Transcontinental Nation Research Paper

The United States was not always a united nation. Before the United States became what it is today, it had been just thirteen colonies. Those colonies transformed from a united country into something more, a transcontinental nation, with the help of many events.Though deaths and sacrifices were made in the process, it helped shape the transcontinental nation.
The thirteen colonies went from a new independent country to a transcontinental nation because of the economic improvements, the War of 1812, and the westward expansion. Economic improvements helped the transformation into a transcontinental nation in a big way. The ways were the use of the National Bank and the American System, as well as the First Industrial Revolution. The National Bank was proposed by, then Treasurer,
The
American System became a main focus in the Whig Party opposition against Andrew
Jackson. The First Industrial Revolution greatly helped the transformation. When Samuel
Slater brought his ideas from Britain the idea of the cotton mill was thought of and built in
Massachusetts. The cotton mill was powered by water, which would be used in future buildings in that time. "The concentration of industry in the Northeast also facilitated the development of transportation systems such as railroads and canals, which encouraged commerce and trade." (The Industrial Revolution in the United States). These economic improvements pushed the thirteen colonies one step closer to a transcontinental nation. The War of 1812 played a major role in shaping the thirteen colonies. The contributing factors of the War of 1812 included the Unfinished Revolution, Tecumseh, and Great Britain.
A result of the War of 1812 was Americans gaining nationalism. "Most importantly,
Tecumseh 's advances with the British army proved a challenge for the
Americans, but afterwards, shaped the thirteen colonies. Great Britain gave the thirteen colonies countless problems. From high taxes to impressing sailors to violating rights,
America had to declare war. Great Britain acted as a bully to the colonies and would not stop bullying them. Eventually, bullies have to be stood up to, which is why America decided to declare war on Great Britain and ended up defeating them. The westward expansion was the last way the thirteen colonies was shaped into a transcontinental nation. The Louisiana Purchase, Texas Revolution, and the
Mexican­American War were the contributors in the westward expansion. The

Mexican­American War was a pointless war. It was over and argument over where Texas ended. Mexico claimed that Texas ended at the Nueces River while the U.S. claimed the Rio
Grande. "The war—in which U.S. forces were consistently victorious—resulted in the United
States’ acquisition of more than 500,000 square miles (1,300,000 square km) of Mexican territory extending westward from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean."