Western expansion revolved around many important drivers to attract those from the Eastern United States to the Western United States. I believe the two most dominant forces which led to the extension of populated land in America was the discovery and exploitation of rich and profitable minerals found in the Western United States and the natural human trait of adventure and exploration. Rich minerals were very present in the west and easily obtainable as well, many desired to brand a new life for themselves by moving west and profiting off such natural resources. This rapidly extensive expansion into the west also led the further establishment of railroads. Also, exploration has proven itself to lead to advancement in civilization as well as personal gain, these factors contributed to the lure of Americans out west through the potential of exploring unfamiliar land.
Western Land drew many Americans due to the great landscapes and the rich minerals and soils offered. The Western territories can be broken up into three distinct regions determined predominantly by landscape. To begin with, the lands of the Midwest. This region contained the areas of Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Midwest attracted many of those working in the primary sector of the economy: Farmers, miners, and lumberers. This region produced an abundance of rich glacial soils which could be used to cultivate a vast variety of grain and fresh produce. Miners were attracted to the extensive amounts of iron, copper, gold, and silver which could be obtained in the northern lands of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota. Great quantities of white pine and oak made it easy for lumberers to harvest these woods as well. Transitioning to the Great Plains, the low plains proved to be great for regional and seasonal crops due to specific climates which were only existent in some parts of the Western Hemisphere. The low plains’ lush prairies turned to perfect plowed fields with the help of various farmers. A lack of plowed fields and farming was present in the high plains due to the small amounts of rainfall; although the high plains did offer great land for livestock. Lastly, the mountain territories were one of if not most the sole reason for a majority of expansion westward. Obtainable gold was prevalent in the mountain territories, specifically in Northern California. The Pacific Northwest offered good lands for farming and lumber while the gold rush attracted many to places like California, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Western Land in the United States proved to have an abundance of lush landscapes for farming and grazing, as well as herding livestock. Not to mention rich minerals found in areas like the northern Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, and the mountainous regions including land west of Sacramento, California. 300,000 people alone were part of the interregional migration into California on account of the gold rush, and that is excluding all those who migrated west for other purposes mentioned above. The attraction to Western lands accounts for the overwhelming majority of people of the Westward expansion movement. The population in America spurred from 23 million in 1850 to 50 million by 1880 largely due to the western lands. Western American lands contributed to the development of many advanced technologies, as well as political systems and ideologies. It is certain that resources offered in Western lands correlated to a more advanced civilization. The effects of western land generated new concepts to making America more civilized, including abstracting natural resources, obtaining extensive land for farming and also revolutionizing America’s transportation system through railroads.
Railroads revolutionized how America transports goods, materials, and people. As the Gold Rush came prevalent and swept throughout America, The United States underwent many changes due to new ideologies as a result of westward expansion. These introductions of new advancements in America can all be traced back to the search for rich land minerals as explained above. As the California Gold Rush and the Nevada Silver rush pushed Americans west the Government became conscious of that. They realized these raw extracted materials needed to be transported as well as people due to land expansion with a less concentrated population. In 1862 the Pacific Railroad bill and various other grants were passed by congress as well as well as financial support being granted to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad companies. The 1,907 mile long transcontinental railway system was not a stand-alone reason for westward expansion but rather a product of the Gold Rush movement. This traces back to the most important and influential reason why Americans expanded west, the abundance of resources offered from the land. Although the want for resources from the land did account for the majority of people coming west, The railroads did attract Americans who were in the mindset of revolutionizing America through a complex transportation system. The transcontinental railroad improved manufacturing as a whole through faster delivery of raw materials to manufacturing plants. It can be noted that the railway system did revolutionize America and promote westward expansion but it is important to recognize that railroads were a product of a bigger movement, the acquirement of what western land had to offer, specifically the California Gold Rush.
Throughout history civilizations have advanced and expanded through adventure and exploration. America would not be what it is today had it not been for the controversial quest into the Americas led by Christopher Columbus. Still to this day there are undiscovered parts of the earth. The lure of adventure and exploration has been an influential factor for promoting westward expansion. Excluding territories and republics, there were only 26 states established, centralized in the eastern United States. Americans in the East wanted to know more and benefit off of western land. American educator Horace Mann says “Education then, beyond all other devices of human origin, is the great equalizer of the conditions of men, the balance-wheel of the social machinery”. Mann suggests that the main motive for westward expansion or “education” of western land was to obtain knowledge about the unknown territory, claiming that it is “the great equalizer of men”. This quote holds true as a main driver for westward expansion was being able to explore the unknown and see what it has to offer. Although other concrete evidence shows that there were a variety of other motives such as obtaining land, obtaining wealth through the land, etc. the urge for exploration can be seen as a hidden motive. Exploration and adventure seemed to be the foundation of the motives listed above because no one would ever have motioned towards expanding westward if they were not curious of what western land entails. It is evident that lure of adventure and exploration stemmed its roots into western expansion incentives, thus making it a critical basis for not just expansion of the country, but for the people as well.
As it was seen, the most influential motive for people expanding westward was the hopes of taking possession and profiting off of expensive natural minerals like gold or silver as well as making best use of western land. But that is not to take away from the foundation of those causes, the attraction to adventure and exploration. Aside from profiting off of the land, many came because they saw opportunity. The intercontinental railway was likely the cause of the epiphany shared among Americans in the east. After realizing how expansive and technologically sound the west had been, Eastern Americans were lured into expansion resulting in more and more following. Western America proved itself as an advanced outlet for many Americans and has shown over time how influential it has been in the ongoing shaping of America. The West changed how we transport, how we buy and sell, how we grow food and much more, Western America was a new step for the United States and continues to impact our life today.