Following the Civil War, the American people set out inhabit and settle on land in central United States. This vast new land to be cultivated was known as the Great Plains, or "The Great American Desert." Several problems stood in the way of these settlers including the lack of Americans present there already and inhabiting Native Americans. United States government was very interested in having its citizens inhabit the area. The government's policies to persuade people to move westward were seemingly strong and effective; however they were only just to a certain degree. Policies successfully convinced Americans to travel westward by offering land however failed to inform them about the rough condition of the land. The method of dealing with the Native Americans was very strong and effective but completely unjust. The United States government was eager to expand into the "Great American Desert" and convincing people to settle there. The east was overpopulated. 70% of the United States population lived in the east. There was also stress between the social classes. The rich living side by side with the poor caused problems. The government wanted to especially move the immigrants westward. During the 19th century, 60 million Europeans migrated to America, mostly settling in the east. With the lack of economic opportunities available, many were attracted to the west with the hopes that they would also be able to acquire land. The Western areas were portrayed as better than they actually were, and many immigrants were deceived into moving. This deception worked; by 1900 many small settlements were established, named after European areas. The business aspect of western movements motivated the government into promoting it. The government funded internal improvement such as railroads and with more and more people using them to get to the Great Plains, they benefited. The United States government promoted westward movement to "The Great American Desert"" and benefitted from it.
