The People of Westward ExpansionAn Introduction to selected groups

• What ideas and events caused the expansion of the United States?

• Examine three groups of people who came west: California 49ers, Asian and Irish immigrants.

• This is not a complete list of people in the West- just the few we will focus on.

Immigrants from Ireland1. Immigrate to America to escape famine and

mistreatment

2. They were distrusted by many in America because of their religious beliefs: Catholicism

3. Many Americans viewed them as racially inferior

4. The Irish were expected to perform dangerous labor for low pay: did work thought to be too dangerous for slaves in the south

5. Instrumental in building the Erie Canal

6. They moved into Eastern cities and migrated west to work on the railroads and in the mines

This cartoon appeared alongside an editorial criticizing supporters of Irish independence as “American only in name.”

Chinese Americans and other people from Asia

1. Chinese peasants escaping poverty and overpopulation immigrated to America

2. Rumors of the Gum Sham, the “Mountain of Gold” increased the number of immigrants

3. Worked in mines, on railroads, as laborers in towns, and started their own businesses

4. Faced prejudice and violence throughout the U.S.

5. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882- The first time that congress banned an entire ethnic group from entering the U.S.

On the next slide: The Harper’s illustration responded to a bill in the New York legislature that proposed to fine and imprison

anyone who hired Chinese contract workers. It accompanied a column dismissing the alleged threat of a “Chinese invasion.”

http://dcc.newberry.org/collections/immigration-and-citizenship

The Gold Rush brings many diverse groups to the West

1. In 1848 gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill north of Sacramento

2. Thousands of Americans rushed west to find gold- Westward Expansion

3. Men and Women from China, South America, Mexico, Australia, and escaped slaves from the South all converged on California- A diverse population

4. In 1849 more than 80,000 people immigrated to California- How did this population increase affect California?

Changes in California

• Rapid and diverse population increase leads to:

1. Gold Fields and towns developed quickly- Boomtowns

2. 1849- To deal with growth and lawlessness, the state drafts a constitution to strengthen the government.-Statehood in 1850

3. California’s Mexican Americans and Native Americans lost land and faced hardships due to discrimination-Indian pop. Declines from 100,000 in 1850 to 20,000 in the 1870s

4. The diversity of California’s immigrants add to it’s unique culture

More cool stuff…