USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Westward movement had been an American priority before the 19th century. As soon as the English colonized North America, they hoped to conquer the vast wilderness to the west. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803 had doubled the size of the country, sparking people’s desire to move west.

Detailed explanation-2: -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-3: -The philosophy drove 19th-century U.S. territorial expansion and was used to justify the forced removal of Native Americans and other groups from their homes. The rapid expansion of the United States intensified the issue of slavery as new states were added to the Union, leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Detailed explanation-4: -Manifest Destiny was a popular belief in the mid-to-late 19th century. Its proponents claimed that the United States had the divine right to expand westward-meaning that U.S. expansion was the will of God.

Detailed explanation-5: -Pioneers and settlers moved out west for different reasons. Some of them wanted to claim free land for ranching and farming from the government through the Homestead Act. Others came to California during the gold rush to strike it rich. Even others, such as the Mormons, moved west to avoid persecution.