Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Chapter 9-1 notes

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West What were the causes of westward migration? By the 1840s, American migrants were crossing into Oregon and California seeking economic opportunity. Soon, these and other western lands became part of the United States, helping the nation grow in both wealth and power.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West The Spanish founded New Mexico in 1598 but the area grew slowly. In 1765, there were 9,600 Hispanics, located mainly around El Paso, Santa Fe, and the Rio Grande Valley. Settlers were threatened by nomadic tribes on horseback, primarily the Apache.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Texas was an under-populated buffer, protecting towns and mines of Mexico against nomadic raiders. In 1760, there were only 1,200 settlers, mostly around San Antonio. Development was slow. By 1821 New Mexico still had only 40,000 settlers. The Spanish built a mixture of missions, ranches, and fortified military presidios to protect against Indian attacks.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Spanish Territory 1820

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West In the 1760s, a few small settlements served as a buffer against Russian traders moving south from Alaska. Father Junipero Serra, a Franciscan priest, set up a string of missions to convert Indians. When Spain left in 1821, more than 18,000 Christian Indians lived in the missions. At first, California developed very slowly.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Manifest Destiny was the belief that God favored U.S. expansion westward to the Pacific. Expansionists saw Mexican independence as an opportunity to take New Mexico, Texas, and California. American expansionists believed in the idea of Manifest Destiny. John L. O’Sullivan, a journalist, coined the phrase in 1845.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Expansionists did not care about Mexicans or Native Americans, whom they saw as inferiors to be pushed out of the way. Southern expansionists also hoped to add new slave states to strengthen their position in Congress.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West The Mountain Men crossed the Rockies seeking beaver pelts. They established fur trading routes later followed by wagon trains of settlers. The first Americans attracted to the west were Mountain Men like Jedediah Smith who blazed trails across the Sierra Nevada into California.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West In 1836, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman established a trading post on what became the Oregon Trail. Many were attracted to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. In 1842, John C. Freemont led an expedition following trails blazed by the Whitmans and the Mountain Men. His reports attracted settlers. During the 1840s, 20,000 Americans migrated to California, Oregon, and Utah by covered wagon.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West The Oregon, Mormon, and Santa Fe Trails were popular routes west. Between 1840 and 1860, 260,000 crossed the continent.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Groups of 10–100 wagons and 50–1,000 people left Missouri in early spring for an uncertain future. The 2,000-mile trip took several months. They passed the dry Great Plains and the deserts of the Great Basin. Emigrants faced exposure, starvation, disease, poisoned streams and hostile Indians. The Donner Party resorted to cannibalism to survive blizzards in the Sierra Nevada. The 2,000-mile trip took several months. They by passed the dry Great Plains and the deserts of the Great Basin. Emigrants faced exposure, starvation, disease, poisoned streams and hostile Indians. The Donner Party resorted to cannibalism to survive blizzards in the Sierra Nevada.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West In 1847, Brigham Young brought them to Utah where they established New Zion. By 1860, there were 40,000 Mormons living near Great Salt Lake. Young remained the group’s leader for 30 years, including eight as territorial governor of Utah. The Mormons migrated west after an Illinois mob murdered their spiritual leader Joseph Smith.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Settlers traveling west generally avoided the Native Americans. The Plains Indians attempted to cling to their nomadic way of life, but their future was limited. In 1851, the Treaty of Fort Laramie restricted Native Americans from areas near wagon routes. The federal government sought to protect settlers by restricting the Plains Indians.

Chapter 25 Section 1 The Cold War Begins Section 1 Migrating to the West Westward Migration, 1840s Western Trail Number of Settlers DestinationWhen California Trail 2,700California 1842–1848 Mormon Trail4,600Utah 1847–1848 Oregon Trail 11,500 Oregon 1842–1848