The Western Pioneers Section 1

Americans Head West In 1800 only 387,000 white settlers lived west of Appalachian Mountains By 1820 that number was close to 2.4 million and the numbers continued to rise Some moved for religious reasons, while others just wanted a chance to own land John Louis O’Sullivan declared Manifest Destiny Manifest Destiny- idea that God had given the continent to Americans and wanted them to settle western land

Farming the New Lands Early settlers searched for rich river bottom soil to make their claim while others looked to the fertile woodland soil Squatters- name given to the pioneers because the settled on lands they didn’t own Government wanted to sell the land to real estate owners then allow them to sell the land to the people Squatters wanted to buy the land directly from the government

Cont. Government gave into the pioneer’s pressure Congress passed the Preemption Act of 1830 Law protected squatters by guaranteeing them the right to claim land before it was surveyed and the right to buy up to 160 acres for the government’s minimum price of $1.25 per acre

Plows and Reapers Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow in 1819 Before farmers used a wooden plow to break through the soil

Cont. In 1837 John Deere engineered a plow with sharp-edge steel blades that cut cleanly through the sod Reduced labor needed by half to prepare an acre for farming

Cont. Cyrus McCormick patented the mechanical reaper in 1834 to help Midwestern agriculture Before farmers cut grain by hand with a sickle or scythe Time-consuming and exhausting work Switching from sickle to McCormick’s reaper that was pulled by a mule or horse, cut harvest time down and farmers could harvest far more grain with far less effort

Dividing Oregon Read this section

Populating California People passed up the Great Plains for Oregon and California because many felt the Great Plains contained poor land for farming Once Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, they controlled California Mexico had trouble populating California due to it being so far from Mexico City where the central government was housed

The Trails West Much of the terrain was difficult Trailblazers and mountain men made their living off the land Kit Carson and Jim Bridger made their living trapping beaver and selling furs to traders Learned the terrain and by 1840s mountain men had carved out several east-to-west passages that played a vital role in western settlement Oregon Trail, California Trail and Santa Fe Trail

Oregon Trail

Wagon Train Life Emigrants made the journey in trains of covered wagons First wagon trains hired mountain men as guides Once trails were worn then mountain men weren’t needed anymore Overlanders found their way with the help of guidebooks If guidebooks were wrong then it could lead to tragedy

Cont. 1846 a group of 87 overlanders were trapped by winter snows 41 died of starvation Those still alive faced the choice of death or cannibalism Many chose cannibalism in order to survive Known as the Donner Party Named after 2 brothers who lead the group

Cont. Typical trip west took 5-6 months, 15 miles per day Men drove, hunted, and bedded down animals Women watched kids, cooked, and cleaned camp

Native Americans Fear of Native American attacks was high 362 emigrants died from attacks from 1840-1860 426 natives died from emigrant attacks covering the same years Natives were often helpful Gave food, helpful info on routes, edible plants, and water Traded fresh horses for items such as cotton clothing and ammunition

Cont. As traffic increased, natives became concerned Buffalo was natives food, shelter, clothing, tools, and countless other necessities Increasing number of emigrants were dispersing herds Treaty of Fort Laramie 8 Native American groups agreed to specific geographic boundaries, while U.S. promised that these territories would belong to Native Americans forever

The Mormon Migration Mormons followed a deeply rooted American tradition-the quest for religious freedom Brigham Young Mormon Trail Mormons stopped at Great Salt Lake in Utah Young declared the Mormons to build a settlement They staked a claim on the land and called it “Desert”