At the beginning of the 19 th century, America as a nation covered a few square miles equivalent to a few states. However, as the century clocked to an end almost the whole country belonged to the colonist government and Americans lived as far as San Francisco on the West coast. Theodore Roosevelt once termed it as “the great leap westward”. So how did all of this happen? Not in one day for sure. The process of expansion was a long and tenuous process for the government, settlers, and even Native Americans. The presence of free land encouraged expansion but there are some doubts as to whether it brought the actual development that was sought after. As such, this paper intends to offer clarifications on the aftermath of the expansion that occurred in America from 1860 through to 1890.
According to Page 1860 was the year that Abraham Lincoln, a man who had a tremendous impact on America’s history, was elected as president (2006). At the start of the decade, the nation was still in a log phase in that there was a small population in accordance with the land’s size and secondly there were a few people in cities. In the map, during this period there existed only eight cities whose population exceeded 100 000 individuals and only two of those, New York and Philadelphia, comprised of more than 500 people. According to the Civil War Homepage, the 1860 census approximated that there were 31 183 582 civilians excluding the 3 950 528 slaves present at the time. State wise much of the region belonged to the colonist government albeit the organized territories which still represented their interests. The challenge, however, was to continuously develop the troubled lands.
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Moreover, infrastructure which was mainly measured in terms of length of the railway was a huge part of the era. Rail lines existed mostly in the east of the land as commerce was blooming in the region. For example, New York served as the main port that dictated much of the country’s businesses; it was imperative to link it with productive areas mainly I term of agriculture. The West had little or no railway lines as the area was still thought of as wild lands famously termed as the “wild West .”
Agriculture during the 19 th century was perhaps the most significant economic activity in the Americas as well as in Europe. Quay (2002) suggests that it was vital in that it provided the needed food for the robustly growing populations and also that it accrued income. Thus on the map just like the railway lines, the viable farming land is present in the Eastern side of the area . This is due to the fact that a huge number of settlers were located in the area, the climate was favorable and to a limited extent, it was slightly more peaceful as the riotous Native Americans resided far off in the. If one looks closely, the railway lines intertwine with the improved agricultural land as the railroad was mainly built to facilitate the movement of slaves to farms and produce from the farms.
From 1860 to 1870 a huge number of constraints were to be encountered. Key among them was the secession of states that ultimately culminated in the civil war. In 1870, the nation had changed but only to an extent. From the map, one can deduce that a few cities emerged. They include San Francisco, Louisville and Washington DC. The rising of new cities was as a result of increased population from both immigration and reproduction by settlers (Quay, 2002). Nonetheless, the population growth is still at a slow pace as the number of inhabitants in cities remains relatively the same as it was back in 1860; as much as there was increased population mortality rate was considerably high and the civil war greatly contributed to this. Nothing much seems to have changed regarding the shape, size, and number of states and territories interior (“Westward Expansion, 1860-1890,” n.d). Even though there was a secession of around eleven states between 1860 and 1865 alongside the civil war, the then president of the Union Andrew Johnson vowed to return conquered lands to the prewar owners. This was in a bid to avoid further conflicts.
The highlight of the map in 1870 is the elongated railway line that stretched up to the West Coast in San Francisco. This was due to the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad or the Pacific Railroad between 1863 and 1869 (Quay, 2002). Although other smaller feeder rail roads were created in this period, the Pacific Railroad remains the most ambitious and remarkable feat on American soil during the 19 th century. Due to rising population that contributed to the expansion of farming land railways lines were increased so as to cater transportation of agricultural produce. The effects of the First Transcontinental Railroad were yet to be felt in 1870.
1880 was marked with a bloom in terms of population growth. Newer cities emerged and those already in existence grew quite considerably. Major cities such as Chicago and New York attained a population of over one million individuals. The growth of these two places mainly attributed to the commercial enterprises that were abundant in the port city of New York whereas Chicago became a core political Centre of the country (Page, 2006). The rest of the nation’s growth was due to increased food production, the frequent migrations and perhaps political stability that endued after the civil war. The number of organized territories started to diminish as they paved the way to join the Union. The three states that acceded to the Union were Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas.
In terms of infrastructure and agriculture, the western expansion was certainly beneficial. From the map, it seems that improved farming land and railway growth were directly tied ( “1860 Census Results,” n.d.) . The increase of rail meant life was easier as people could move quickly and also the transportation of goods. Therefore, although in an indirect manner the growth of the railway which increased agricultural activity and vice versa was a development in its own way during the time.
Lastly, 1890, around this time the scientific, industrial Centre was rapidly widening in America. Comparing 1880 with 1890 America grew from having a significant amount of railway cover to practically having the railroad crossing in every state, city, and town. The industrial revolution taking place within the time contributed significantly towards the construction and expansion of railway and other forms of infrastructure (Page, 2006). Conversely, the track was important in spreading industrial equipment and machinery as well as ideas throughout America.
Philadelphia’s population grew to over a million people signifying the growth of population. Denver emerged located in the central part of the country where there were very individuals in the previous decades. Quay (2002) articulates that the improved transport system can be credit for the increase in population even in the formerly remote areas. The number of organized territories decreased drastically as the Union was gaining power which would later lead to the unification of all states within the land.
In conclusion, a lot changed amongst the four decade turns. Much of these changes were beneficial to the settlers and former colonists. The western expansion brought a lot of developments not only economically but socially and scientifically. The expansion allowed an increase in the farming land which increased population growth and also motivated the construction of proper infrastructure throughout the country. Nonetheless, turbulent challenges existed during the era that includes clashes with Native Americans, and members of the North and the Southern states. Even though the expansion shaped the America that we have today, these difficulties should not be forgotten.
References
Quay, S. E. (2002). Westward expansion . Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
“ Westward Expansion, 1860-1890.” (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/asset/akh10_int_expansion/.
“ 1860 Census Results.” (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.civil-war.net/pages/1860_census.html
Page, S. (2006). Path Dependence. Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 1 , 87-115. Retrieved from http://dev.wcfia.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Page2006.pdf.
