学而不思则惘，思而不学则殆
WestwardMigration
ThestoryofthewestwardmovementofpopulationintheUnitedStatesis,inthemain,
thestoryoftheexpansionofAmericanagriculture-ofthedevelopmentofnewareasfor
theraisingoflivestockandthecultivationofwheat,corn,tobacco,andcotton.After1815
improvedtransportationenabledmoreandmorewesternfarmerstoescapea
self-sufficientwayoflifeandenteranationalmarketeconomy.Duringperiodswhen
commoditypriceswerehigh,therateofwestwardmigrationincreasedspectacularly.Old
Americasmedtobebreakingupandmovingwestward,observedanEnglishvisitorin
1817,duringthefirstgreatwaveofmigration.EmigrationtotheWestreachedapeakin
the1830s.Whereasin1810onlyaseventhoftheAmericanpeoplelivedwestofth
AppalachianMountains,by1840morethanathirdlivedthere.
Whywerethesehundredsofthousandsofsettlers-mostofthemfarmers,someofthem
artisans-drawnawayfromtheclearedfieldsandestablishedcitiesandvillagesoftheEast?
CertaincharacteristicsofAmericansocietyhelptoexplainthisremarkablemigration.Th
EuropeanancestorsofsomeAmericanshadforcenturieslivedrootedtothesamevillag
orpiecoflanduntilsomreligious,political,oreconomiccrisisuprootedthemand
drovthemacrossthAtlantic.Manyofthoswhoexperiencedthissharpbreak
thereafterlackedthtiesthathadboundthemandtheirancestorstoasinglplace.
Moreover,Europeansocietywasrelativelystratified;occupationandsocialstatuswer
inherited.InAmericansociety,however,theclassstructurewaslessrigid;sompeopl
changedoccupationseasilyandbelieveditwastheirdutytoimprovtheirsocialand
学而不思则惘，思而不学则殆
economicposition.Asaresult,manyAmericanswereaninveteratelyrestless,rootless,
and