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