Abstract:The Westward Movement, which started in late 18th century, and lasted to the late 19th century, is a large scale pioneering movement in the American history. The Westward Movement promoted the development of the American economy, accelerated the form of American capitalism system and expanded the territory of America. Moreover, it exerted a great influence on the American polity, economy, society and culture and so on. This paper elaborates the Westward Movement and its impact on the individualism of the American cultural values. The individualism, which is the cornerstone of American spirit, is also the core value of American national characteristics and cultural values. The origin of individualism could be traced back to the initial stage of the American history. However, the Westward Movement and the frontier life developed the individualism momentously. Through the associative analysis and content analysis, this paper presents and analyzes the relationship between Westward Movement and the individualism, that is, these two cultures are complementary and go hand in hand. In this paper, the writer will discuss the points above mentioned, define the aspects which are worth our reference, and expound their significance in real life and the value lies in the integration of theory and practice.
Key words: The Westward Movement; American spirits; Individualism; social influence and significance
中文摘要:开始于18世纪末，延续到19世纪末的西进运动，是美国历史上一次大规模的拓荒运动。西进运动促进了美国经济的发展，加速了美国资本主义制度的形成，扩大了美国的疆域，对美国的政治、经济、社会和文化都有巨大而深远的影响。本文从研究这一场运动入手,转而研究其对个人主义价值观的影响。 个人主义是美国民族性格和价值观的核心。个人主义的渊源可以追溯到美国历史的最初阶段，但西进运动使个人主义得到重大发展。 通过联系分析和内容分析等方法的综合运用，本文展示和分析了西进运动和个人主义价值观之间的联系, 两者在各自的发展过程中有着相互推动和补充的作用。本文将对以上几点加以分析，肯定其值得我们借鉴的地方, 进而预测其在实际中的意义。
关键词：西进运动；美国精神；美国个人主义价值观；社会影响
