The document summarizes the reasons for and factors driving westward expansion in the United States in the late 19th century, including the Homestead Act of 1862 which incentivized settling in the West by granting citizens ownership of 160 acres of land, the prospect of gold and fortune out West, and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad which made travel and transportation easier; however, living in the West required a significant amount of luck and hard work.