Unit 7: The Nation Grows

After the Civil War, settlers began moving west. The expansion of the railroad and new legislation encouraged miners, ranchers and farmers to settle the Plains region. This expansion caused the buffalo population to decrease. Conflicts arose as the federal government tried to move Native Americans from their homelands to reservations.

While some settlers headed west, others moved to the cities. With the help of many new inventions, the United States was changing from a rural nation to a modern, industrial nation. Immigrants arrived from Eastern and Southern Europe, China, Japan, and Mexico. Looking for work, many immigrants settled in cities. The United States later placed limits on immigration.

By the 1800s the borders of the United States stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and from Canada to Mexico. After a brief war with Spain, new territories were gained outside its borders.



 
 
 
 

            


              

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