Question

Explain some of the challenges (human and physical) settlers faced in moving west.

Answer 1

Answer:

The settlers who moved West in the United States in the 19th century faced challenges due to the dangers of travel, they went because of populations pressures and economic depressions in Eastern America, and they also felt compelled by the notion of Manifest Destiny; that it was part of the U.S. mission to expand democracy and American way of life.

Explanation:

Some of the challenges settlers faced in moving West:

In the first years before the railroads, the move West was risky and treacherous and took a long time due to the difficult geography. Also, some of the native populations were hostile to the new settlers and there was danger of being killed or held for ransom. Settlers to territories like California and Oregon faced a journey that could take 4 months and they had to prepare for the harshest stages in jump- off towns like Independence, Missouri, which became prosperous in their own right as a crossroads and the need for outfitting for the journey.

Some of the reasons people moved West:

Some Americans were compelled to move West because there was a promise of new development and more land. The U.S. population exploded in the first half of the 19th century, to from around 5 million people in 1800 to million by 1850.  There were also two economic depressions that impacted the new states of the Union in 1819 and 1839. This would make the idea of moving West more attractive for tens of thousands of Americans who went in search of new opportunities.

Consequences associated with Westward Expansion:

Native populations were pushed further West and they had to settle on inhospitable lands the new largely Anglo Saxon. Manifest destiny is a concept that developed in 19th century America, particularly with the annexation of Texas and U.S. President Polk in 1845, that the United States has a divine responsibility to spread capitalism and democracy throughout North America and that each subsequent expansion is in function of that mission.