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The impact of westward expansion on U.S economic growth was positive for some people, but at the expense of other groups, such as Native Americans. It exacerbated sectionalism and had an effect on domestic and foreign policy. a. The significance that westward expansion had on U.S. economic growth. During the 'westward expansion' (from the late 1700s-1800s), the United States grew to stretch across the continent. In the late 1700s-1800s, United States of America rapidly grew in size from its original 13 colonies to a vast country spanning the North American continent. Brave and determined pioneers settled and began new lives in this frontier. Specifically, in 1783, the United States of America was a new nation ready to grow. It began as 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast until explorers like Daniel Boone found a route through the Appalachian Mountains, and Lewis and Clark mapped the Louisiana Purchase. The idea of ‘Manifest Destiny’ (expand America from the Pacific to the Atlantic) and the chance for fertile farmland (e.g. dreams of economic prosperity) encouraged pioneers to head west and settle. Immigration also increased during this period. Stephen Austin led many pioneers to the Texas Territory, which won its freedom from Mexico and was later annexed to the U.S. The U. S. gained land in Florida, the Southwest and Oregon through war, treaties and purchases. Events such as the California Gold Rush, the Homestead Act of 1862,and the development of transportation encouraged thousands of pioneers to settle the West e.g. homesteader, which is an American who traveled west in the mid-19th century hoping to find free or cheap land to farm. California Gold Rush is part of the westward expansion (beginning in 1848) when the discovery of gold in California caused thousands of people to immigrate and flock to the West in hopes of becoming rich. These people were nicknamed the ’49ers. During this westward expansion, the development of transportation e.g. roads, railways, etc. was essential for United States growth and expansion as well. For example, the Transcontinental Railroad is a significant event in the U.S. economic growth, completed in 1869, which connected the east and west coasts, which was positively related to economic growth. Gradually, we see the emergence of the middle class in early America, the growth of a national culture, and the urban life style was generated by industrial expansion. Source: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/T2ARP/quest/journeys/westlessons.html#lesson%201. b. The impact immigration had on America’s demographic, economic, and political climate during the mid-19th century An immigrant is a person who comes to live in a new country after leaving his or her home country. In Eastern U.S., for example, many immigrants had been lured to America by promises of free land, and limitless horizons. They found instead hard life in eastern cities. Many were farmers by trade, rightfully disappointed, but itching to make their fortunes; they began to listen to advertising of the ‘promised land’ out west. Government free land, romantic stories of the West, and personal discontent lead thousands to prepare and move out West. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/T2ARP/quest/journeys/westlessons.html#lesson%201 Thus, immigration had an impact on America’s demographics through diversity. For example, the second major flow of immigrants started in the 1820’s and lasted until a depression in the early 1870’s. Between 1830 and 1850, some 2.5 million immigrants, most of them from northern and western Europe, arrived in America. About a third were Irish who sought escape from a potato famine that struck Ireland in the mid-1840’s. Most of the Irish had little money, and so they stayed where they arrived, on the East coast. Many German farmers had enough money to migrate to Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, where land was inexpensive. Norwegians and Swedes soon followed, settling in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin. (http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/am_his/chap5/a0505101.asp). Until the 1870’s, most immigrants came from northern and western Europe. But by the early 1880’s, immigration patterns were changing. The U.S. economy suffered a depression while that of Germany and Britain improved. German and British immigration to the United States then decreased. But arrivals increased from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, China, Canada, and Southern and Eastern Europe (http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US2/PAPS/db-italy.html, attached for convenience). Economic stability and prosperity were the dreams of most immigrants, which were often not realized however. However, some people prospered with the rise of the American Middle class, while others lived in poverty e..g, Native Americans, Italians, Black slaves, etc. The souther plantation owners were amongst those that prospered. The political climate was chaotic, because of such things as poverty and race/ethnic relationship problems between the the differed groups of people. The negative impact that westward expansion and immigration is reported in terms of U.S. economic growth, as well as on the Native American people and enslaved Africans. Sectionalism (some argue, but not all) resulted in the Civil War affected the economic growth of the U.S negatively during this period. So, one