Westward Expansion Essays

Throughout the horrific and rugged of the Oregon trail, an immense amount of travelers fell victims to death. Just between the years 1840-1846– the one period when the Oregon trail had gained most attraction from colonists— a total of 15,000 people died on this expedition of emigration from East to …

Emanuuel Leutze was german born painter who was brought to the united states as a child. He began drawing in 1834. Soon after this he started working as a travelling portrait painter, earning up to $5 a picture. The few history paintings he made at this time attracted considerable praise, …

What were the major factors contributing to US territorial expansion in the 1840s? The major factors that contributed to the US territorial expansion in the 1840’s was the Manifest Destiny and that it was God’s wish that they expand to the Pacific Ocean. A painting by John Gast depicts westward …

Ideas regarding what the American west is and where it is located have been widely argued since the time of Frederick Jackson Turner in in the 1890’s. Is the west a place? A process? Turner believed that the frontier was a process of expanding westward and developing civilizations. Those who …

The original idea to keep expanding one’s land goes back hundreds of years. It is in the human drive to want to explore and reach out and see what more the world has to offer. When the colonist landed in North America and created the colonies, their main mission was …

Improvements on technology increased efficiency. The shift to steam engines from water power and a shift to electricity using natural resources like coal improved the efficiency of business. Americans focus on improving technology helped the economic and business consolidation. The transcontinental railroad allowed for access to the West which gave …

Slaves were rendered property and forced to endure harsh labor against their will with their owner trying to move them thousands of miles into barren western lands. In the early 1800s, slavery remained an important part of the American lifestyle. Working on plantations in the south and under restrictions from …

Westward expansion was the main goal of the early 1800’s. Thomas Jefferson, the president at the time, tried to achieve this goal by sending Meriwether Lewis on an expedition west into the newly purchased Louisiana Territory, to find a river route to the Pacific Ocean. In the book Undaunted Courage …

Imagine being forced out of a place that you and your ancestors had considered home for thousands of years, having promises broken, being forced to act like the people taking your culture away from you, or being forced on to the smallest fractions of land with little resources to go …

The Gateway Arch has brought St. Louis back to its roots. It still serves as a symbol of the accomplishments and dreams of the American people. The Arch serves as a memorial to Thomas Jefferson’s part in opening the West, the Dred Scott trial, and the explorers who helped form …