What was the westward march in US history?
During the 19th century, what became known as “march west”. This process consisted, basically, in the territorial expansion of the nation, originally arising from the thirteen colonies, towards the west. In this expansion, the Americans occupied the plains of the central region of what is now the United States and reached the west coast, bathed by the Pacific Ocean.
The increase in the territory of the United States began right after the victory against England, in the war for the conquest of the independence the country and for the end of English colonial rule. After signing the Treaty of Paris, in 1783, the British recognized the independence of their former colony and ceded a large amount of land to the west of the thirteen colonies.
These lands lay west of the Appalachian Mountains and, during colonization, had been a cause of tension between the colonists and the English. The settlers wanted to occupy them, but the English authorities did not allow them to avoid hostilities with the indigenous nations. With independence, the Americans quickly began the occupation of this region.
In addition to these lands obtained with independence, the United States seized another large amount of territories through diplomacy and purchase, as well as through war. First, the territories purchased throughout the 19th century were:
⇒ Louisiana, purchased from the French in 1803;
⇒ Florida, purchased from the Spaniards in 1819;
⇒ alaska, purchased from the Russians in 1867.
Louisiana was bought from the French, in 1803, because of that country's need to obtain funds to continue the wars. Napoleonic, which were happening at that time in Europe. The French agreed to sell the region to the Americans for 15 million dollars. In the case of the sale of Florida, the weakening of the Spaniards in that region and the turmoil they faced in Europe made it possible for the Americans to acquire that territory. To prevent a war against the United States, the Spaniards sold the region for $5 million.
Finally, Alaska was sold by the Russians in 1867, due to the financial difficulties that Russia was facing in the at the time and by the fear of losing the region to the British without receiving compensation, if this territory were invaded. The fixed value was 7.2 million dollars, and the purchase from Alaska, at the time, was widely criticized because of the adverse weather conditions in the place.
The unbridled occupation of the American West was encouraged by an existing ideology in the United States at the time and by the conditions offered by the American government. During the 19th century, an ideology known as Manifest Destiny, who claimed that the United States was predestined (chosen) by God to form a great nation. This “divine vocation” was used as a pretext to justify the violence committed against the indigenous people, for example.
The encouragement of the American government came from the Homestead Act, or Settlement Law, decreed in 1862. This law, instituted during the government of Abraham Lincoln, offered lots of land in the west at a very low price to interested Americans and demanded in return that the land sold be inhabited and cultivated for a minimum period of five years.
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mexican-american war
The westward march, however, did not happen only through diplomacy and the purchase of territories. The war also contributed to American territorial expansion. THE mexican-american war, as it became known, was a conflict between the United States and Mexico, initiated by the Texas dispute for these two countries.
Texas had been inherited by the Mexicans from the Spaniards after the country's independence in 1821. From 1823 onwards, the Mexican government began to accept the entry of American settlers to colonize and populate this region. However, friction between these American settlers and the Mexican authorities began to happen.
The non-acceptance of Mexican norms by the American colonists led them to rebel and declare independence from Texas. This movement concentrated its forces in the Alamo Fort and was defeated by Mexican troops in 1836. The defeat triggered the sending of a large American army to Texas, which forced Mexico to relinquish the Texas to the United States.
Ten years later, a new conflict broke out between the two countries, this time for control of the California. This war lasted from 1846 to 1848 and resulted in the defeat of Mexico, which again was forced to cede land to the United States, such as New Mexico and California. During these two conflicts, Mexico lost a considerable swath of its territory to the Americans.
Indigenous
The big losers in this entire process of territorial expansion in the United States were the indigenous, who lost virtually all their land and were victims of numerous forms of violence, which led to a considerable population decline. Throughout the 19th century, these peoples were forced several times to abandon their lands in order to survive.
Many American states enacted laws that forced the removal of indigenous peoples so that their lands could be used for agriculture. This led to an event that became known as Trail of Tears (Trail of Tears), in which thousands of indigenous peoples, from different peoples, were forced to march 1500 kilometers to settle in a new location defined by the government. It is estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 indigenous people died during these marches in the 1830s.
The expansion of Americans to the west has also caused the destruction of the indigenous way of life, since many of these peoples survived from bison hunting and, to carry out this activity, they needed an extensive range of Earth.
*Image credits: Everett Historical and Shutterstock
By Daniel Neves
Graduated in History
