Traveling Westward
Traveling Westward• Introduction• Traveling West
o Why move westwardo How?
• Conclusion
Bellwork• Why would someone want to move into the newly
acquired western territories.
Westward Expansion• Who?• How?• Why?
Who• Commercial Farmers• Plantation Farmers• Native Americans• Empresario• Mormons• 49ers
Who? Where to? Why?Commercial Farmers (p.256-262)Plantation Farmers (p 256 – 262)Native Americans (p. 259 – 261)
Empresario (p. 387)
Mormons (p.301 - 303)
California Gold Rushers(49ers) (p.401 – 404)
How?• Routes:
o Roadso Waterwayso Canalo Wagono Rail Roado Steamboato Train
How - Road
How - Train
How - Canal
How - Trails• Travel Via Sea
o Ships would travel around the tip of South America to West Coast
• Land routeso Between 1840-1860 approx.
300,000 made the journey• California = 200,000• Oregon = 53,000• Utah = 30,000
o Length of trip 4-6 monthso Cost of Transportation
• $400 for wagon and gearo Death rate of journey 5%
How - Trail
April, 1846 – April, 1847
Dangers of the Trail: The Donner Party
Donner Party
James Reed & Wife
Margaret Patrick John Breen Breen Breen
Of the 83 members of the Donner Party, only 45 survived to get to California!
Check Up!• List the major routes people are taking to travel
westward.
Why Westward?• Religion
o Mormons
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon
Church)• Foundation
o Joseph Smitho Published Book of Mormon in
1830o Eventually settled with many
followers in Illinois
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon
Church)• Foundation
o Joseph Smitho Published Book of Mormon in
1830o Eventually settled with many
followers in Illinoiso In 1844 Smith was jailed and
then murdered by a mob
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon Church)
• New leadero Brigham Young
• Goal: Freedom from religious persecution
• Migration to Utah began in 1847
• By 1848 5,000 settlers had migrated to Utah
• Utah became a state in 1896
Why Westward?• Religion
o Mormons• Free Land
Donation Land Claim Act1850
• Free land in Oregon Countryo White, male citizens over 18
could receive 320 acres of land
o Married couples 640 acreso Land had to be occupied for
four years and improvedo 2.5 million acres were given
out to 7,000 people
• The Oregon Trail – Albert Bierstadt, 1869
• The Oregon Trail – Game
Why Westward?• Religion
o Mormons• Free Land• Gold
California Gold Rush• 1848 – Gold
discovered outside of Sacramento
• Population explosiono 1848 – 14,000o 1852 – 225,000
California Gold Rush• Prospectors initially
worked aloneo 49ers could earn $50 day
• Two months wages in a northern factory
• 95% of prospectors were male
• Prospectors came from all over the Worldo Mid-1850s = 20% of
prospectors were from China
Check Up!• How did manifest
destiny change the United States?
Match the corresponding who,
where and whyWho?1. Commercial
Farmers
2. Plantation Farmers
3. Native Americans
4. Empresario
5. Mormons
6. 49ers
Where to?A. Old Southwest
(Louisiana, Miss., Al.)
B. Utah
C. California
D. Old Northwest (Mich., Il, Mich., Wis., Ohio) and OregonE. Texas
F. Oklahoma Territory
Why?U. Religious freedom
V. Free land granted by Mexican government
W. Gold and booming economy
X. Grow cotton with slave labor
Y. Grow surplus food for profit
Z. Indian Removal Act
Links• Brigham Young• Gold Rush• Oregon Trail• Oregon Trail (National
Park Service)
Source• http://college.cengage
.com/history/lecturepoints/index.html