Tuesday, December 11, 2012
December question 3
As American settlers and immigrants moved westward in the 19th century—especially in the years before the Civil War—the land began to settle quickly. How did the railroad, improved roads, and other advancements help this settlement happen? What caused people to move west? What factors would encourage someone to migrate today? What are the biggest challenges facing migrants today? (in America or anywhere else you’d like to comment about)
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John F. (USA)
ReplyDeleteDuring the 19th century, the proliferation of the transportation industry was an instrumental factor in westward expansion. The railroad in particular allowed rural communities to interact with economic epicenters such as New York. As the ease of transportation increased, the population increased. Instead of traveling by Conestoga Wagons (which costed a lot), people were able to arrive at their destinations faster and cheaper. As well as ease of travel, the "draw" for jobs west, such as building railroads, gave people a chance at making an income for their families. What factors would encourage someone to migrate today? Many factors could play a part in migration from one area to another. The lack of jobs or lack of connection to an economic epicenter in their hometowns would probably cause many of us to migrate, in search of a city that offers our needs. The biggest challenges facing migrants today could be because of economic issues. For example, let's say you live in a state where home prices are relatively low. If you decide that you want to live closer to Los Angeles, one might realize that the prices of homes in California are extremely high. They would probably not be able to move into a home that they want nor would be able to afford. The transition between states cause economic challenges for migrants.
The most important transportation improvement is the construction of railroads. These railroads helped people in 19th century with westward expansion. At that time they went west because of many opportunities such as gold in California and even to basically have better lives and work opportunities. Today many people migrate to US because of the same reason. Many Europeans go to US just to have more opportunities to work and study abroad. I believe the biggest challenge today can be the capacity of adaptation in a new country with new traditions.
ReplyDeleteThere were many reasons to why immigrants and settlers went towards west. Mostly it was about economic issues. They wanted to live a better life with more money and better work. Now days, people tend to move to the US either for better job opportunities or better schooling. The only problem today is that adapting to a new place is always so hard, so it would be harder for people to migrate now.
ReplyDeleteThe most important thing to know is that the settlers moved west because of the gold, the gold rush. The gold rush was a movement which all the settlers used to do to gain gold from the mines
ReplyDeleteThe transportation achievement helped people moved faster, and it also encourage more settlers to go there. In the 19th century, people moved west because of economic profit and religion freedom. Today, economic interest motivated most people to immigrate. They might face some problems about cultural and enviromental differences.
ReplyDeleteThe settlement was more accelerated because railroad was a faster way of transportation of goods. This moved the population further away from the center. Having more differences more time.
ReplyDeleteAngela (Italy)
ReplyDeleteRailroads and advancement made transportation easier and quicker. People back then were more motivated to move, as they could feel more safe while traveling on set roads. In 19th century, settlers decided to move west to search for wealth and better condition, sometimes even to escape persecution. The reasons why people move today haven't change much. They move for work, to search better condition, to escape from hard situations or political controls.
Manifest Destiny encouraged people to move west. They believed god has send them to travel west, in order to live a better life. All the travelers who were poor had disadvantages because they had to travel with wagons while rich people could travel with railroads. Many poor people died during the journey, but the ones that survived settled down; in Oregon or Carolina.
ReplyDeleteDuring the XIX century, migrants were settling and occupying new land, so communication system and road system improved rapidly. So, first western settlers got the best pieces of land. Who was late to get the land got not the best land. Now migrants face another problems. For example, a lot of migrants to United States come from Mexico, and they are discriminated for being latino, only because they are from Mexico. Also, migrants right now try to get American Citizenship, but it is now not as easy as it was in the beginning of the XIX century.
ReplyDeleteThe westward expansion happened mostly because of the gold found in California. People wanted to get as rich as possible and to be the first to get to California. The railroads were created because a huge amount of people started to expand westward and the railroad facilitated this expansion. People nowadays would still immigrate if the place they would go it covered in gold and in easy money. Everyone wants to make money as easy as possible and as much as possible so even today, for example, there are a lot of people from Romania that move to some other country in the European Union because the wages are so much bigger.
ReplyDeleteA westward expantion benefited because of railroads and improved roads, that connected all of the towns and cities so people could interact and have trade, discuss their different opinions about same things. The search of better life made people go to the west side, because there were new opportunities for making money, such as new land for farming, gold findings and place to start new religion in case of Mormons. Today a lot of things will make people to go to the west, for example needing of job or simply searching for a new life on the west. However, people can't just go there, they will face some problems with migrations, for example prices in the west are still high if you go near to economical center like Los Angeles. In addtion, people will face restriction of immigrants' coming there, because they can't have a permission to live there officially.
ReplyDeleteThey had this belief of they have to move to the west because it was written on bible. So they made them selves believe to this ''Manifest Destiny''. Than their economical needs(gold rush) and some other needs also added up. As a result they expanded to the west. The immigration was really hard for them. They moved with these horse carts which was not comfortable at all. They had suffered a lot on the way. Most of them were also disappointed whit what they had found there. Despite, now a days, people are immigrating consciously. They do their researches before they leave. They are not just moving because they heard some gossip. Most of them know what is waiting for them there.
ReplyDeleteIsabel, Italy
ReplyDeleteThe biggest transportation improvement that the US made, were the railroads. These constructions were really helpful for the people in the 19th century to move to the west. They wanted to move there because of many reasons, for example the California Gold rush. Most people went there to have a better life, to find a new job and a house where to live.
I have agree with Tudors statement. Most of the time immigration happens when people try to find new money source. California had gold and this is a pretty good reason for moving there. So, it is not surprising that a lot of US citizens moved there only to increase their profits.
