Causes for Moving West and Contributions of Early Industrialization to Westward Extension
The westward migration was a significant movement of settlers, agriculturalists, and industry towards the western part of America in the nineteenth century. The Americans believed that it was their God-given duty to conquer the western territories, and therefore, their borders should run from one ocean to another. This belief is what is considered Manifest Destiny; however, besides the conviction, specific reasons contributed to the need for the possession of the west. Some of the reasons Westward migration became necessary are Opportunities for adventure, the opening of the civil war, free land given by the government, and the crowded and expensive east cities.
Early industrial growth contributed positively to the westward expansion by extending transport services such as the railway system. Thus, the expansion significantly boosted the connectivity between the western world and other parts of America. Gold mining in the region gave birth to the need for more laborers, who opted to settle in the region. The westward region expanded because populations could access the region in search of employment and the free land that the government was awarding. Subsequently, agricultural growth in the west boosted the expansion because many people opted for employment as cowboys. Additionally, slavery contributed to the area’s growth since Americans brought more slaves into the areas.
How Indian Removal Affected Native Nations
Many white Americans and settlers in the east termed the Indians as enemies of progress because they were not maximizing their lands fully to cultivate cotton. They were stereotypic and considered the Indians as pastoralists who did not know how to take full advantage of land use. Therefore, they required that the federal government demands land from the Indians and reallocate it to others who would use it well.
The Indian removal involved a presidential land granting to the Indian natives in exchange for the land they owned within the states. Some of the tribes that accepted to be evicted from their lands are the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Creeks, and Seminoles peacefully, while others disagreed with moving and made an appeal to the court (Ostler, 2019). Failure of some of the tribes to accept the removal prompted wrangles within the communities, leading to the killing of some of the natives to grab the land forcibly. The Americans murdered the natives, who denied them the power to possess the Indian lands. The war also gave rise to the displacement of the Sauks to Kansas.
A civil war built up between the natives who wanted to retain their land and the Americans who wanted to take over the land, forcing the death of three thousand to four thousand deaths of natives, known as the Trail of Tears. Eventually, over sixty thousand Indians were forced to the west. The Indian removal negatively affected the association between the natives and the administration. The government displayed elements of bias in dealing with Indian removal because it allowed the removal of Indians, who had adopted the new Euro-American lifestyle of immense farming, slave ownership, and even practiced Christianity. Thus, the natives lost trust in the government and opposed the removal from their land.
How Manifest Destiny Demolished the Culture of the Native Americans
Manifest Destiny was a conviction by Americans that the American country’s borders are meant to be from ocean to ocean. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believe that God meant for them to expand their territories and spread capitalism to the entire North-American continent (Fei, 2019).
Manifest Destiny also believed that Americans should spread democracy to the entire continent. The believers of Manifest Destiny encouraged the withdrawal of natives from their homelands to pave the way for American-initiated industrial development. The belief adversely affected human relations in the continents because the Americans looked down on other natives and created confrontations between the two groups. The outcome of the confrontations was an increase in slavery because the Americans viewed the natives as their servants towards meeting the goals of Manifest Destiny.
References
Fei, X. (2019). The impact of manifest destiny on American foreign policy. Web.
Ostler, J. (2019). Surviving genocide: Native nations and the United States from the American revolution to bleeding Kansas. Yale University Press.