of the significant impacts of immigration during the mid-19th century was the negative impact on race/ethnic relations, such as problems between the settlers and the Native Americans. For example, immigration and this settlement did not help the once-friendly relationship between the pioneers and the Native Americans. The Indian Removal Act, the destruction of the buffalo population, and disagreements over land ownership with pioneers, for example, forced many Native American groups to relocate to reservations-- land that is set aside by the government for use by Native Americans—, which permanently change their way of life. Many things changed with the arrival of more and more settlers. Perhaps the greatest impact was on Native Americans e.g. the Cherokee removal from the land onto reservations. What values and goals motivated President Jackson? What values influenced the actions and responses of the Cherokee? The scope of harm done to Native Americans is without word, by one can imagine the impact of a systematic removal of indigenous peoples under the guidelines of the Federal Government. Settlers were encouraged to "civilize" areas of the frontier by government land grants; it is a sad chapter in our history. In1838 the removal of the Cherokee began along the Trail of Tears Source: http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/50912573013312/lib/50912573013312/ch_7.ppt. See http://www.teachushistory.org/Westward/ps-overland.htm. c. How did each region of the United States developed different economic and social systems? The immigration westward landed immigrants in “the promised land." Many were disappointed, however, and very few actually got rich. Instead most went back to their old trades, settling in regions with people they new, each developing different economic and social systems. For example, most farmers became farmers. Most businessmen became businessmen. Most seamstresses became seamstresses. In other words, they brought their former lives with them, for the most part. Many wagons carried the owner’s ‘tools of the trade’ that they earned a living with back east. It was what they knew, it could feed their families, and it’s what they did. Although many did try to "strike it rich" in mining, or gambling, most people settled in and "civilized" an area near other people. There was safety in numbers, and danger close by; wild animals, and wild people. Thieves abound and had little fear of being caught by the law because there was very little enforcement. It was "frontier justice." That means you protected your family and your things yourself. For example, the North and the South developed different economic systems that led to political differences between the regions. This led to different regions developing different economic and social systems, with each having loyalties to their own regions. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/sectionalism. For example, the northern states were slowly being industrialized and most of the agricultural work in the north was gradually shifting to the western region. From here, farm products were shipped to the north and the south on the Mississippi River. In 1820, with the completion of the Eric Canal, and the expansion of the railway network, the northwest was connected to the northeast region. This regional alliance was to play a significant role in the national politics, in the near future. During the early 19th century, the northern states witnessed great changes. Industry and transport had expanded. With the growth of industry, the need for finance was felt. The New York stock exchange became the country’s largest center for trade in shares and securities. New York City also became the center for insurance companies, banks and credit agencies. http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/am_his/chap5/a0505101.asp The Southern States were primarily farmers. It was primarily an agricultural economy there where the farmers has settled. Cotton had become an important crop and was exported to Britain. The leading cotton producing states were Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The other crops grown in the south were rice, sugar and tobacco. Farming was carried out on huge farms or plantations as stories and folklore tell us. In reality, however, less than 1/5th of the farmers owned the huge plantations in the south. The sharp difference in the economy of the north and the south led to the rise of serious conflicts on the issues of tariff and slavery. While the northern states advocated high tariff so as to protect their industries, high tariff affected the interest of the farmers of the south. http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/am_his/chap5/a0505101.asp In fact, the American System expected to unite the nation’s economic interests. For example, the idea was the the industrial North would supply manufactured goods to the South and West. The agricultural South and West would supply grain, livestock, and cotton to the North. A national currency and improved transportation would aid in the exchange of goods. However, differences in views, on such things as slavery and tariffs, resulted in sectionalism (see excerpt below). EXCERPT Sectional, or regional, loyalties were present in Congress from the beginning, but they became stronger during and after the 1820s. As the North grew industrial, it sought protective tariffs (taxes on foreign goods imported into the United States) to protect its products. Because the South remained