ReplyDeleteThe railroads, advancements in the means of transportation and roads improvements helped people to arrive faster to their destinations and with less hardships, since the probability of something in a wagon or in the train breaking was lower. People moved west for many reasons, some to escape religious persecution in the Utah case, some to fulfill the duty that God gave them with manifest destiny, to find better lands to harvest in the Oregon case, to find gold in California, and or to just start a new life. I believe money would be the main factor for people to move today. Some would move to a bigger and richer city, such as New York to find a better job, but their challenge would be prices of items, and most importantly homes. If someone moves to New York from a small town in Alabama they will find that the prices of clothes, food and housing are much more expensive in New York, therefore being one of the major challenges into moving, if not the biggest one.
ReplyDeleteThe railroads and the telegraphs helped the people to move to the west. First, they were extremely challenged to move due to long way and lack of technologies. Most of them moved because of economical reasons and now people are still moving because of better opportunities somewhere.
ReplyDeleteToday people "migrate" for the same reasons as in the past, to find new opportunities and become rich. Since the railroads were introduced for settlers move become relatively easy, because trains can transport heavy material very quickly. Furthermore, today technology allows us to travel from continent to continent in few hours and this motivates even more the desire to find new places to start a new life. In conclusion, the sum of technology and will make people move and start a new life all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason of people migration is looking for better life. The new transportation advancements such as railroads and improved roads helped people to travel much easier, safer and faster. Westward expansion was the period of time when people moved to west for different gains, however the conditions of the trips there were very harsh and it took a lot of time. Many people died during the travels. Therefore all these advances made more people move. The reason for migration today is basically the same: in order to find a better life. However, tourism and migration is a two completely different things; there is why migrants usually face problems, which they didn't expect.
ReplyDeleteIn the 19th century, roads and railroads started to increase rapidly,especially in the North, allowing the development of the country to accellerate remarkably. This made an expansion to the west possible, guided by the manifest destiny belief. At the time, they were searching for a new life. Economics and religius reasons were the most popular among the new west settlers, and they are the same that motivates people nowdays to migrate somewhere else. However, migrants are facing several difficulties in new places, since many if them migrate illegally. They usually expect to get richer and find a job, but they often don't, finding themselves poor and discriminated. Because of this, many of them choose to intraprend a dishonest life, stealing and living without paying any taxes. Unfortunately, this is a very common issue in many countries, like Itlay, and it brings people to discriminate these immigrants.
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ReplyDeleteImmigrants in 19th century moved to the West because they hoped for a better future, new resources and curiosity. Thanks to railroads helped people, communication and goods to spread faster. Nowadays people would move to US because it provides good jobs, universities and is a pretty advanced and well guided nation. Many people would also not always find positive aspects. Immigrants would find issues in economy.
ReplyDeleteThey might not afford everything that the nation provides them due to transition between states.
The gold rush also helped attract people instead of pushing them westward. Before the gold rush, people were being pushed by industrialization and the building of the railroads but after they wanted to stay. Of course the economy affects everybody but immigrants aren't affected as much as the middle class. Because there will always be manual labor available anywhere. But they will have a harder time competing with the other immigrants in order to find a job because of the middle class. With the middle class being much more frugal due to the economy, manual labor jobs will not be provided as easily.
Delete19th century Gold Rush was certainly helped by the improved mapping of roads that the great pioneers of the time, starting from Luis and Clarck, managed to draw. At the time people that faced the Westward expansion did not know what was waiting for them on the other side of the continent. The Manifest Destiny (holy reference to an expansion towards west) gave American citizens the courage to move and try to change their own lives. Immigrants nowadays perfectly know what they are going to face, how difficult the road is going to be for them but they accept the task even if they know something could go wrong and they will have to avoid their dreams. Immigrants today are the best example of determination as these are the ones most willing to really change their lives.
ReplyDeleteWestward expansion happened because of the Gold Rush. People moved to the West in order to have new opportunities, and therefore, have better lives conditions. By railroads and.. people were able to travel to places faster and easier. This helped the migration to the west. Goods, materials, products, and other things were able to get from one place to another thanks to the railroad and improved roads. Similar to the past, nowadays, the lack of opportunities (like jobs) is one of the main reasons that cause people to migrate.
ReplyDeleteOverall, the railroads and roads allowed for westward expansion to take place. Without those inventions there would not have been as many people interested in moving west because they figured it was way too dangerous for themselves and for their families. And although, from today's standards, it was a very dangerous journey, to them it was much easier than having to travel by foot. Especially with all the inventions allowing for people to travel more efficiently by bodies of water helped tremendously for the westward expansion to occur. Many of the reasons for why people decided to move west was because they wanted to experience something new and different. The excitement behind the idea was huge, many had also heard about all the goods and rich farmland that was being claimed and wanted to be apart of that. Today, most people migrate because they are looking for a better life and better ways to make money for their families. The major challenges that migrants face today are the stereotypes and inability to fit in with the others. Many are not accepted or welcomed into the culture/society that they migrate to, leaving them with a very negative mindset and experience. Especially since many people take advantage of the migrants and don't pay themas much as they have earned or don't respect them.
ReplyDeleteThese advancements in society effected the "size" of the world. When there is more transportation, which is much faster and more efficient, the travel time goes down making it easier to get from place to place. This in a sense makes the world smaller and more accessible. This Made America a desirable place to be in and many migrants wanted to experience the american dream and own land that was fresh in the west. Today many people from mexico are coming to the U.S. A large amount come to California and Arizona. This is for the same reason because they see a land of opportunity. Migrants face more modern challenges today such as getting a job and housing and aquiring all necessary paperwork.
ReplyDelete-Ryan M