The 1783 Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783 and ended the American Revolutionary War and established the early U.S. boundaries. When did Westward Expansion end? Westward Expansion ended on February 14, 1912 when Arizona was admitted to the Union as the last of the 48 contiguous (adjoining) states.

Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada) The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy” Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad. The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act.

Factors that contributed to America’s westward expansion in the later half of the 19th century included the quelling of Native American resistance and relocation of tribes to reservations, gold rushes (in Colorado, California, and the Black Hills of South Dakota) and the building of the Intercontinental Railroad.

Westward Expansion generally had negative effects on the Native Americans. Native Americans were forced to live on reservations. The buffalo, an important resource, experienced rapid population decline. Military conflict between Whites and Native Americans resulted in many deaths.

Does the good of Westward Expansion outweigh the bad? The good outcomes outweighed the bad. Americans were able to obtain more resources such as land and gold which created more income. It allowed the population to spread out so cities weren’t over populated and opened up more opportunities for jobs.

In spite of these enormous human costs, the overwhelming majority of white Americans saw western expansion as a major opportunity. To them, access to western land offered the promise of independence and prosperity to anyone willing to meet the hardships of frontier life.

However, others, including Grover Cleveland, Andrew Carnegie, and Mark Twain, opposed these ideas. Manifest Destiny became a disputed philosophy. The following are two examples of the different views of the American people.

Slavery in the Western Territories To many nineteenth-century Americans, the expansion of slavery into western territories caused a great deal of controversy. The federal government, hoping to prevent a civil war, temporarily resolved the issue with compromises.

The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and the slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states.

“Free-soil” settlers established a rival government, and soon Kansas spiraled into civil war. Hundreds of people died in the fighting that ensued, known as “Bleeding Kansas.” A decade later, the civil war in Kansas over the expansion of slavery was followed by a national civil war over the same issue.

How do innovation and expansion affect a nation’s identity? It allowed the United states to gain land, power and resources which made the United States a more respected nation. Americans were able to obtain more resources such as land and gold which created more income.

I thing the most difficult part of moving west for the settlers is leaving their family and their partner.

Some had trouble finding a job, overcrowding started being an issue in certain areas, and farmers wanted more land to farm. Others just didn’t like living in what was becoming an industry-driven country with large cities. Still others moved west to escape persecution.

Pioneer settlers were sometimes pushed west because they couldn’t find good jobs that paid enough. Others had trouble finding land to farm. Pioneer settlers were sometimes pulled west because they wanted to make a better living. Others received letters from friends or family members who had moved west.

Settlers moved west in search of cheaper land on their own. During the French and Indian War, why did the British try to gain Native American allies? To attempt to halt future Native American rebellions, it tried to stop settlers from settling on land west of teh Appalachian Mountains.

One of the main reasons people moved west was for the land. There was lots of land, good soil for farming, and it could be bought at a cheap price. There were many different opportunities to get rich, such as: logging, mining, and farming that could not be done in the east.

Pioneers and settlers moved out west for different reasons. Some of them wanted to claim free land for ranching and farming from the government through the Homestead Act. Others came to California during the gold rush to strike it rich. Even others, such as the Mormons, moved west to avoid persecution.