agricultural, it opposed tariffs that would raise the prices of the manufactured goods it needed. Southerners defended slavery, while an anti-slavery movement grew in the North. The new Western states had their own demands for roads and other internal improvements. Moreover, when Southerners migrated West, they wanted to be able to bring their slaves, but Northerners objected to slavery in the Western territories. Congress served as the battleground for sectional rivalries and alliances. Although both the Whig and Democratic parties were national organizations, electing members of Congress from all regions, increasingly members crossed party lines to stand together to defend their common sectional interests. John C. Calhoun (Democrat-South Carolina) articulated the Southern position in Congress, while Daniel Webster (Whig-Massachusetts) often spoke for New England. From the 1820s to the 1850s, Henry Clay (Whig-Kentucky) and other congressional leaders worked out one compromise after another to defuse sectional tensions. But as the differences between the sections grew more pronounced, particularly over slavery, compromise became impossible. When the new Republican party won the Presidential election of 1860, the Southern states seceded and the nation plunged into Civil War (excerpted from http://www.answers.com/topic/sectionalism) d. How did these differences led to sectionalism? Again, economic and social system differences (as discussed above) lead to sectionalism. Sectionalism is the term used to define the sharp socio-economic differences that divided different sections, such as the Northern and the Southern states in the U.S. It is also the loyalty to one’s region above loyalty to the nation. Sectionalism lead to socio-economic disputes, such as the rivalry between the North and South over several issues: slavery, tariffs, states’ rights, and transportation. Initially, the growth and expansion of the USA into beyond the Appalachian Mountains was quite slow. Most of the early population settled along the east coast, as mentioned above, in the 13 colonies. The French claimed the Mississippi valley and this impeded the westward movement of the early settlers. However, once the Louisiana Purchase was made and United States owned this vast territory, the westward movement was assisted by the opening of the Mississippi as a route to transport peoples into the Midwest. This then lead to "the sectionalism" you refer to. We now had the East Coast and the "WEST" regions. As people expanded across the continent, however, not everyone made it out west, and settled based on similarities (e.g., culture, etc. Now there was the South, Mid Atlantic, the North East, the Midwest, Mountain States and the West coast regions. These sections are still recognized today. This sectionalism is bounded by geographic considerations and to some degree the localized subcultures which have grown up in these sections. But Americans all share a common culture. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Geography-1729/History.htm e. The effect on domestic and foreign policy The effect on domestic policy early on was to aid in the westward expansion and money was poured into these areas. It was distributed differentially. For example, this action was intensely felt by those on the east coast and especially in the south. These regions did not get the funding they were seeking from the early congress for a host of activities. As a case in point, in 1828, Congress passed a high tax on imported cloth and iron in order to protect Northern industry. The tax will raise the cost of these goods in the South and will cause Britain to buy less cotton. Southern states hoped to nullify, or cancel, such federal laws that they consider unfair. On the other hand, foreign policy was developed to take land by any means necessary from the foreign powers who held it like the Mexicans, Spanish, Russians, French and the British. Some was purchased like Louisiana, but for the most part it was taken in war. http://en.allexperts.com/q/Geography-1729/History.htm Monroe Doctrine is a foreign policy of US opposition to European interference in the Western Hemisphere (http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:ODVdstUztH4J:sitemaker.umich.edu/laura_robinsons_eportfolio/files/designing_down.doc+westward+expansion+and+differences+led+to+sectionalism%3F&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=11&client=firefox-a). For example, President Monroe might have had the following goals in mind when he formulated the Monroe Doctrine in 1823: • Protect American trade • Diminish the power of Spain, Portugal, France, and Russia in the Western Hemisphere • Provide for national security • Encourage continuing U.S. territorial expansion in the Western Hemisphere (http://cmsweb1.loudoun.k12.va.us/50912573013312/lib/50912573013312/ch_7.ppt.). And, the shifts in population during the Industrial Revolution might be attributed to advances in technology and changes in regional economies. Farm worker moved to factories (textile machinery), the cotton gin increased the use of African slaves, and the transportation—The National Road and Erie Canal increased communication and economic growth. The Industrial Revolution had a massive impact on the lives of Americans, but people were affected differently based on race, class, and where they lived. New technology that arose during the Industrial Revolution encouraged the expansion of slavery
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