By the late 1800's the United States built a powerful industrial economy. The United States expanded into the American West and some island territories. The United States took over land to make the country a more powerful nation in its economy and military power. This expansion affected two main things, urbanization and immigration. The United States was justified for its expansion because it aided them to become a more powerful nation. .
The United States expanded in many places but mainly in North America, one main place they expanded was in the American West. The Homestead Act was passed by Congress in 1862. The result was more than seventy years of argument over the view of public lands. From 1830 and onward, groups called for free distribution of such lands. .
On January 1, 1863 the Indian Removal Act was passed. The law allowed anyone to file for land that was about 160 acres for free. The land was given to you at the end of five years if you had built a house on it, dug a well, fenced a specified amount, and actually lived there. The Homestead Act was passed in the west. The act provides lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations, and to extend the .
protection of the laws of the United States and the Territories over the Indians, and for other purposes.
The United States expanded in many areas of the world, another area the United States expand out to was on the island territories. One Island they expanded out on was Hawaii. Hawaii had become an important way station for American ships that were involved in trade with China. By the 1880's Americans were eyeing Pearl Harbor as a possible permanent naval base for the U.S. In 1887 they negotiated a treaty with Hawaii to open a naval base at Pearl Harbor. Since 1875 Hawaii had been dependent on an American dominated sugar economy that relied deeply on Asian immigrant labor. Three thousand miles south of Hawaii, the U.
