Westward Expansion 5th grade

Westward Expansion Westward expansion= the 19th-century movement of settlers into the American West, began with the Louisiana Purchase and was fueled by the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail and a belief in "manifest destiny.“ https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/westward-expansion

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. The trail was arduous and snaked through Missouri and present-day Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho and finally into Oregon. Without the Oregon Trail and the passing of the Oregon Donation Land Act in 1850, which encouraged settlement in the Oregon Territory, American pioneers would have been slower to settle the American West in the 19th century. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Trail of Tears http://www.tnhistoryforkids.org/histor y/virtual-tours/virtual-tours/red- clay.2461602 https://www.brainpop.com/socialst udies/ushistory/trailoftears/ This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

American Indians https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j9jBhDNcmQ This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Buffalo Soldiers https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/buffalo-soldiers Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-black cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.

Transcontinental Railroad Prior to the mid-1880s, it was known that a railroad would make it easier to reach the West, but it was uncertain whether or not people would want to move there. Plans for its construction would be difficult because railroad technologies were still being developed, and a route through the mountains was not yet developed. While American Indians lived in the area and likely did not want the construction of the railroad to occur, this did not stop the US government from eventually going ahead with the plan.

Transcontinental Railroad The result of the improved speed and comfort of transcontinental transportation was the rapid development of the West. More people lived in the West than ever before. New areas with rich land and sufficient water sources were farmed by families, and new industries, such as lumber and mining, were also formed. The West was becoming a more developed region and a culturally and economically valuable part of the United States.

Transcontinental Railroad Impacts Trading was easier and cheaper Moving from East to West was easier. A boom, or period of rapid economic growth, resulted, and the West saw a rapid increase in population and job opportunities. Once travel between the East and the West was more accessible, the land and resources in the West were more heavily used. As a result, resources depleted (used up), and American Indian land was threatened. https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad