American History
The West served as a “safety valve” to put racial tensions in control among whites who could not succeed in the business world. Therefore, many struggling easterners hoped that the West was a place to start over. This saw the enactment of the 1862 United States Homestead Act[1]. Its primary aim was to reduce labour shortages in the East by creating free land accessible in the West for the vast number of populations and immigrants. People hoped that enacting a free land rule would serve as a safety valve. Therefore, the West served as a safety valve for the inhabitants of the East who lacked homes, employment, or a pleasant lifestyle, as the land was inexpensive and readily accessible. Hire our assignment writing services in case your assignment is devastating you.
Easterners could not get housing, employment, or a better life they desired, so the West acted as a safety valve because the land was accessible and cheap. Nonetheless, farmers got into debt because prices of agricultural products rose, and they had to acquire farm tools and equipment, which resulted in economic issues. Since the property was cheap and readily accessible to the West, Forner thus concluded that the West provided a safety valve for those from the East who could not acquire houses, a comfortable life, and employment. In addition, towns also used bribery or blackmail to get more business from railroad companies.
The notion that shifting to the West could change the Easterner’s situation has existed since British colonization; however, Eric Forner popularized it. The minority had never seen such plentiful, yet the vast majority did not. People lived in abject poverty with poor working conditions. The Government monopolized production, owned industries, workers were dying, and salaries were stagnant compared to other industrialized countries in the East.[2]. Therefore, those who felt unhappy with the present situation were encouraged to leave for better economic opportunities in the West. The West provided numerous employment possibilities because of the various terrain types. In addition, federal aid also enhanced land buying, development, and the construction of irrigation systems and dams.
On the other hand, influential industries and the rich forced their rules on everybody. For instance, Indians were forced to work on farms in California. In contrast, Chinese and Mexican migrants were subjected to indentured slavery and long-term contracts.[3]. Thus, moving to the West ideally revealed the same problems to the Easterners. For instance, the backbreaking from physical work, venomous snakes, farming within the Great Plains, and blizzards proved very hazardous and challenging. Consequently, family members were forced to depend more on industrial equipment and loans, making them more susceptible to the whims of the global market and compelling them to farm specialized crops for foreign and domestic consumption[4]. Besides, Native Americans’ and Mormons’ control was also tried and, to a higher degree, thrived, which delimited religious freedom in the West.
Bibliography
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: One Volume. WW Norton & Company, 2016.
[1] Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: One Volume. WW Norton & Company, 2016.
[2] Ibid p.145
[3] Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty! An American History: One Volume. WW Norton & Company, 2016.
[4] Ibid. 147.
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Question 
In what ways did the West provide a “safety valve” for the problems in the industrial East? In what ways did it reveal some of the same issues or new ones?
American History
Using evidence (laws, codes, acts that prove your point) and examples (that demonstrate and support what it was like then) from the assigned chapter by Foner, build an argument for your answer to the question/prompt above. As a historian, your goal is to investigate the past and make an argument about a specific period, event, individual, or idea using facts. Using the assigned chapter, identify key facts and evidence that helped you make your conclusion about the West as a safety valve and the problems that came with it.
Requirements:
Include a thesis. See the video on How to Write a Strong Thesis to make sure you are doing it correctly.
Use in-text citations or footnotes. See the Chicago Style Guideline for formatting help. Here is a quick reference when using Foner with in-text citations: According to Foner, “direct quote here with quotation marks” (pg. 123). Note the period comes after the citation to end your sentence. You can also paraphrase Foner and then complete your paragraph or sentence with an in-text citation like this (Foner pg. 123). If you use footnotes, you will use the Word function to enter the Latin number and enter the complete citation information at the bottom of the page.
Include a Works Cited in Chicago style. Although you are only using one source, “Give Me Liberty” by Eric Foner, you will include works cited to practice the format and get into the good habit of having your sources. You can also have sources provided in the module overviews or supplemental material within each module.
Times New Roman 12-point font. It would be best if you were consistent with your work, and this is the preferred font in Academia.