美国西进运动的几个直接趋动因素

Impelling Motives in the Westward Movement

美国西进运动历时百余年,如此浩大的开发历程的兴起,原因是多方面的。仅就趋动因素一项,就涉及移民主体的迁移动机、目标地诱因、政府保障、介质推进作用、意识形态背景、科学技术的发展、历史社会文化等几方面内容。应该说,在西进运动发展的不同历史时期,各个因素间的杂糅与递进产生了不同的效应,而这些效应对西进运动的成果实现起到了决定性的作用。单就其直接趋动因素而言,至少要分析在当时历史时期移民的客观处境与主观诉求、“西进”道路上阻力的消除、目的地资源优势的诱因作用、政策法规的鼓励推进、介质的发展与改良等。

Various elements lead to the success of the immigrants’assimilation. More than 100 years have passed since the time of the Westward Movement in the US. We must analyze the immigrants’motiva- tions, inducement of the West, government’s policy, transportation development, ideological background, de- velopment of science and technology, historical and social background, etc. During the whole process of Westward Movement, these various elements mixed and functioned together, bringing about a vital impact on the Movement. Concerning driving motives, immigrants’westward objective condition and subjective appe- als, removal of obstacles on the way to West, inducement and temptation in the target, encouragement by gov- ernmental policies, development and improvement in transportation can never be understated for our analysis.