The life of pioneers of American westward movement

The life of the pioneers of the American westward movement can be said to be bitter first and then sweet. Bitter because they had no pioneers before, they had to rely on their own hands to create their own happy life. Sweet because after their hard work day and night, they finally got their own land and established their own home.

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American westward movement

In the process of the westward movement, there have been three huge immigration climaxes.

The first immigration climax occurred after 18 15, and two groups of immigrants moved in two directions. One is immigrants from coastal areas and Germany, who joined forces and gradually opened up the whole area north of the Ohio River, and established a grain production and animal husbandry base in the United States. The other is immigrants from the southeast, who entered the plain area between South Georgia and Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico. In this area, large plantations mainly producing and selling cotton were gradually established, thus expanding the slave economy in the south.

The second migration climax appeared in the late 8th century and early 9th century of/kloc-0. Because the American government promulgated a series of land laws and bought a large area of land in Louisiana from France, immigrants felt that colonial activities were guaranteed to some extent and flocked to the west to explore Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, laying the foundation for the growing grain-producing areas in the midwest.

The third immigration climax was accompanied by the expansion and annexation of American territory in the middle of19th century. At that time, the territorial expansion of the United States continued in two directions: in the southwest, 1845 annexed Texas; In the 1848 US-Mexico War, it captured half of Mexico's territory; In the northwest, after long-term negotiations with Britain, a large piece of land in Oregon was acquired on 1846. Finally, the expansion of these two aspects merged in California, completing the occupation of the whole western region. At the same time, the discovery of gold mines in California caused a rush of immigrants to the west for gold. Later, some gold diggers switched to farming or set up shops? Become a permanent settler in California; The other part went from California to the northwest to explore mineral deposits. 19 In the 1950s and 1960s, mining camps developed into permanent residential areas because a large number of small farmers moved in to engage in grain production and the area west of the Rocky Mountains was divided into some states and quasi-states.

The Historical Significance of American Westward Movement

American westward movement

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American westward movement

The westward movement of the United States is the general name of a series of social activities and social changes caused by the migration of American population to the west in the19th century. It is also the process of developing the western region in the United States, and it is the great integration of American urbanization, industrialization and American nation. The westward movement completely changed the face of the United States: large areas of wasteland were reclaimed, and a large number of capitalist farms were established. The development of agriculture in the west provided a large number of grain, raw materials, export products and domestic markets for industrial development; It has changed the layout of the labor force in the United States, promoted the formation of a unified domestic market and the rapid development of complementary trade between East and West. The development and utilization of resources in the western region has also met the needs of industrial development, and the transportation industry has also developed rapidly. The westward movement of the United States has stimulated the creativity and economic vitality of Americans, improved the comprehensive national strength and international status of the United States, and is of great significance to the take-off of the entire national economy of the United States. It has a great influence on American economy, politics, culture, ideology, military and other social aspects, and it is also the development process of American cultural localization. .

Directory [hidden]

1 historical background

2 Westward Movement

3 Migrate westward

4 historical significance

5 references

American Westward Movement-Historical Background

As early as the colonial period in North America, people began to emigrate to the west. Slave owners in the south, land speculators and poor people in the north all hope to acquire land in the west. In order to limit the colonial people to the places under their control, the British government issued a notice in 1763, prohibiting immigrants from crossing the west of the Appalachian Mountains. The revolution of independence broke this rule. 1783, Britain and the United States negotiated a peaceful settlement, and Britain opened a large area of Indian-owned land from the west of the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River to the United States. 1830 In May, President A. Jackson passed the Indian Migration Act to move Indians to the west of the Mississippi River. Later, he sent troops to escort the Indians out of the area east of the Mississippi River, and the colonial cause developed rapidly in this area. The land in the "Old Southwest" (including Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana) was mainly occupied by plantation slave owners and became the main cotton producing area. The colonial development of "Old Northwest" (including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin) developed rapidly because of the land regulations (selling public land at low prices) passed by 1785 and the northwest territory regulations of 1787. At the beginning of the revolution of independence, there were only a few thousand French people here. 18 10 has more than 270,000 immigrants, and 1860 has increased to 6.93 million, and the population of Chicago alone has 1 10,000. This is a region rich in grain and developed in aquaculture.

American Westward Movement-Westward Movement

American westward movement

The United States also expanded to the west of the Mississippi River and annexed large areas of land in France, Spain, Britain and Mexico by means of purchase and war. 1803, when Napoleon was busy coping with the European war, the United States bought a vast area called Louisiana (with an area of about 830,000 square miles) from France for150,000 dollars. The United States seized Florida from Spain in 18 10 and 18 19; 1846, Britain was forced to sign a contract to extend the U.S. border at 49 degrees north latitude to the Pacific coast and exclude the British from this area. 1846 and 1853, the United States launched a war with Mexico, and after the victory, it bought a large area of land in Mexico, totaling about 950,000 square miles. By 1853, the United States had pushed its border to the Pacific coast, covering an area of 3.03 million square miles (about 7.85 million square kilometers), more than seven times the territory when it declared independence. The population to the west of the Mississippi River was extremely scarce before 1840, and immigrants began to increase in the 1940s, especially the discovery of the California gold mine in 1848, which greatly promoted the development of the western region. After 1850, the immigration and economic development in this area played an important role in the development of the United States. In addition, the United States continues to expand westward to areas that are not adjacent to the mainland. In 1867, Alaska bought it from Russia for 7.2 million dollars, which was twice the area of the original 13 state in the United States. 1894, the United States overthrew the king of Hawaii in Honolulu. 1898, after the Spanish-American War broke out, it annexed the Hawaiian islands.

