How did America get so big in such a short time?

It amazes me.I mean like how did the city's get so big? Ive been looking on Google earth and it fascinates me just looking around on street view.I know that when the first colonists came to America they had allot of natural resources at their disposal.Was it just allot of hard work and determination?How did America get so big in such a short time?
Discoveries that branch out and lead to other discoveries pretty much causes everything in the world to grow exponentially. Industrial revolution played a huge roll. Immigration as well! A large percentage of the US's population are people who either immigrated or their parents immigrated there.

Also when money starts to get concentrated in one area people start to move towards the money in search for jobs, that's why city centers are always most densely populated.



Also discoveries in engineering in construction allowed for skyscrapers / multi story buildings that aid in concentrating populations in smaller areas!
Well, I'm not an American (I'm Dutch) but Americans have this thing about doing everything big or on a huge scale. Buildings, cars, motorbikes, construction projects, you name it, and they will challenge it, or if I may use the term, 'go for it'. Put short, they are (at least to me) a very ambitious and always have been. In a way, its a very challenging country where many have sought opportunity to mostly fail but at the same time become very wealthy. Americans have been heavily criticized on political issues around the world for continually doing wrong, to a point they have done wrong, based mostly on bad decisions etc, but this is nothing new, all Nations make mistakes, sometimes serious ones. But then again, only America has taken a lot of the risks to maintain peace around the world, this comes at great costs in terms of sacrifice, putting costs aside, these sacrifices are rarely ever mentioned but should be.
If my historical memory serves me correct the purchase of the 'state of Louisiana' back in 1814 or 1834 (I'm unsure) added a staggering 827,0000 square miles of territory to the United States for a meager sum of around $US15,000,000. Mind you, it was a lot of money then, but still a very good deal. It was purchased from France, as the French were keen to use those funds to fight their next war. It shows true determination to have acquired that land and it could only have been the Americans to have pulled-it-off. To this date, and probably fore-ever after, this land purchase was the largest in real-estate history.How did America get so big in such a short time?
America didn't change size, but yes, the cities have grown. That is the result of population growth - both natural and immigration. There is a difference between city buildings in Europe and in America, Unlike Europe, Americans can buy a plot of land, design the building they want and put it up, regardless of what surrounding buildings look like. Of course, if it is too outre, neighbors might complain and the building might have to be altered. In America, the building codes used to be concerned mainly with the safe construction of a building. The exterior was up to you. That's changing in many places.How did America get so big in such a short time?
Freedom is the key. We had unlimited opportunities in the US. Governments did not interfere with progress. Natural resources help. But, look at Japan. It was basically flattened during WWII. The US introduced democratic and economic reforms, then turned the Japanese people loose. They never had any natural resources. They became a powerhouse in 50 years. It took the US about 500 years to develop.
Simple answer an abundance of land, labour (labor) and capital as well as the industrial revolution and financial gains from WW1 and WW2. Excellent entrepeneurs like Andrew Carnegie and banks who lent money on the basis of good business models rather than titles like in the UK and yes more personal liberty and freedom.
Hey it was exploitation all the way. Exploitation makes both human being and country big. They expoited many parts of the world mainly the red Indians

www.historyafrica.blogspot.com
Hard work, determination, and greed.
Oh... I thought this was a pun.
We do what we want. When we want.
From the very outset at the establishment of the first English settlement in North America at Jamestown VA, the plan was to grow and expand as rapidly as possible.

For the first few years Jamestown as a viable profit making company did not succeed. Then someone with a smart head on their shoulders planted hundreds of Virginia Tobacco plants. In England there was a fast growing market for this 'smoke weed' for cigars and pipes and also for the making of snuff.

Result - all this tobacco made more than a fast buck for the Jamestown VA company - the profits just rolled in.

Leaping forward a century or so and the British with their now thirteen colonies began forward planning, as you do. They began working out (estimating) how long it would take to fill the place up by the normal process of breeding (people getting married and having families). Slaves were not included in this calculation.

However, the British quickly realised that if they were to succeed they would do the job faster and more easily by bringing in thousands of immigrants from Europe and beyond. Talent would flow freely into what now had become the United States of America - following a successful uprising and revolution - the purposes of which were expansion in a westerly direction.

Cattle ranching and farming started the money flowing in - vast production of wheat/cereals and etc.
Then industrialisation and etc.

These next links I hope, will throw some light on the thinking behind how it would all work and become profitable.

http://www.sriettc.org/tah/Reading%20Ass…
http://americanhistory.about.com/library…
http://pdfs.rowmanlittlefield.com/am/eri…
http://politicalscience.stanford.edu/fac…


Let's look at it like this. People numbers are not a problem - but lack of people numbers is a problem. Only about one in 100 people has better than average intelligence. Therefore by constantly importing immigrants, sooner or later the place has 'brains' and lots of it.

The most heavily populated place on Earth is down town Manhattan - it is also the richest place on Earth.

USA got big by thinking big and expanding Westward.

Behind it all is the powerful think of the English Levellers, who's influence still reigns supreme in the USA today after all this time.


ENGLISH LEVELLERS http://myownlittleworld.com/miscellaneou…
ENGLISH LEVELLERS http://www.zyworld.com/albionmagazineonl…
ENGLISH LEVELLERS http://www.jstor.org/pss/25610701

To win, you must be bold and free and have liberty as your watchword. This in simple format, is how the people of the British American Colonies and then the United States of America made it to the top of the heap.

Liberty will reign in America - John Adams
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2FAAVPX-…