American expansionism also regarded as westward expansion refers to the period of confederation when the USA was extending its borders to the west. The United States of America civil war was fought between 1861 and 1865. The war broke out in 1961 after the election of President Abraham Lincoln where the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina (Scharff 78). Fort Sumter union showed loyalty to the American Constitution, but they faced stiff opposition from the Confederates who were fighting for state's rights to the unending slavery and its extension to the Americans. The southern slave states of the United States declared their secession from the country to form the confederates of the US. Later, the Confederacy enlarged to include four more states. However, the Confederacy was not officially recognized by the American administration or by any outside nation. The Border States remained loyal to the USA administration where slavery was legally accepted (Musolf 112). Although the extension was facilitated by various factors such as population pressure and nationalism, the westward expansion highly contributed to the start of the American civil war.
According to the United States history, the westward movement of the settlement was regarded as a source of hope, energy, and yearning. A historian by name Henry David Thoreau stated that Americans went westward because they believed that the future of early US was found in western areas. People would move in the west direction with a spirit of adventure and enterprise. The western lands were imagined to be enticing areas over the mountains of Allegheny which later became Kentucky and Ohio States (Musolf 132). The old Southwest regions were rich for farming since they were watered by the Mississippi River and later became Washington, Oregon, and California states. These areas served as a magnet for people who searched for economic gains, adventure and freedom. The Pacific Northwest of America was teemed with forests, fish, and fur-bearing animals. The western regions of America had the advantage that the Pacific Ocean which served as a meeting point for local and foreign traders was located there. Hence, during the early 1840s and afterward, many people migrated towards the west looking for more space and a better economic chance. In 1860, about 4.6 million Americans had settled in the trans-Mississippi West (Farmer 149). Emigrants moved towards the west of America with an intention to make more money through trade. The movement of saw miners, farmers, prostitutes, clerks, ranchers, hunters, household servants, merchants, and trappers moved to the west to search for better fortunes. Interaction of many persons in the same land led to increased differences eventually leading to the civil war.
The southern wanted all the new western states to increase pro-southern representation and make sure that the slave trade was never stopped. Leaders said that that they would spread the blessing of slavery to the west and all parts of America. The issue of slavery contributed to the civil war since it was controlled by people from the south while other people who migrated to the west from other areas wanted the slave trade to end (Musolf 213). The Southern was more powerful and unstoppable given that it had large numbers and was well represented in the Congress.
The west of America was not empty by the time this part of the nation gained so much popularity. It was occupied by people who had discovered the place earlier than the Americans and these were the Indians and the Hispanic inhabitants. The Americans migration swept aside these early inhabitants of the West region. The Indian and Hispanic inhabitants had less support from the US President and the Congressmen since these leaders were the first individuals to encourage the expansion of the nation (Musolf 223). The westward migration was important to the southerners who explored the area in search of cheap lands where they would do agriculture using the slave labor. The people from the south controlled the slave trade because three of the US presidents and most influential congressional leaders were held by the southerners. However, southern politics became weaker as the industrializing Northeast and Midwest grew and raised the number of representatives in Congress.
The migration of people to the Pacific coast was accelerated by the discovery of gold in California which brought about 300,000 pioneers along the Oregon Trail. Most inhabitants would travel to look for more land and wealth. The fight for gold and other wealth contributed to disputes among people thus by 1861 Americans had enough reasons for fighting against each other (Scharff 229). People entered West America at different times since some would walk while other would sail using the Pacific Ocean. People who came late to the west were eager to get rich like the earlier intruders hence leading to scrabble of the resources. The North and other emigrants did not support the extension of slavery to the west like the Southern people hence increasing more differences among the South and other people eventually leading to the 1861-1865 American national war.
The expansion of slavery into western America caused a big deal of controversy. Ever since the draft of America 1787 Constitution, the South, and the North territories had grown differently regarding society, ideology and economy. People from the North were afraid that the South would force its peculiar constitution upon the entire Congress Union. Differences expanded when the expansion of the slavery to the West issue entered Congress debates. The compromises which were given by the federal government favored the South (Musolf 199). The federal government was hoping to avoid civil war by giving compromises, but the division of the South and North became more pronounced leading to internal fights in 1861.
Leaders were forced to deal with slavery issue and its extension to the west as early as the Missouri negotiation in 1980. The nation had earlier kept an unstable steadiness in the Congress with an equal number of the legislature of free and slave regions. When Missouri prepared to join the combination as a slave region, the tentative steadiness of states threatened to apply strict measures (Farmer 176). The politicians of the South and North were so divided on the issue of slavery such that no compromise would be agreed regarding this situation. The slavery was an issue of the South, a reason why the North would not agree the matter to be extended to the west. Eventually, the differences between the politicians on the issue of slavery set stage for the civil war.
The major counterargument of the link between civil war and west expansion is that there was a fight between the federal and state rights. Some individuals argued that federal administration needed more powers while others concluded that states should have greater rights. The initial USA government was organized under the articles of confederation which was formed by 13 states (Scharff 123). Nevertheless, the problem arose which exposed the weaknesses of the articles making leaders to form the USA constitution. During the time of constitution formation, strong state leaders such as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson were not present which made many people feel that the new constitution was ignoring the rights of individual states. As a result, the nullification idea developed which failed thus forcing the southern states to think of secession. Nevertheless, the claim of state and federal rights as the cause of civil is incorrect given that the major argument during the civil war was the abolition of slavery which as one of the major economic success among the southern states. Moreover, the interest to prosper in the economy led to the emergence of the aggressive strategy of extension with political and military control as the core objectives.
Conclusively, the civil war was as a result of numerous internal differences among distinct parts of America. Among the reason why the civil war broke in America is the westward migration. People found the West as a better place to settle and trade because the place was very wealthy. The South and the North met during this migration would not agree on some issue such as the slavery. Slavery was controlled by the South, and they wanted it extended to the new territory. The subject of slavery entered Congress where politicians from the North and South would not agree to the extension of slavery to the west. The differences set the stage for the civil war in 1861.
Work Cited
Farmer, Alan. Access to History: America: Civil War and Westward Expansion 1803-1890 Fifth Edition. Hodder Education, 2015.
Musolf, Nell Ann. Split History of Westward Expansion in the United States. Compass Point Books, 2014.
Scharff, Virginia. Empire and Liberty: The Civil War and the West. Univ of California Press, 2015.
