Chapter 11 Growth & Expansion 1790-1840 US HISTORY Chapter 11 Growth & Expansion 1790-1840

Lesson 2 – Moving West

Lesson 2 – Moving West Daniel Boone 1769 – explored a Native American trail through the Appalachian Mountains called Warriors’ Path. This led Boone through a break in the mountains – Cumberland Gap. Cumberland Gap opened into Kentucky. More than 100,000 people used the Cumberland Gap b/w 1775-1790.

Lesson 2 – Moving West Roads and Turnpikes Turnpikes – Turnpikes were toll roads. Travelers paid to use them, which helped pay the cost of building them. They were made from crushed stone. Corduroy Roads- Some companies built corduroy roads, which were made up of logs laid side by side. National Road – (1806) The National Road was a government-funded road. It connected Ohio to the East.

Lesson 2 – Moving West Rivers & Canals River travel was more comfortable than travel by road. However, there were two big drawbacks. Most major rivers in the eastern region flowed in a north-south direction, while most people/goods were headed east or west. Traveling downstream was easy, moving upstream against the current was slow.

Lesson 2 – Moving West Rivers & Canals Robert Fulton – developed the first largescale steamboat (named the Clermont)  was able to travel from NYC to Albany, NY in 32 hours...previously, the trip would take 4 days.

Lesson 2 – Moving West Rivers & Canals Canal – artificial waterway connecting two larger bodies of water. Erie Canal – built to connect Albany on the Hudson River to Buffalo on Lake Erie. What were conditions like for the workers who built the canal? Conditions were dangerous. Canal walls collapsed on workers and others died in blasting accidents. Disease spread among workers.

Lesson 2 – Moving West Rivers & Canals Locks- separate compartments in which workers could raise or lower the water level. The locks worked like an escalator to raise and lower boats up and down hills.

Lesson 2 – Moving West The Move West Continues As the population increased west of the Appalachian Mountains, new states were created. Pioneers moved to the West to find a better life. Life in the West was different from life in the East. Life in the West did not include the conveniences of Eastern town life. The West was settled by people who did not seek comforts and conveniences but rather an opportunity to build a better life for themselves.