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United States History from 1812-1914

Question 1:

The historic migration of Americans assumed different forms and had varied causal factors. This section provides an analysis of these causal factors with respect to westward migration between 1820s and 1850s, the obstacles that populations and the implications of this migration to the entire US. In his review, White indicates that the movement of people to the west during this time was driven by a host of factors (White 78). To begin with, they wanted to search for cheap and arable farms for agricultural production. The gold rush has also been cited to have attracted various groups in the region. Also, the Mexican war and relative economy distress prompted people to move in order to secure their survival.

During movement, they experienced various challenges that had detrimental effects on their welfare. The terrain was rough and did not have clear roads for easy movement. This made the journey to be slow and hence exposed the populations to different life threatening conditions. Also, the weather conditions were extreme and these led to the death of a significant percentage of the moving population. Perhaps the most devastating impact stemmed from their lack of food. Since the journey took a significant period of time, some of the groups finished their reserves on the way and suffered hunger related problems.

This movement has diverse impacts on the rest of the American society. Notably, it increased industrial activity in the region as industries were situated therein. Minerals such as gold made it possible for regional growth and development. The increased population and improved quality of life shifted the political power that became concentrated in the region. Finally, the diverse population led to incidences of lawlessness that can be attributed to mingling of different value systems and general ways of life.

Question 2:

The civil war began with the firing on the Union forces at fort Sumter. This continued for a significant period of thirty four hours and culminated in the death of one soldier. It also led to the evacuation of the union soldiers from this form. This took place after most confederate states had seceded from the union. The firing resulted in the capturing of Sumter and efforts to recapture it led to the expansion of the war.

The goals of the south entailed securing independence and their state rights that they believed were being infringed upon. Their main strategy was to capitalize on the home environment and capture northern union soldiers. The goals of the north on the other hand were to abolish slavery that was considered dehumanizing and be able to maintain the union. With respect to strategies, it sought to destroy anything as well as everything that could enable its counterpart to win. In his review, Resch posits that the south believed that they could win the war because they thought that the north’s soldiers were not dedicated to the war (Resch 1867). As such, they trained and mobilized their leaders and soldiers towards the cause.

The indecision that had been exhibited earlier on by the south with respect to seceding from the union made the north believe that they were best suited to win the war. The high quality industrial infrastructure also made the north believe that they would defeat the south. Essentially, the north won the war because it had more economic resources as well as more sophisticated machinery that they employed in fighting. The immigration of the population to the north further empowered it at the expense of the south. It won by destroying everything as well as anything that could aid the south in winning the war.

Works Cited

Resch, Paul. Americans at War. Culture and the Home front, 2 (2005): 1816-1900

White, Richard. A History of the American West. USA: University of Oklahoma press, 1995.