Westward Movement is a movement of people from the settled regions of the United States to lands farther west. Between the early 17th and late 19th centuries, Anglo-American people and their society expanded from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast. It plays a vital role in the formation, the development and the present situation of the United States of America. Particularly, Westward Movement has seeped into this young nationality in the sphere of cultural influence. However, at the same time Westward Movement is also the Indians’ tragic history.
The causes of Westward Movement
1. Large Population. As early as in 1820’s there was flood of new immigrants from Europe to the United States. Then the stream of immigration continued. Between 1815 and 1830 over 500 000 Europeans came into the United States. They had expected to live a better life, but they found themselves still poor in the crowded Northeast. As they
were dissatisfied with the conditions at home, they hoped to find a more favorable environment on the frontier.
2. California Gold Rush. Gold was discovered in California in the 1840s. This rush made lots of people move West with the hopes of becoming rich!
3. Cheap, Fertile Land. As for the local farmers, they had no better life and they lost their land piece after piece because of land speculation. So they moved west to the vast area of wilderness where the land was cheap and great for farming.
4. Freedom for Runaway from Slaves. Slaves from the South could have freedom in the new western territories where they settled in all black communities free from white prejudice.
The progress of Westward Movement
The westward movement began in the early 1600's with European settlements along the Atlantic Coast of North America. It continued until the late 1800's. First, some illegal immigrants went into west, and then American government brings these areas into their control. Then, many pioneers located in these areas. At first, pioneers were located in the east of Mississippi River. In the early 19th century, America expended its territory by the way of buying and invasion. In 1803, American government bought the Louisiana from French. From the early age of 19th century, the immigrants move to the west of Mississippi River. By the mid-1840's, adventurous pioneers had reached what are now California and Oregon in the Far West. The last frontier was the Great Plains between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains. The settlement of that region began in the 1860's. In 1862, Lincoln promulgated the homestead law and made the westward movement reach the peak. American Westward Movement is not only the process of original accumulation of capital in the development of capitalism, but also the process of promoting extensive exploitation of the west and rapid development of economy.
The influences of Westward Movement
1. It stimulated the development of American west. It provides ample labors and wealth
for the exploration, and it laid a firm foundation for capitalistic development of American.
2. It utterly changed American appearance: large quantities of barren lands were
reclaimed; a lot of capital farms were set up; the development of agriculture in west provided a large amount of food, material and domestic market on industrial development; nature recourses were opened up to developed industries.By expanding the nation’s borders to include more than three million square miles, the United States became one of the most powerful countries of the 20th century.
3. It Shaping American Characteristics. Western unique survival requirement formed
important attribute which molded the American nationality disposition and values, and it also planted the spirit and the dream of the American. The vast field of west
and the cultural difference provided an opportunity for development of individualism. Under the given condition of Westward Movement, and the competition of the society has fostered American people’s pragmatism. 4. Providing Plentiful Sources for American Culture and Art. Westward Movement
has played a premier role in popular culture. Westerns and the stories about their life on the frontier have been popular in the United States and throughout the world
5. However, this expansion also resulted in great suffering, destruction, and cultural loss
for the Native Americans of North America
(完整版)西进运动原因、过程、影响(英文)
