美国西部发展进程

Name: Tina Gu XiaotingStudent number: 201006407Class: Class 2About America---- the WestThis composition deals with the western United States(the West). As defined by American Census Bureau, the western United States now includes 13 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. This composition discusses the forming of western United States, and its development in three industrial revolutions.The western United States was not originally under the rule of America since its foundation. It is after the independence that the U.S. government began to take charge of the vast western area through wars, negotiations, and purchases. At first, the U.S. government purchased Louisiana area from France in 1803. This area contains Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and other Midwest states. Then, In 1819, America obtained Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah through Spanish cession. Later, through Texas annexation in 1845, America got Texas and New Mexico. In 1846, in accordance with Oregon treaty, Washington, Idaho, and Oregon came to be under the charge of America. In 1867, Alaska is sold to America, which is Alaska today. Following Alaska, through Hawaii annexation in 1898, Hawaii was officially one part of America. In the end of 19th century, 13 states finally made up the the whole western area of America.Along with the composing,the West took its first phrase of development, which was influenced by the first industrial revolution. The developing process, extremely active during the period from the middle 19th century to the late 19th century, was known as the westward movement. At that time, developing the west was mainly focusing on agricultural field, and the West began to be covered with transportation, policy, and educational systems. In 1862, the Homestead Act was passed, which directly promoted the agricultural development in western area. In addition, some policies authorizing people the freedom to enter the western area had attracted enormous labors necessary for exploring into the West. The government also pushed forward the building of railways, highways, and canals. Private invests and toll-roads were characteristics in the development of transportation. What’s more, public schools, colleges were set up to encourage the education, free charge in education greatly improved the regional literacy rate. One thing worth mentioning here is that in this period, forced relocation of Native American nations was the most tearful part ofdevelopment, which brought Native Americans vital and uncurable hurts.In late 19th century, the second industrial revolution swept across America, and the second phrase of development came to the West. This time, with policy supports, the West was highly improved in industry. Alchemy and oil industry gained huge acceleration, like California’s gold mines. Mass production was adapted in factories, and large-scale factories in the West began to take off. Wireless telegraphy linked the whole America together, which enhanced the telecommunication industry in the West. In this period, agriculture in the west was industrialized, and the production of food, like wheat and corps, was sufficient enough to meet America’s food demand and the products began to be imported to overseas countries.When the World War II was ended, the whole world went into the third industrial revolution--- the technological and biological revolution. America, as an economic and political powerful country, benefited a lot from this revolution, and the western United States gained further technological development in this period. In the 1960s, silicon valley, composed by areas surrounding Stanford University, became the core of high-tech in America, and then grew to be one of the guides in world’s technological development. Emerging industries found their places in the West, like computer companies, software companies and telephone companies. Also, plenty of regional economic management policies were out to help strike a high-level economic balance between the East and the West, such as Community Reinvestment Act in 1977, a policy aims to encourage banks and economic institutions to offer loans to the low-incomes. Besides, the third industry began to be flourishing in the West, tourism in Colorado, Hawaii, and California was highly developed.Together with educational and infrastructural development, the West now is highly advanced in industry, high-technology, and tourism. Among the three phrases of development, the first one is essential, owing to its efforts of initial exploring, the second one is significant, which dragged the West into industrial progressing, and the third one is inevitable and most important because it crafted the West to be a pioneer on the way of world modernization. Having experienced those revolutions, the West now plays an indispensable role in world’s economic development, and it is possible that this role will not be replaced at least in 21th century.。