Westward Expansion In America

The spirit of exploration in American is an undying passion. We continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, from the puritans settling in Massachusetts to the Kennedy administration landing on the moon. The people who explored the continent in the 1660s were the original explorers, they pushed the boundaries of the world and their kin would continue that trend. The spirit of exploration and stretching the boundaries of what is possible. is a cornerstone of the American values since the pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts. The origins of the spirit of exploration in the United States was the earliest pilgrims. Their motivations, however, were similar and different to those of the later explorers. The original puritans immigrated from
Holland to provide a better life for their children and the later generations, along with the possibility of religious freedom. One common trend that really defines the American spirit is embracing hardships together for the later generations of children. This is the first, of many, examples of this principle.
The possibility of religious freedom was a huge factor in acquiring interest from people in strict religious to make the trek over to the New World. Freedom in generally is the most influential American principle. For many this idea is a radical concept, but in the United States it's our founding principle, so when people saw the opportunity for immense wealth, they immediately pounced on it. They endured hardships, however, to acquire it, like many generations of people would have too. But the undying fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is one that will never die in American culture. The Next exploration of North America was moving into the middle colonies. They moved into the middle for a mixture of reasons. First, the puritan society in the north was too strict for many people. This cause is never seen again in American exploration because no one is ever controlled like the New England colonies controlled their citizens. However, many people also moved for trading and to move to population centers of mass diversity. You see this again in the industrialization revolution period in the 1800s. The middle colonies began to string up after the opportunities became more prevalent in cities such as New York and Philadelphia. These cities sprung up as many people survived off the fur trade in the region to support their families. Following the settlements of the middle colonies, comes the settlement of the southern colonies.The south was founded for one reason, money. In the current United States money runs most things, so it's no surprise that many people move and explore for new economic opportunities. When the English saw the potential for tobacco growth in the region they immediately jumped on the idea of starting a colony here. If you look throughout American history you will see the burning desire for money. The gold rush is the next exploration fueled solely by the possibility of getting rich quick. However, southern colonies were for protection. Georgia is a real outlier when it comes to exploration, even though we have conquered ideas and places for our protection, we have never formed a colony on that principle. Nonetheless, the south is still to do this a farm working area. The biggest expansion to the United States, however, was the westward expansion into the Louisiana territory. This expansion was kicked off by the lewis and Clark expedition. This showed a great American characteristic of putting other before yourself and caring about the future of those to come. They set out on a dangerous mission into brand new territories that were virtually undiscovered. They crossed the treacherous rocky mountains and made it all the way to the pacific all to help the later generations of Americans. Immediately following the lewis and Clark expedition, the push into the newly traveled lands really began.
Thomas Jefferson believed that the key to the republic is independence and land ownership. Which is now evermore possibly and that the size of the United states is doubled. He stated, "Those who labor in the earth, are the chosen people of god." These claims helped fuel the manifest destiny. Manifest Destiny was a movement started by journalist John O'Sullivan to state his opinion that expansion was a part of the "the great experiment of liberty." This promoted the great Westward expansion.
The Westward Expansion highlights 3 of the largest characteristics of the American spirit, the desire for freedom, the need of wealth, and the willing to sacrifice for others. With new land ownership available more people could be free and work for themselves and be self-sufficient. The sacrifice, however, was immense. To cross the frontier was at some points a nearly impossible mission. The westward expansion is one of most defining moments in United States
history. The Next significant expansion was the California Gold Rush. This was prompted by one thing only, the American desire to get rich quick. It's everywhere in society and very prevalent in the American culture. So as soon as they found gold in California they immediately jumped on it and people moved out to California in herds. As a result, the population of California grew from about 1000 in 1848 to about 20,000 in 1850. This would shape the United States West Coast into what it is today, a thriving diverse area. As you move farther on into history we see a different type of American spirit of exploration, but one that is still there nonetheless.
It focuses less on discovering new lands and more on pushing the boundaries of what is thought to be possible. The age of the industrial revolution. It pushed all current boundaries back at an incredible pace. One of these amazing achievements was the invention of the automobile along with the assembly line. The automobile was invented in 1893 and by 1930 over half of American households owned one. This incredible achievement This lead to the creation of major highways, which represented two key American values, independence, and freedom. It allowed people to travel wherever and whenever they wanted to, which was very appealing to
people.
The last and most recent massive exploration by the united states was the landing on the moon. This is the final form of the American spirit of exploration, the desire to be the best. With Russia hot on our tail, we came together behind a common goal, to be better than anybody in the world. It showed also the might of the United States, being able to land on the Moon only 60 years after the first human flight occurred. When Kennedy made the bold claim that they would land a man on the moon before the decade was over, he delivered on the promise and showed true American character and values. America is a diverse country, a country of immigrants, that share similar core beliefs. The American spirit lives within every single citizen, the desire for freedom, the pursuit of wealth, caring about the later generations, and the desire to be the best. These principles are cornerstones of the American values. They highlight the best that this country has to offer.