U.S History Post Civil War to Present - Essay Example

? U.S. History Post Civil War to Present The United s is located in North America; it is one of the most populous and richest countries in the world. The country has a range of vast settlements from secluded farms located in the prairies to collections of urban towns. Many industrial cities have developed since the nation gained independence in 1776. A large population in the United States today is found in the urban areas with people coming from different ethnic backgrounds. Growth in old cities found in the northeast and Midwest of the United States has slowed down in recent years since majority of people continue to move from these congested towns to newer cities in the west and south. Westward migration in America began when the first English colonists came to America seeking land for settlement and freedom of religion and social life. In Maryland and Virginia colonists began the process of migration when they moved to the interior of America in search for new land for tobacco cultivation. Although New England colonies also moved west in search for agricultural land, they also wanted to escape the strict religion of the Orthodox Church that was led by puritans. In Pennsylvania and New York migration and settlement patterns were different. Migration from southern parts of America to the west was due to long and violent Indian wars that ended in 1718. Keywords: Populous, Rich, West, East Coast, Agriculture, Mining, Railroad, World Wars, Pioneers, Frontiers, Colonists, Orthodox, Puritans, Religion Introduction The move by people in the United States from cities on the East Coast to the west was motivated by a number of factors. These factors include agriculture, mining, railroad, the World Wars and religion. The construction of railroads, discovery of gold in the southwest, agriculture and facilitation of transport for goods from the industrial centers to markets in the west through the railroad were the main factors that led to movement of people from the east coast to the west. By the end of the nineteenth century, Los Angeles and San Francisco located in the west began to grow as cities. However, almost half of the population lived on farms. The move by pioneers to the west was in three great waves. The first pioneers crossed the Appalachian Mountains and settled in the river valleys of Mississippi and Ohio between the 1770s and early 1880s. The second wave took place from the 1840s to the 1860s when pioneers moved from the East Coast to the West Coast settling in Oregon and California. The last movement to the west was in the 1860s when pioneers settled in the Great Plains. These movements ended in 1890 when the government of the United States decided that there were no more frontiers to be settled. Agriculture In early 1618, the head right system gave fifty acres of land to new immigrants in Maryland and Virginia provided that they cultivated tobacco. Sponsors who paid for passage of emigrants also got a share of the land; emigrants were required to help in cultivation and management of the vast tobacco farms. With time wealthy planters got to own the largest portions of the land forcing smaller farmers to move west in pursuit of land. In 1790, the United States had a population of approximately four million people. Farmers made up the largest population of the labor force. By 1850, the population had grown to over twenty three million people; farmers who had previously made up the largest population of the labor force had decreased. Original colonies had pushed away agriculture to the west and on the Great Plains. There was ample land in the west for agriculture and rearing of livestock. The quick growth of the farm equipment industry brought more land under cultivation fueling the demand for farming in the west. In the late 1870s and 1880s there was a huge demand for beef, all Native American reservations created a boom in the cattle industry. More ranchers focused on the prairies in the west where they grazed their cattle, cowboys who were mostly blacks were hired to help with management and driving of herds. The Enlarged Homestead Act was passed by the United States Congress in 1909 allowing settlers in the western arid states to claim larger sizes of land; this in turn enabled them to make good profits. The early two decades of the twentieth century were a golden age for agriculture in the United States, the average gross income for farms doubled and the farms value grew tremendously. Religion New England colonies suffered under the strict religious practices of the Orthodox Church which was led by Puritans. Consequently they yeaned for religious freedom and freedom of living free social lives without fear of punishments. In pursuit for this freedom, New England colonists moved west. The church and its followers were also in pursuit of good agricultural land; this is because New England soil was rocky hence not favorable for commercial crops cultivation like tobacco. In early 1636, Reverend Thomas and his followers moved to the Connecticut River valley and other fertile lands of New England. Indians in New England resisted colonial leadership leading to the Pequot and King Phillips war; the war solved the problem of resistance as migrant farmers got access to settle in interior New England. In 1750, New Englanders expansion had reached west covering Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Mining Gold was discovered in Northern California in1848 by James Marshall. By 1850, the population of California had grown following a great move by Americans to the Golden State. In the next decade, individual prospectus and mining companies established their businesses in the western states. Some of the prospectus only panned gold while others mined for silver. Companies mined gold as well as copper, zinc, quartz, borax and coal. Companies that managed to invest large capital in mining gradually gained control of more mines in the west. Some individual miners did not lose hope and clung to their businesses. Other people established businesses in the west supplying miners with foodstuff, clothing and other basic necessities. As a result of this, settlements around mines developed into towns and cities, San Francisco was the largest of these cities. Production from mines later declined as well as the profits, consequently people abandoned these towns. Railroad The earliest westward bound railroad was built in Virginia in1827. With time, more rail lines extended west facilitating transportation of goods from industrial centers to markets in the west. Towns grew along these rail lines while existing towns competed to be included in the routes of new railway lines. In 1862, the Pacific Railway Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, the Central Pacific Railroad Company and Union Pacific Railroad Company was authorized to construct the Central Pacific Railroad. The two companies constructed railroads from then east and the west starting from different locations and meeting at an unspecified location. Four businessmen who had moved to the west with the gold rush founded the Central Pacific railroad company. World Wars Due to long Indian wars in the South, people especially Carolinas migrated to the west to escape these wars. After the end of the wars in 1718, there was restricted access to Pennsylvania and New York, migrants from the middle colonies moved to the Shenandoah Valley settling in what is today known as North Carolina. British colonists moved beyond the Appalachian Mountains to the west causing the French and Indian Wars that lasted seven years. To escape ravages of war along the east coast, migrants continued to move west despite the war that was in the west. This move was dangerous since there was no guarantee that settlement in the west would be peaceful. By immigrating west, people were able to find land to farm, got an education and better jobs that sustained them and their families and a chance to practice religion freely. Families got relief from the pressures of cities such as congestion and extremely high costs of living. The United States federal government encouraged settlement of people in disputed areas such as Texas, Oregon and New Mexico to ensure that these territories became property of the United States. The industrial revolution added an influx of immigrants to the United States, to get away from this influx many people moved to the western states. Farmers had many children who together with their wives handled the many duties on their lands. Children of rural upbringing were loose of urban age and gender hierarchies since rural life encouraged family interdependence and produced responsible, self reliant and independent children compared to those brought up in urban areas. Reference List Johnson, B. (2007). Making of the American West: People and Perspectives. California: ABC-CLIO Inc. Hine, R. V., & Faragher, J. M. (2007). Frontiers: A Short History of the American West. Connecticut: Yale University. Cheney, & Cheney, M. (2003). Moving West, Grades 4-6. Monterey: Evan-Moor Educational Publishers. Library of Congress. Retrieved April 8, 2012, from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/hist-am-west/file.html Read More