USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada) The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy” Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad. The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act.

Detailed explanation-2: -Land, mining, and improved transportation by rail brought settlers to the American West during the Gilded Age. New agricultural machinery allowed farmers to increase crop yields with less labor, but falling prices and rising expenses left them in debt.

Detailed explanation-3: -Five of the reasons for westward expansion included the further expansion of railroads by the 1850s, the concept of Manifest Destiny as a reason for westward movement, cheap land, the marketing of the west as an area of fruitfulness and opportunity and mining developments in gold and silver.

Detailed explanation-4: -A significant push toward the west coast of North America began in the 1810s. It was intensified by the belief in manifest destiny, federally issued Indian removal acts, and economic promise.