The westward expansion is a great event in the history of America. The expansion from east to west by white men was a slow and steady process, which ranged from late 18th century to the 20th century.

In decades after 1800, the US government followed the policy of westward movement, beyond the river Mississippi and further west. The local American-Indian tribes resisted and revolted. They were massacred and the villages were burnt. The local tribes initially won many wars ultimately, had to sign treaties and give up their lands. The settlers settled in waves between 1820 and 1850. They slashed and burnt forests, cleared large areas for cultivation and erected fences around their fields. In course of time, the great plain across the river Mississippi became major wheat producing areas of America.

Consequently, the westward march of white Americans led to agricultural prosperity and they were able to amass vast natural and mineral resources of that country.