The Western Pioneers (Chapter 7 Section 1 pages254-257)

•“Americans moved westward and established new farms in the Midwest; later settlers traveled in wagon trains to the Pacific Coast”

Settling New Lands

•1800- 387,000 settlers lived west of the Appalachian Mountains

•1820- that population grew to 2.4 million•By the Civil War more people lived west of

the Appalachians than lived in states along the Atlantic Coast

Appalachian Mountains

Appalachian Mountains

Why Move West?

•Some religious reasons•Others, chance to own their own farms

•Most people settled east ( ) of the Mississippi River (red line on the map)

However, 250,000 + people did continue further west across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to California and the Pacific Northwest

Based off of this map and information, where do you think the Pacific Northwest would be????

Answer:

Manifest Destiny

• 1845, magazine editor named John Louis O’Sullivan claimed that it was the “manifest destiny” of Americans “to overspread the continent allotted by providence (fate)”

• Many people believed in the concept of Manifest Destiny- the idea that God had given the entire continent to Americans and wanted them to settle western land

Farming New Lands

• Squatters- pioneers that settled on lands they did not own– The federal government intended to survey the

land and then sell large parts to real estate co.’s – Squatters wanted to buy the land direct from the

government

Government Response

• Congress granted the squatters wishes by:– Passing the Preemption Act of 1830– this law protected squatters by guaranteeing

them the right to claim land before it was surveyed

– and gave squatters the right to buy up to 160 acres at the government’s minimum price of $1.25 per acre

Plows and Reapers

• A few decades earlier, farmers had only wooden plows to break the grass cover and roots of Midwestern sod

• 1819, Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow

• 1837 John Deere engineered a plow with sharp-edged steel blades that cut cleanly and easier through sod (reduced needed labor to prepare an acre for farming by half)

Replica of the Original John Deere and Co. Plow

Reapers

• 1834 Cyrus McCormick patented (copyrighted) the mechanical reaper– Prior to this farmers cut grain

by hand using a sickle or a scythe

– This was exhausting and time-consuming

McCormick’s Invention

BeforeAfter

Cyrus, John, and Jethro

McCormickDeere Wood

Settling the Pacific Coast

• Late settlers to the Midwest set their sights on the Pacific Coast – Partly because emigrants thought the treeless

Great Plains had poor farming land• Oregon territory consisted of present-day

Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia

Oregon Territory

Oregon Territory

• Native Americans, United States, and great Britain all laid claim to the territory

• 1830’s American missionaries arrived to convert Indians

Westward Migration

• Terrain from the edge of the Frontier to the Pacific was difficult

• A small number of Trailblazers (mountain men) made a living trapping beaver and selling the furs to traders

• At the same time, they gained a lot of knowledge of the territory and the local Native Americans

Kit Carson

Trailblazing

• By 1840’s, mountain men carved many East to West trails

• Most famous was the Oregon Trail– Other trails California Trail and Santa Fe trail

Wagon Trains

• Emigrants made the journey in groups of covered wagons called wagon trains– Before leaving wagon trains would assemble in

frontier towns:• people would practice using the wagons, which new

drivers sometimes tipped• Families would trade & sell goods• Trained oxen• Exchanged information

Wagon Trains

• First wagon trains hired mountain men to guide them• Once the trails became well-worn, most of the

travelers (known as Over-landers)used guidebooks• Sometimes guidebooks were wrong though– Leading to tragedy in some cases– Ex: 1846 group of 87 known as Donner Party went wrong

way got trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada– 41 died of starvation the rest had to resort to cannibalism

to survive

Typical trip

• Took 6 months • 15 miles per day• Men – drove wagons, hunted game, and fed

and cared for the animals• Women-looked after children, cleaned the

camp, and laundered the clothes

Native Americans

• Early settlers feared Native American attacks• Estimated that 362 U.S. immigrants were killed by

Native Americans• While 426 Native Americans were Killed by settlers

between the years 1840-1860• Native Americans also often gave gifts of food, as

well as helpful information– Where to find water– What plants are edible– Routes to take

Buffalo

Native American –U.S. Relations

• As more settlers began emigrating many Native Americans grew concerned that the buffalo herds would be disrupted

• Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho relied on Buffalo for food, shelter, clothing, tools, etc.

Government Responds

• Hoping to ensure peace, the U.S. government negotiated the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)– In the document 8 Native American groups were

promised that specific territories in the region would belong to them as long as they allow settlers to pass through peacefully

– Government also agreed to make payment to these groups

The Mormon Migration

• Many people settled West in search of land• Mormons-followed a deeply rooted American

tradition; the quest for religious freedom • What was different?– Mormons had to seek freedom by leaving the

Eastern states instead of coming to them

Persecute?

• 1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, or beliefs

Moving Out

• In 1844, a mob murdered the Mormon Church’s new leader Joseph Smith

• Brigham Young took his people west to escape further persecution

Mormon Trail

• Several thousand Mormons made their way along a path that became known as the Mormon Trail

• This path was a valuable route into the Western United States

Mormon Trail

Destination

• In 1847, the Mormons stopped at the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah

• They staked claim on land they called the “Deseret” (not the desert)

The Great Salt Lake