HIST-222: Born Modern

The modern American West is a creation of history, not fixed geography; boundaries shift over time (e.g., west of the Missouri River or, narrowly, the 98th meridian).
The West’s identity emerges from transformative events, especially two wars, not from geography alone: Civil War and World War II.
Before the Civil War, “West” was debated and contested; after, it becomes distinct from eastern lands in pace and processes of conquest.

The Civil War inaugurates a unitary expansion westward (no regional “Mason–Dixon Line” in the West).
World War II accelerates and intensifies federal involvement and regional transformation.
The West, through these wars, becomes central to national power and development.

Pre-Civil War federal power was weak; the war creates a powerful state often described as a “Yankee Leviathan.”
After Reconstruction, federal power remains strongest in the West, making the West a primary site for state-building and bureaucratic development.
The West becomes the kindergarten of the American state, with agencies like the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Geological Survey, and the Forest Service shaping its development.

The backcountry of the early 19th century had weak links to national/international markets; railroads later connect and integrate the West.
Settlement tends to follow, rather than precede, market connections; railroads penetrate the region and drive growth.
Population and economic activity follow the rails; after the Civil War, large commercial and industrial actors shape settlement.
Distances illustrating rapid expansion: New York to Omaha ≈ 1150 miles; Omaha to San Francisco ≈ 1421 miles.
By the turn of the 20th century, vast portions of the West were firmly under American control.

Modern army, rapid mobility via railroads, and advancing weapons overwhelmed Indian resistance post-Civil War.
The rail network was viewed as both fortress and highway in Indian Territory.
Commentaries by railway leaders framed rail lines as decisive in settling the West and pushing out Indigenous sovereignties.

The West’s economy gravitates toward extractive industries (mining, fishing, logging) and later agriculture and ranching; limited prewar manufacturing relative to the coasts.
After the Civil War, the confluence of federal support and industrial/commercial society accelerates Western development.
The West becomes more urban, with cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle driving regional growth.

The Depression hits the West hard, with low commodity prices persisting into the 1930s.
New Deal projects, especially dams on western rivers, build enduring infrastructure that fuels later development.

World War II redirects public resources westward on a massive scale: hydroelectric power, factories, and the atomic program at Hanford, WA.
The West gains a disproportionate share of military bases and government funding; substantial shipbuilding capacity emerges (≈ 52\% of U.S. shipbuilding).
Aerospace industrial growth explodes: Los Angeles becomes the “Detroit of the aircraft industry.”
Migration flows: African Americans move north for factory work; Mexican Americans and Japanese Americans experience displacement or relocation during the war (including internment of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor).

The West experiences rapid population growth—roughly three times the national rate—urbanizing along the Pacific Coast.
Politically, the West tends to be liberal with strong federal economic support through much of the mid-20th century, shifting conservative in later decades.
The West is highly diverse due to immigration from Asia, Mexico, Europe, and Canada, challenging simple white–Indian dichotomies.

The popular image of the West as a land of rugged individualism and timeless nature masks its modern, government-and-corporation-driven roots.
The West emerged as a modern region shaped by government policy, corporate power, and large-scale infrastructure and industry.
In short, the West was born modern, not merely wild or rural.

Major boundary concept: west of the Missouri River or the 98th meridian.
Two wars central to identity: Civil War and World War II.
Military and rail power enabled rapid western conquest and integration; Pacific railroads “settled the Indian question.”
Key stat: ≈ 1150 miles from New York to Omaha; ≈ 1421 miles from Omaha to San Francisco; ≈ 55\% of the continent conquered in under 30 years.
WWII shipbuilding: ≈ 52\% of U.S. shipbuilding; West as hub of aerospace and heavy industry.