Westward Migration and Urban Immigration Objective 4.01: Compare and contrast the different groups of people who migrated to the West and describe the problems they experienced.

I. Westward Migration

Reasons for Westward Expansion Religious/Political Mormons went to escape religious persecution. Economic Biggest reason people went west. Gold Rush Search for gold to make money. Homestead Act Free land for settlers to develop farms.

Challenges Very difficult trip – many died or turned back. Lack of resources No trees, so they had to build sod houses. Not very much water for crops or drinking.

Unique Experiences Women Did household work and farming Created a sense of community African-Americans Often worked as cowboys/cowhands or U.S. soldiers Immigrants Moved west to work on the transcontinental railroad – developed the West Most came from either China or Ireland

Primary Source Analysis “The O’Kieffes faced a new environment that lacked many things that people in the East took for granted, including easy access to water and wood for building a house. Without trees to use as timber, they built their house from chunks of sod, densely packed soil held together by grass roots. To obtain water, the family had to drill a well 134 feet deep and operate the pump by hand.” –adapted from Western Story: Recollections of Charley O’Kieffe What problems did the O’Kieffes face?

Primary Source Analysis Where do you think these people live? What problems does it seem that these people face?

A. Agricultural Technology Barbed Wire – not enough wood for fences, so this made it possible to cheaply fence in land and livestock. Windmill – use wind power to pump water to the surface, made it possible to irrigate all of the dry land.

A. Agricultural Innovations Steel plow – tool created by John Deere that allowed farmers to plow tougher land. Mechanical reaper – allowed farmers to reap wheat faster. Impact: Made farming much more profitable because it required fewer people to do the same work. Impact: Made American expansion to the frontier easier for those farmers.

Independent Practice Imagine you are a new settler in the West writing a letter to family still living in the eastern United States.. Write a 6-8 sentence paragraph describing what your experience in the West has been like so far. Use information from today’s class to shape your paragraph.

Exit Ticket 1) Which of the following describes the most pressing reason that sent pioneers west? a. They went because they loved freedom. b. They went because they wanted to extend slavery. c. They went because they were seeking a better economic life. d. They went because they wanted to spread Christianity.

Exit Ticket 2) The Homestead Act was important in the growth of the West because it set aside reservations for Native American Indians created the Department of Agriculture to aid farmers encouraged settlement of the Great Plains provided land to build a canal system

Exit Ticket 3) What problems did Western settlers face? Provide two problems and then for each example explain how settlers tried to overcome the problem.