The movement of settlers into the American West during the 19th century is referred to as the “westward expansion.” It began with the Louisiana Purchase, followed by the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail, and a belief in “manifest destiny.”
Louisiana Purchase
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French government for 15 million dollars. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States.
Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began at Sutter’s Mill, near Coloma in 1848. After the gold was discovered, many Americans moved from the East coast. Upon reaching the West, they attacked the native tribes and took over their land. The California Gold Rush was one of the key elements in the westward expansion.
Oregon Trail
Dispute over who owned the Oregon Territory nearly led to another war between the United States and Britain. But it was solved peacefully and gave the United States its first Pacific port, the area of Puget Sound.
Manifest destiny
In 1845, a journalist named John O’Sullivan coined the term “Manifest Destiny,” a belief that Americans and American institutions are morally superior and therefore Americans are morally obligated to spread those institutions to free people in the Western Hemisphere from European monarchies and to uplift “less civilized” societies, such as the Native American tribes and the people of Mexico.
The westward expansion displaced the Native American tribes (through violent suppression) as new settlers moved in. It played a huge role in turning America into the superpower it is today.
Read more:
- https://archive.org/details/historycaliforn05victgoog/mode/2up
- https://archive.org/details/californiahistor00star_0/page/80/mode/2up
- https://www.historynet.com/westward-expansion
- https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/westward-expansion
- https://americanexperience.si.edu/historical-eras/expansion/
- https://www.britannica.com/event/westward-movement