Westward Expansion Summary

Overview

This lecture covers the westward expansion of the United States after the Civil War, focusing on settlement, railroads, technological change, and the impact on Native Americans up to the closing of the frontier in 1890.

Westward Expansion After the Civil War

• Westward expansion refers to settlement and development beyond acquiring land, spanning from the end of the Civil War to about 1890.
• Overlaps with the Gilded Age (c. 1876–1896), as industrialization and expansion influenced each other.
• The Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of land for a small fee if improved over 5-10 years, encouraging migration.

Challenges of Moving West

• Travel by wagon was dangerous and slow; steamship routes were costly and hazardous due to disease.
• The idea of "Go West, young man, and seek your fortune" motivated many despite high risks.

Railroads and Industrialization

• Railroads enabled mass migration, commerce, and tied distant regions together.
• The U.S. government subsidized railroads with $85 million in loans and 170 million acres of land.
• The railroad boom led to overbuilding, bankruptcies, and contributed to the Panic of 1873.
• Major companies: Union Pacific (started in the east) and Central Pacific (from California) built the first transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869.
• Immigrant labor, especially Irish and Chinese workers, played a key role in railroad construction but faced discrimination.

Effects of the Transcontinental Railroad

• Linked east and west, making California fully integrated into the U.S. economy and society.
• Created new jobs and economic opportunities, accelerated settlement, and enabled big business.
• Technology and transportation advancements shrank travel times and brought markets, people, and goods closer.

Native Americans and the Consequences of Expansion

• Railroads and settlers encroached on Native American lands, disrupting transhumant (migratory) societies dependent on buffalo.
• Mass killing of buffalo (3 million between 1872–1874) destroyed Native food sources and forced relocation to reservations.
• U.S. government repeatedly broke treaties, delayed payments, and permitted corruption among Indian agents.
• The Indian Wars (1860s–1880s) were a cycle of conflict, relocation, and treaty violations, culminating in battles like Little Bighorn (1876).
• Native Americans faced starvation, disease, loss of autonomy, and cultural destruction.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Manifest Destiny — The belief that U.S. expansion across North America was justified and inevitable.
• Homestead Act (1862) — Law granting land to settlers for a small fee if they improved it.
• Gilded Age — Period of rapid industrialization and economic growth (c. 1876–1896).
• Transcontinental Railroad — Railroad linking eastern and western U.S., completed in 1869.
• Robber Baron — Term for powerful, wealthy industrialists (e.g., Carnegie, Rockefeller).
• Transhumant — Societies that move seasonally to follow resources (e.g., Plains tribes and buffalo).
• Panic of 1873 — Major economic depression caused partly by railroad overbuilding.
• Indian Wars — Series of conflicts between U.S. government and Native American tribes.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review upcoming lecture materials on the Gilded Age and Bonanza West.
• Prepare essay notes on the economic and social impacts of railroads.
• Be ready to discuss the effects of westward expansion on Native Americans.