Other motivations for moving west were gold, land, and opportunity. When you picture the "westward expansion" of settlers in the United States, a covered wagon may be the first thing to come to mind. Of course, American Indians were already occupying those western lands, setting up conflict situations. There was lots of land, good soil for farming, and it could be bought at a cheap price. One of the main reasons people moved west was for the land. The Pacific Railway Act was pivotal in helping settlers move west more quickly, as well as move their farm products, and later cattle and mining deposits, back east. Additionally, how did westward expansion impact the United States? These challenges include costly transport, costly tolls, having to leave all belongings and land behind and the fact that 20,000 died in total. in 1849 is when gold was first discovered in California. 16 westward expansion hub the impact of westward expansion on why settlers moved west westward moving west 1800s page 1 line 17qq windmill energy helped settlers moveWestward Expansion Timeline Events FactsPost Civil War Westward Migration Us Ii American YawpReasons For Westward ExpansionThe American Myths Of Westward Expansion That Just Conflict and Consequences of "Western Expansion" From the earliest days of European settlement on the Atlantic Coast, pioneers began moving west not just to trade but to live and raise families. This is known as Westward Expansion. Westward expansion had serious consequences for Native Americans since continental expansion implicitly meant the occupation and annexation of their lands. The United States continued the European practice of recognizing only limited land rights of indigenous peoples and sought to expand into the west through the nominally legal purchase of Native American land in treaties. which was stepping on other people to get there. Despite acquiring the chance for a better start, American settlers faced many challenges in the actual trip westward. Government legislation was also acted as a pull factor. Why did settlers move west in the 1800s? This also hurt Natives because it killed them and took their land. This was a sharp contrast to the United States government, which throughout the settlement of the American West, had been ever present in the lives of the western settlers. Why Did Settlers Move Westward In The 1800S. Not only did this provide more room for the growing population to settle, but also it encouraged the idea of acquiring Spanish Florida and later Texas. There were many different opportunities to get rich, such as: Westward movement, the populating by Europeans of the land within the continental boundaries of the mainland United States, a process that began shortly after the first colonial settlements were established along the Atlantic coast.The first British settlers in the New World stayed close to the Atlantic, their lifeline to needed supplies from England. Manifest Destiny played a role in motivating settlers to move west. Westward expansion in the United States dates back to the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which doubled the size of the country. Reasons for westward expansion A range of push and pull factors led to the settlement of the American West. For example the Homestead Act of 1862 granted the head or man adult of the family 160 acres of land in the west, but in return would be a small fee. To gain access to the western part of the country the white settlers had to pass through the Native Americans. Westward expansion was the greatest method to achieve the grouping of the natural resources found and use them as needed. Gold was a really big pull factor to thousands of settlers who moved westward. In conclusion, westward expansion had a negative impact in the United States.