Bellringer

“Native Americans!”

What are some dangers of life in a wagon ?

BellringerExplain two reasons President Andrew Jackson was sometimes referred to as a King.

Why did Texas want to join the United States after it became an independent nation?

Moving West

Westward ExpansionAs the Americans continued to push West to satisfy Manifest Destiny, the nation was undergoing many changes. These changes range from technological , social, and political changes.

Transportation RevolutionNew technologies made transporting goods and resources cheaper and faster than ever before. These technologies allowed the West to get resources to Northern industries, and Northern goods to Western markets.

Erie Canal- connect West to the Atlantic through the Great lakes, Erie canal and Hudson River

Railroads- the invention of the steam engine allowed the nation to transport vast quantities quickly and cheaply.

Pacific Railway Acts 1862 and 1864To encourage movement west, railway companies began to claim land to connect the East and West. The railroad companies were given huge tracts of land to create quick transportation to the West. Additionally, these railroads were given the mile on either side of the track to sell for profit.

Transcontinental Railway 1869The pacific Railway Act authorized the use of public lands and cash loans to build a railroad to connect the East and West coasts. Thousands of immigrants worked to complete the railroad.

Westward PushThe government passed to laws to promote the settling of the West:The Morrill Land-Grant Act- Land given to colleges to sustain them and provide education to the West

Homestead Act- signed in 1862 by President Lincoln, this act promised 160 acres of land to households who would work the land for a minimum of 5 years.

By 1900, over 600,000 had taken advantage of the Homestead Act to move West

Wagon trainsMoving west was no simple matter. Families would save for months to buy the needed supplies. It took an additional 4-5 months to reach the destination. Along the way settlers had to make the best decision for all their party. Wagon trails were created as hundreds of wagons crossed the plains for Oregon, California and the general West.

Oregon Trail After the British and Americans agreed to the 49th Parallel as the boundary between Canada and the US, American citizens started moving in. The Trail was difficult, and many settlers died along the way from malnutrition and disease.

Donner PartyOne group headed West was the Donner Party. This group consisted of nearly 80 wagons. However, George Donner and nine wagons decided to take an unproven shortcut through the Rocky mountains. They were trapped by terrible storms, starving and desperate, they resorted to cannibalism to survive.

California GoldJohn Sutter hired a carpenter to build a mill in his new colony. This carpenter discovered gold! Within months thousands had come to Sutter’s land to discover gold. The California Gold Rush had begun. The Population exploded:

1848– 14,0001849– 100,0001852– 200,000

Most settlers followed the California wagon trails, but some took ships around South America to the Californian coast

49ers The greatest rush for gold occurred in 1949. The young men who travelled during this year became known as the 49ers. Nearly every man journeying to California were young, single men.

Not only American men rushed to find gold. Thousands of Chinese immigrants arrived to try their luck as well.

Ghost TownsWith each new discovery of gold, new towns would spring up overnight. Hundreds would arrive, but as the gold dried up, the towns would go Bust, becoming deserted Ghost Towns.

The Western WomanEven though mostly families travelled to the West, life was difficult on the Frontier. Women were often left alone for long periods to care for the home and children. Women had to prevent Squatters from taking pieces of their land while their husbands left to earn money.

These solitary life styles led women to push for suffrage, or the right to vote.

WyomingAs Frontier women continued to prove themselves as able homemakers the Western cities began respecting their opinions. By 1887 two Kansas towns allowed Women’s Suffrage. In 1890, Wyoming became the first state to have women’s suffrage written into the state constitution.

The American DreamAs settlers continued to flood to the West America became known as the place where hard workers could make their own fortunes. This became the American dream, having freedom including the opportunity to achieve success with hard work.