the idea of manifest destiny, the United States considered it a God-given right and duty to gain control of the continent and spread the benefits of its “superior” culture. Illustrated by the white, blonde, feminine figure of Columbia, the historical personification of the United States, people saw the nation’s mission as one of bringing education, modern technology, and civilization to the West and driving away the “uncivilized” American Indians.

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