FREE ESSAY ON UNITED STATES EXPANSION

UNITED STATES EXPANSION

Throughout the first half of the 1800s or 19th century there were many factors influencing
United States expansion. From the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to the Gadsden Purchase in
1853 the United States had tripled in size since its original thirteen colonies and only
paid forty-five million dollars in doing so. The idea of Manifest Destiny spread quickly
throughout the country and soon thousands were moving westward in search of a new way of
life. The idea of Manifest Destiny was for the U.S. to occupy the entire continent. The
only problem was that the land it was expanding on to didn't belong to the U.S.
One such factor that influenced the expansion of the U.S. was the occupation of nearby
territories by foreign countries. The largest territory and first one to be bought by the
U.S. was the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. In order for the United States to expand
successfully into the west they needed control of the Mississippi River, which at the
time was owned by France. The port at New Orleans was extremely important to the
navigation of the Mississippi and provided a good market for trade. While this purchase
was very successful, others did not go as well. Prior to the Mexican Cession of 1848 the
United States and Mexico were having boundary disputes over where the Texas boarder
existed. President Polk reacted by sending troops into Mexico to protect the Texas
boundary lines. A year and a half later Mexico surrendered and Texas was granted the Rio
Grande border line in the Treaty of Guadalupe. Because of the different nations or
countries that owned land on the continent, the U.S. was forced to purchase or fight for
the land it wanted. This caused the newly acquired territories to have a more diverse
group of people, which affected the social development of the nation as a whole.
Another huge factor that played a role in expansion was that of available resources. As
the people began to move westward they would settle in areas with vast amounts of natural
resources such as lakes or streams, where they could gather food. Lakes were very
important to travel because they provided drinking water for the people and attracted
wild animals to the area, which could be hunted for food. Also if an area were to dry or
rocky it wouldn't be settled. People looked for the best places to live, places they
could profit from the most. During the gold rush everyone traveled to the western coast
in hopes of becoming rich for the very same reason. This factor affected the economical
and social development of the U.S. because certain areas or regions would produce
specific products. Different types of people would also live in the separate areas
depending on wealth or trade that the family specified in.
The third and maybe the greatest factor affecting the migration across the land was
geography. Mountains, rivers, lakes, plains, and in some cases canyons were among the
biggest impediments for people moving out west. At first people began to settle beyond
the Appalachian Mountains and slowly moved westward towards the Mississippi River. Here
they had to cross with their belongings safely without sinking them or getting them wet.
Next they had to cross the Great Plains that stretched on for miles and miles without
food or water. Depending on the time of year it was the weather conditions varied
sometimes making it impossible to travel because of snow or heavy fog. Finally, the Rocky
Mountains stood in their path. Being the only obstacle left between them and the Pacific
Ocean, the Rocky Mountains were the most difficult to pass. Travelers would be lost or
stranded in the mountains with no food for weeks, sometimes turning to cannibalism. Many
people died from disease and starvation during their difficult trip west proving it to be
virtually impossible to reach the other side of the continent. These natural barriers
slowed the progress of expansion across America and isolated groups of people traveling,
causing them to settle where they were. Because of this, small towns or villages formed
along the routes west. The geography also contributed to the social development of
America as the barriers isolated people and kept the economy the same in different
sections of the country. This had many bad affects on the economies in some areas where
the people were dependent upon one thing resource, crop, or product. 
During the time of expansion large areas of land were given to the United States from
foreign countries. Great Britain contributed the most land to the U.S. through treaties
especially at the end of the Revolutionary War. France sold the Louisiana territory to
the U.S. inexpensively and Spain also sold Florida to the United States in the Adams-Onis
treaty. Every foreign nation signed a treaty with the U.S. agreeing to sell their land
claims in the continent, except for Mexico. Mexico caused the most problems politically,
economically, and socially. The United States went to war with Mexico over Texas's
boundaries and won, taking Texas and the people with it. Through the political
confrontation with Mexico the U.S. changed its own economic and social development by
bringing Mexicans into the country. With every purchase or treaty the U.S. made they took
in more and more people from other countries changing the social development country.
This is why other nations played the greatest role in the development and expansion of
the United States.
Bibliography
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