America Moves West Reconstruction Is the Name

America Moves West Reconstruction is the name for the period in United States history that covers the post-Civil War era, roughly 1865-1877. Technically, it refers to the policies that focused on the aftermath of the war; abolishing slavery, defeating the Confederacy, and putting legislation in effect to restore the nation -- per the Constitution.

Most contemporary historians view Reconstruction as a failure with ramifications that lasted at least 100 years later: issues surrounding the Civil Rights were still being debated in the 1970s, corrupt northern businessmen "carpetbaggers" brought scandal and economic corruption, monetary and tariff policies were retributive and had legal results in the north as well.

Despite the failure of this period as an equalizer or integrator of races in the Old South, there was an equally robust push westward that not only encouraged individuals of all ethnicities to move, but changed the political and economic texture of the United States forever. In fact, there were several "trends" that one can see impacting this era that would set the tone for the next few decades, as well as the new century.

For instance, if we compare these three representations of the U.S., just prior to the Civil War (1860), just after (1865) The major themes of this expansion were: Railroads - The successes of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads caused other ventures to be launched when the Federal Government offered huge subsidies and land grants. This was a radical change in philosophy, and several scandals ensued, as well as the economic Panic of 1873.

However, by them the momentum had already started, and dozens of companies moved forward to increase rail travel throughout the nation. Once track had been laid, additional settlement and industrialization followed, since supply lines to and from were far easier. As with any economic development, getting workers and settlers to areas where raw materials were abundant influenced urbanization, as well as territory populations that would eventual become States (Railroads Following the Panic 2001; McNeese 2006). Electricity - Electrification really began around 1869 with the founding of the Westinghouse Company.

George Westinghouse took other people's research and patented it, and the wave of inventions that relied on electricity changed society dramatically after the Civil War. Urban areas were lit, factories were able to stay open longer, machines that needed manpower were replaced by those using electricity, transportation changed (cable car, etc.). Large companies were formed and employed thousands of people to electrify the nation, and numerous inventions resulted (light bulb, telegraph, telephone, etc.) from the infrastructure that resulted (Leposky 2000).

Free Enterprise -- Technological improvements and the need for greater production caused a system of free enterprise, also known as laissez fair capitalism, to increase. Numerous businesses opened the steel and oil industries bloomed, factories replaced craft shops, machines replaced hard labor. So many businesses opened that it gave the U.S. Economy a huge boost, which fueled itself, causing even more businesses to open.

Tariff increases and more government regulation caused the Federal government to push for more control over the economy, but because the nation was so in debt from the war, needed as much capital circulating as possible. This change in economic policy also changed society -- greater urbanization, greater number of workers needed, class distinctions caused with huge corporations, and the increasing development of public works and transportation improved cities and towns (Immigration and Labor 2009; Herron, 2009).

Natural Resources (land, minerals, timber, and oil) - All economies flow on resources and the vast resources of the United States caused further and quicker expansion westward. When resources were found, people congregated, railroads were built, and the infrastructure moved from settlement to town to city (Westward Expansion 2009). Of course, many areas were "boom and bust," particularly those centered around gold or silver, but often once the minerals were gone, industrialization or agriculture became the prime economic motivator.

Numerous areas that were "owned" by other governments (Russia, Mexico) were settled and either purchased or ceded into the United States. The resources fueled Industrialization and colonization of the West, resulting in a larger economy and an even greater impetus to exploit those resources. With the discovery of the vast resources, coupled with the technology of industrialization and transportation, the stage was set for mass immigration and movement Westward (Hansen 2007; Nivola 1986).

Immigration -- After the Civil War, America's huge need for workers and industrialization was filled with a wave of immigrants arriving from Europe (about 25 million between 1866 and 1915). This was also caused, in part, by political, social, and agricultural problems in Europe. Earlier immigration had been primarily from Northern Europe, but the wave of workers post-Civil War was from Southern and Eastern Europe. Most were poor, uneducated, and pushed out of their own countries.

Because of transportation issues, most immigrants arrived at Ellis Island, New York, and only slowly worked their way out of the urban areas of the eastern seaboard. However, life was so grim in these urban slums, that by the 1890s a great majority of immigrants used the railroad to move west. Displacement of Native populations -- Wherever the population wished to settle; to farm, ranch, or build urban areas, something had to be moved.

In 1845, New York newspaper editor John O'Sullivan coined the phrase "Our Manifest Destiny" as a way of supporting the continual territorial expansion of the U.S. This was the idea that Americans had the divine right to expand west, promote Eurocentric cultures, and annex lands that had been inhabited for centuries by other peoples. This age not only continued to move native peoples off their lands, but was a way to find and use the best lands for white settlers (Tignor, et.al., 2000, p. 274).

Homestead Act of 1862 -- As a push to send settlers westward (outside the original 13 colonies), the United States enacted a Federal law that gave an application title to free land. The act required three steps -- application, improvement of the land, and the filing of a deed title. Anyone who had never been part of the Confederacy, including freed slaves, could file an application. The intent of the Homestead Act was to grant land for agriculture and improve said land.

Instead, in many areas east of the Rocky Mountains, it was used to control resources (e.g. water). Between 1882 and 1896, a total of ten percent of all lands within the United States were counted in the Homestead Act -- with an eventual total of 1.6 million homesteads. The Act has been blamed for contributing to the dust bowl of.