Essay The Territorial Sxpansion of the United States in...

The Territorial Sxpansion of the United States in the 1840’s Throughout 1815 to 1860, the USA changed faster than in the previous 200 years. It was seen as the land of opportunities and masses of Europeans migrated to the USA. Population figures doubled every 25 years. The number of states rised from 18 in 1815, to 30 by 1860. The agrarian society was soon replaced by a growing capitalist and commercial economy and there were advancements in transport and communication. Cities grew and the country was divided into three main sectors- agrarian west: mass immigration and industrial revolution in the Northeast and the slaveholding south. People moved westwards searching for new lives and†¦show more content†¦It was looked up as a shameful blot on the American record. Expansion of slavery was another important reason that led to territorial expansion. Eli Whitney’s invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793, made cotton production easier and more profitable, enabling it to spread from the Southeast into the old Indian lands of the west. The South was transformed by the expansion of cotton production. Due to the rise of textile industry in England, a huge demand for cotton was created. Cotton production rose from 3000 bales in 1790, to a 100,000 in 1801 and nearly 4 million in 1860. This caused the revitalization of slavery, which was a lucrative business, especially during the Civil War. The south’s economic dependence was mainly due to slavery. Illegal imports of slaves from Africa, led to a substantial rise in population. It wasn’t until 1794, when the first hard-surfaced road connected Philadelphia and Lancaster led to transport improvement and therefore a general improvement of communication. Without transport improvement, expansion would have taken a much slower path. Most turnpikes were financed and built privately and the road running across the Appalachians led thousands of pioneer families to settle westwards. Other forms of competition subsided the building of roads. After John Fitch had successfully demonstrated a paddle wheeler, it was Robert Fulton who made