Expanding Nations

The early start of what is now known world wide as America, is an important piece of history that people will talk about for many generations to come. The 19th century is important to know about if you are an American. It enlightens how the land grew, the leaders lead, new laws created, trades and the end to slavery. This Expanding Nations Paper will examine how the new nation was affected by continued growth and expansion.

When the west coast started to open up it was around the early 1800’s and it had a major effect on the growth of the new United States. It was a great deal for farmers to leave their east coast homes to travel to the west coast because of the rich soil the west produced. New land and opportunities had many settlers’ interests in building dreams of becoming successful or profitable. The settlers that came across the far land soon became farmers and hunters creating a way to survive, also building homes and planting grains, vegetables and fruit, hunting in the woods for deer’s, wild turkeys, honey, fish, cattle, and hogs. Soon after those settlers came so did doctors, lawyers, storekeepers, editors, preachers, mechanics and politicians following the farmers. This is what helped the new start of establishing the nation.

As America continued to grow toward the west so did the population, with an increase in immigration. Immigrates had an impact on America’s demographic, economic, and political climate during the mid-19th century.

For the first half of the 1815-1913 periods, most migrants continued to come from northwestern Europe. They were followed in subsequent decades by streams of people from southern and eastern Europe. By 1913, well over four-fifths of all immigrants were from these areas of Europe, especially Italy, Austria-Hungary, and Russia.

The reasons for this shift are based on the impact of the Industrial Revolution. Beginning in the British Isles and the Low Countries in the 18th century, it spread southeastward during the following 150 years or so. With industrialization came a rapid rise in population as mortality declined. The economy shifted to manufacturing, urbanization increased, and there was a proportional decline in the agricultural population. The growth in the demand for urban labor did not match the increase in the potential labor force, and thus there were many willing emigrants. (USINFO.STATE.GOV)

Some people today believe that America was built by immigrates. At that time, so much was to be done as far as starting communities.

As these regions began to grow in the United States so did the economic and social systems. The differentiation of regions is in part due to economics and the nature of immigration. As immigration continued, different segments of the US opened, these immigrants moved into these area which lead to more defined regionalism. In each region there are diverse cultures which create unusual views, demands, and a way of living. Each region is different because of its location, climax and cultures. So it is almost natural to assume that by each region being diverse it will change or create different economic and social systems. The United States opened up greatly and it began to be sectioned into different parts of which will still use today. When the English first moved here, the part that they landed on was considered to be the East Coast, as people moved about north, it was called the North East. The South was simply put but when settlers moved toward the middle, it was called the Mid West and following with the West Coast. The sectionalism is bounded by geographic considerations and to some degree the localized subcultures which have grown up in these sections. But we all share a common culture.

The effect on domestic policy early on was to aid in the westward expansion and money was poured into these areas. This action was intensely felt by those on the east coast and especially in the south. These regions did not get the funding they were seeking from the early congress for a host of activities. Today, domestic policy has become centralized on cities and transportation and to a degree education. But for the most part it is evenly spread over the whole. Foreign policy was to take land by any means necessary from the foreign powers that held it like the Mexicans, Spanish, Russians, French and the British. Some was purchased like Louisiana, but for the most part it was taken in war (Salier, 2005).

Some people of that time felt that they were not treated the same. The North, which was called the Union, had different views of those in the South, which was called the Confederate States. The West, which was new and upcoming, had the opinions of the North and each side had demands of the federal government. Basically the Confederate States wanted to succeed as well as the Union also wanting to