The continuous expansion of American territory has attracted a large number of foreign immigrants. 1790- 1860 has more than 5 million immigrants,1861-1913 years, 27 million. The population west of the Appalachian Mountains accounted for only 3% of the total population of China in 1790, and it has increased to 49% in 1890. Foreign immigrants have played a great role in the western development and the rapid development of the entire American economy. Immigration enabled the United States to carry out large-scale agricultural production and develop its rich industrial resources with great strength and scale, which quickly destroyed Britain's industrial monopoly position. The land policy of the American government and the construction of the transcontinental railway accelerated the development of the western region. The territorial expansion and development of the United States to the west has had a great impact on American political and economic life. The incorporation of the vast western land into the United States has made the United States a country with a vast territory and rich natural resources, and has extremely superior natural conditions for economic development. Greatly expanded the arable land area, located in the climate zone suitable for farming, so that agriculture developed rapidly; The large-scale development of the western region has led to large-scale railway construction and the influx of immigrants, forming a vast domestic market in the United States.

After the American Civil War, a large number of cattle herders and small farmers turned barren plains into huge pastures and barren grasslands into fertile fields in more than 20 years. 1890, the westward movement officially ended. The westward movement increased the territory of the United States to more than three times that of the founding of the People's Republic of China, expanded all kinds of basic resources needed for industrial development, and had a great impact on the development of American social system, capitalism and the formation of American national character.

American westward movement-westward immigrants

American westward movement

In the process of the westward movement, there have been three huge immigration climaxes.

The first immigration climax occurred after 18 15, and two groups of immigrants moved in two directions. One is immigrants from coastal areas and Germany, who joined forces and gradually opened up the whole area north of the Ohio River, and established the bases of grain production and animal husbandry in the United States. The other is immigrants from the southeast, who entered the plain area between South Georgia and Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico. In this area, large plantations mainly producing and selling cotton were gradually established, thus expanding the slave economy in the south.

The second migration climax appeared in the late 8th century and early 9th century of/kloc-0. Because the American government promulgated a series of land laws and bought a large area of land in Louisiana from France, immigrants felt that colonial activities were guaranteed to some extent and flocked to the west to explore Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, laying the foundation for the growing grain-producing areas in the midwest.

The third immigration climax was accompanied by the expansion and annexation of American territory in the middle of19th century. At that time, the territorial expansion of the United States continued in two directions: in the southwest, 1845 annexed Texas; In the 1848 US-Mexico War, it captured half of Mexico's territory; In the northwest, after long-term negotiations with Britain, a large piece of land in Oregon was acquired on 1846. Finally, the expansion of these two aspects merged in California, completing the occupation of the whole western region. At the same time, the discovery of gold mines in California caused a rush of immigrants to the west for gold. Later, some gold diggers switched to farming or set up shops? Become a permanent settler in California; The other part went from California to the northwest to explore mineral deposits. 19 In the 1950s and 1960s, mining camps developed into permanent residential areas because a large number of small farmers moved in to engage in grain production and the area west of the Rocky Mountains was divided into some states and quasi-states.

The Historical Significance of American Westward Movement

In the westward movement, the United States successfully carried out the western development, which made important contributions to the economic prosperity of the United States and even the emergence of knowledge economy.

1. Utilize natural resource endowment and implement gradient development strategy.

The United States implemented a gradient development strategy in the westward movement, that is, according to its own resource advantages, it gradually upgraded and deepened development.

In the first stage, make full use of the vast and fertile land resources in the west, and vigorously develop agriculture and animal husbandry by establishing a large number of family farms and pastures. In the second stage, with the discovery of gold mines in the west and the application of scientific and technological achievements of the first industrial revolution, the mining development frenzy was triggered and a number of mineral resources processing and manufacturing enterprises were established. At the beginning of the 20th century, the advantages of American industry became more prominent. In the third stage, with the rise of the third scientific and technological revolution, American high technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and the American industrial structure changed to the tertiary industry, and finally the industrial structure softened and upgraded.

2. Pay attention to infrastructure construction and create a good development environment.

The United States attaches great importance to the construction of infrastructure in the westward movement, and creates a good environment for the development of the western region by implementing the advanced development strategy of transportation industry. The development of transportation industry is not only an integral part of the western development of the United States, but also provides the basic conditions for the entire westward movement of the United States, especially the construction of railways, which promotes the specialization of the western region of the United States and the formation of a national market. Many economists say that the United States in the19th century is basically a history of successful railways, and the formation of the national railway network has had a great impact on the development of the western region and the national economy.