Changes in 19th Century America

The dramatic transformation that the USA went through in the 19th century has been described and explained in numberless volumes, and the discussion of which changes were the most important could alone fill volumes. In this essay I will focus on a few changes which have been crucial for transforming the USA into a Great Power by the end of the 19th century, and into a Superpower half a century later. I will start by describing a territorial expansion of a scale and speed which, with the exception of 17th century Russia, is unparalleled in world history. Closely linked to these territorial gains are such features as the populationˇs sky rocketing growth, the improvements in infrastructure and rapid economic growth, and of course the plight of the Indian population. The shift of gravity which followed from the unequal distribution of growth in the regions is also commented on.

In my view the above mentioned changes are the ones with the most far-reaching consequences for the USA itself and for the rest of the world. Other writers would have played down some of them and concentrated on important issues like the abolishion of slavery, the growing inequality, the evolution of the enterprising spirit, the enduring nati

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This made the Americans even more eager to gain control over the rest of Florida; and under the threat of invasion the Spaniards gave in and agreed to sell the province to the USA in 1819. A peak was

reached with 428 000 persons in 1854.

It was not until 1825 that the immigration exceded 10 000 a year, but it increased rapidly in

the 1830s, and in 1842 the annual number of immigrants exceeded 100 000. The number of US Indians has been estimated at 295 000 in 1865 falling to 237 000 by 1900. The US industrial output made up 23,3% of the world total in 1870, and 35,8% in 1913. The non-protestant minorities were insignificant.

The construction of railroad started in 1830. The years from 1845 to 1854 saw the greatest

proportionate influx of immigrants in American history, 2,4 million, or about 14,5% of the

total population in 1845. The high birthrates and low deathrates can to a large extent be explained by the low average age of the population. When the Cherokies were expelled from their homelands in the winter of 1838-39, almost 4 000 died from exposure and exhaustion on what has been named the Path of Tears. This gave Napoleon the money he needed for his Europen wars while the USA added approximately two million square kilometers to its territory and thereby doubled its size. In the South transport at sea or on the rivers was often an alternative, and so the arrival of the iron horse was of less importance there. The Indians were pledged that they would never be driven away from their new lands, but the great speed and momentum of The Westward Movement ment that this pledge would not be honored: Parts of the new Indian territories were opened to settlers as early as 1834, and in 1885 almost 50% of the land was used by the cattle industry alone.

A total of 400 000 slaves were brought to the USA. The omission of issues like these are due to nothing but the need to limit the scope of this essay.

Approximate Word count = 3012
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

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