What policies did the US government create to promote westward expansion?

The Federal government responded with measures (Homestead Act, transcontinental railroad) and military campaigns designed to encourage settlement, solidify Union control of the trans-Mississippi West, and further marginalize the physical and cultural presence of tribes native to the West.

What are the 3 key themes of westward expansion?

It had four parts: first, California would enter the Union as a free state; second, the status of slavery in the rest of the Mexican territory would be decided by the people who lived there; third, the slave trade (but not slavery) would be abolished in Washington, D.C.; and fourth, a new Fugitive Slave Act would …

What laws helped westward expansion?

Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, the Homestead Act encouraged westward migration and settlement by providing 160-acre tracts of land west of the Mississippi at little cost, in return for a promise to improve the land.

What government policies facilitated the settlement and development of the West?

Explanation: The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 created rules for the settling of western lands and the admission of these lands as states. These rules were followed throughout the west, with the one exception of disagreement over slavery in new states.

Was the westward expansion a good idea?

Does the good of Westward Expansion outweigh the bad? The good outcomes outweighed the bad. Americans were able to obtain more resources such as land and gold which created more income. It allowed the population to spread out so cities weren’t over populated and opened up more opportunities for jobs.

What two acts helped expand the American West?

That westward expansion was greatly aided by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and passage of the Homestead Act in 1862.

What are the negatives of westward expansion?

Westward Expansion generally had negative effects on the Native Americans. Native Americans were forced to live on reservations. The buffalo, an important resource, experienced rapid population decline. Military conflict between Whites and Native Americans resulted in many deaths.

What was the land policy of the westward expansion?

Under the ordinance, each township was allotted 640 acres, in the expectation that no single farmer would be able to afford all 640 and that groups of farmers from the same region in the East would join together to form western townships.

Who are the losers of the westward expansion?

The acquisition of Hawaii and Alaska in the mid-19th century assured westward expansion would continue into the 20th century. The great losers in this westward wave were the Native American tribes. Displaced as new settlers moved in, they lost their traditional way of life and were relegated to reservations.

Where did the American Indians move to during the westward expansion?

Treaties between the tribes and the U.S. government eventually provided for relocation of the tribes to western lands and the removal of Indian claim to the land. Iowa has no Indian reservations, land owned by the U.S. government but occupied by recognized Indian tribes.

How did the railroad contribute to the westward expansion?

But the greatest contributor to the development of the West was the railroad. Eager to promote trade and transportation, federal, state, and local governments granted land to railroad companies.