Westward Expansion
Factors of American growth and
expansion in the late 19th
century
Westward Movement of population
Immigrants flock to America
Growth of cities
Admission of new states
Westward Movement of
population
Following the Civil War, the
westward movement of settlers
intensified into the vast region
between the Mississippi River and
the Pacific Ocean
The Way West
Transcontinental Railroad
Gold Rushes
 California Gold Rush, 1849
– 100,000 men lured to California
– By 1858, all the good mines were
taken and they had to look for gold
elsewhere
 Colorado Rush of 1859
– Many of the Californian miners
went to Colorado to “strike it rich”
– They failed and many returned east,
but those who stayed help to build
up the population
 Nevada Rush, 1858
– Comstock Lode was found and
$300 million in gold was produced
in the next twenty years
 Black Hills Gold Rush, 1874
– 15,000 miners invaded the Dakota
territory
Western migration and Gold
Effects of the Gold Rush
 Towns and communities grew in the
mining areas
 With people moving to isolated area,
better transportation was needed.
 Stagecoach lines; pony express (mail
from Missouri to California in 10
days)
Pony Express
 Between St. Joseph, MO and
Sacramento Ca.
 Apr 3, 1860 to October 1861
 100 stations, 25 miles apart; 80 riders,
400-500 horses
 Each rider covered 75 miles/day
Age of the Cowboy
 Once the Indians were removed, the
land opened up for cattle and cowboys
 Beef cattle became very profitable
 Needed to get them from Texas to the
northern markets
Cattle Drives
 Began in 1866 from Texas to Missouri
 Later, railroad extended to Abilene,
KS
 Cattle herded along the Chisholm
Trail –4 million head between 1867
and 1879
Immigrants flock to America
 Prior to 1871, most immigrants to
America came from northern and
western Europe
 Germany; Great Britain; Ireland
 Norway and Sweden
 Between 1871 and 1921 most came
from southern and eastern Europe
 Italy, Greece, Poland, Russia, and
Hungary and Yugoslavia
 Also, from Asia (China and Japan)
Contributions of Immigrants
 Chinese and Irish workers helped
build the Transcontinental Railroad.
 Others worked in textile and steel
mills in the Northeast
 Clothing industry in New York City
Transcontinental Railroad
 Slavs, Italians, and Poles worked in
the coal mines of the East
 Worked for low pay and dangerous
working conditions to help build
America’s industrial strength
Immigrants flock to America
 Between 1860 and 1900 almost 14
million immigrants reached the US.
 Ellis Island was the East Coast
processing point for new immigrants
The “Melting Pot”
 They began the process of
assimilation into what was termed the
American “Melting Pot”
 Settled in ethnic neighborhoods in the
growing cities
 Worked hard to learn English
 Adopted American customs
 Became American citizens
 Public schools were essential in
establishing the melting pot
Opposition to Immigration
 Fear and resentment that immigrants
would take jobs for lower pay than
Americans
 Resentment was based on religious
and cultural differences
Legislation to Limit
Immigration
 Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
 Immigration Restriction Act of 1921
 Cut off most immigration to America
for the next several decades
Growth of cities
 As the nation’s industrial growth
continued many cities grew rapidly:
 Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland,
Pittsburgh, and New York City
 With the growth of cities came
factories, and harsh living conditions
in crowded tenements and slums.
 Also caused housing shortages and the
need for new public services: sewage
and water systems and public
transportation
Immigration
Push/Pull Factor
Push (Reasons to leave)
 Religious/Political Persecution
 Agricultural poverty
 Relaxation of emigration laws
Pull (Reasons to Come)
 Promise of Freedom and hope
 Family/Friends Network
 Need for and Recruitment of labor
Immigrant Contributions
 They broadened cultural life of
America through
– New music
– New languages
– Diverse religious beliefs
– Variety of foods and customs
Famous Immigrants
 Irving Berlin: Composer, wrote “God
Bless America”
 George and Ira Gershwin: composers
 Enrico Fermi: Scientist
 Albert Einstein: Scientist
Industrial Revolution
 Between the Civil War and World
War I, the US was transformed from a
mostly agricultural nation to most
urban and industrial nation.
 Technological revolution changed the
way people worked, played, traveled
and communicated
 A new power source and production
methods stimulated the expansion of
industry
Transforming America
 Technological change spurred the
growth of industry primarily in
northern cities
Inventions/Inventors
 Light Bulb – Thomas Edison
 Telephone – Alexander Graham Bell
 Airplane – Wright Brothers
 Assembly Line – Henry Ford
 Bessemer Process – Converted iron
ore into steel with less labor
Industrial Leaders
 Andrew Carnegie – Steel industry
 J. P. Morgan – Railroad and US Steel
 John D. Rockefeller – Standard Oil
Company
 Cornelius Vanderbilt - Railroad
Reasons for Economic
Transformation
 Government policies of laissez-faire
capitalism and special considerations such
as land grants to railroad builders)
 Increasing labor supply (immigration and
migration from farms
 America’s possession of a wealth of
natural resources and navigable rivers