Today’s Warm Up In your notes, sketch what comes to mind when you think of the “American West.” Add in as many details as possible!

Westward Expansion Today’s LEQ: How did push/pull factors lead settlers West? How did settlers travel and what conditions did they face?

Did you know… In 1780, 2.7 million people lived in the original 13 states By 1830, 12 million people lived in 24 states The average family had five children !!

Push/Pull Factors It was a combination of push and pull factors that caused many people to move westward by the mid 1800s. Manifest Destiny… Belief that Americans were destined to settle the continent from “sea to shining sea.”

Push Factors “THE MOTIVATION” – Factors that cause people to leave

Pull Factors “THE INSPIRATION” – Factors that lead people to a particular area

Push/Pull Activity Step 1: Independently read your assigned article and highlight all the reasons for moving that you can find. Step 2: Collaborate with a partner and create your own definition of a push factor and a pull factor. Step 3: Classify the push and pull factors you found in your assigned article on the provided graphic organizer. Step 4: Be ready to share: Brief summary of the event The push factors you found The pull factors you found

Push Factors to the West Overcrowding (you need a new place to live) Need for jobs (displaced workers) Persecution based on ethnicity and/or religion Refuge for outlaws

Pull factors to the west Land (cheap and plentiful – you want a new place to live) Riches (gold, silver, and oil) Freedom of religion/beliefs Family Connections Jobs and new opportunities Adventure

Or maybe to find love ??

Sierra Nevada in winter

AHS Time Capsule A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists or historians. If you were to bury a time capsule in the middle of the football field dedicated to remembering AHS, what five items would you include?

RAFT Summary: Time capsule Imagine you have been stranded along with the Donner Party. You are not sure if you will survive but want to make sure someone learns of your family’s journey and struggles. Create a time capsule that summarizes your experience. Your time capsule should include at least five artifacts. Be ready to share! Role: Member of the Donner Party Audience: Future people Format: Time Capsule (at least five artifacts) Topic: The push/pull factors that led you West and your experience making the journey

Happy Monday  Take out your class notes! Think: Suppose the U.S. government wanted to start settling territory on the moon. To convince U.S. citizens to make the move, they offered 160 acres of “free” land on the moon. Would you take this opportunity? Why or why not?

Railroads Open the West California’s gold rush of 1849 produced a population explosion in the West Created need for better transportation and communication between East and West People wanted a transcontinental railroad that would span the entire continent

Transcontinental Railroad Connected the east coast with the west coast Two companies were directed to construct the railway and telegraph lines: Central Pacific Railroad Company: started in Sacramento, California and moved east Union Pacific Railroad Company: started in Omaha, Nebraska and moved west

Transcontinental Railroad Provided jobs Immigrants, freed slaves, ex-soldiers, etc. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad, towns sprang up along the routes Served the transportation needs for industries like mining and lumbering Much faster travel time cross country

Incentives to Go West Pacific Railways Act granted railroad companies10 square miles of land on either side of each track laid west

Morrill Act Incentives to Go West Passed on July 2, 1862 in the midst of the Civil War encouraged the founding of agricultural colleges across the U.S. by providing land for campuses in all states loyal to the Union. More than 70 land-grant colleges have been founded in the United States.  (Texas A&M, Oklahoma A&M etc..)

Homestead Act Read for more details… Incentives to go west Homestead Act For approximately $10, settlers could have 160 acres of western land if they met certain criteria Read for more details…

Homestead Interviews! Name & Background Info Costs of Free Land What was your situation (family, job, etc.) and why did you move West? Costs of Free Land Think beyond price; what challenges did your individual face? What did they have to give up? Benefits of Free Land Gains made from moving West? Record notes on the provided chart then interview four classmates.