1. Westward Expansion

2. Natural Environment
Mountain ranges, rivers and deserts formed obstacles to Westward migration.
Great Plains=“Great American Desert”
Travelers to the west crossed the plains, major rivers and The Rocky Mountains

3. Appalachian Mountains
Great Plains
Rocky Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
St. Louis

4. Columbia River
Mississippi River
Snake River
Colorado River

5. Problems Faced on the Trails
Travelers to the West had to traverse not only the plains, but also major rivers and the Rocky Mountains.
Trails through the mountains followed passes that were often impassable during spring rains and winter snows.
Mishaps along the way that delayed the rate of travel could mean disaster.
The climate of the West was also a challenge.
Hot, dry summers brought drought, dust storms, and swarms of insects.
Winter brought snow and the resulting spring floods.
Storms were often accompanied by tornadoes.
Unpredictable weather such as early snows or late-spring hailstorms could ruin crops and imperil livelihoods.

6. Evolution of Westward Trails
St. Louis became the “Gateway to the West”
From there, settlers traveled by covered wagon across trails originally created by Native Americans.
Explorers and mountain men followed the Native American trails and wrote guidebooks that helped to show the way to those missionaries and then pioneers who came afterwards.
The trails became increasingly marked as more and more migrants traveled along these paths.
After the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad provided a way for those who had the means to travel to the west.

7. Transcontinental Railroad—Why Build?
Need a way to connect the east and west coast
Need a quicker way to travel west
Need a safer way to travel west
Read pages in textbook to explore these reasons

8. Transcontinental Railroad—Effects of Progress
Impact on natural environment
Buffalo were decimated
Provided a new means of travel west
Immigration soared
Trade and economic growth

9. Pioneers
Migrants first traveled to and settled the west coast, rather than the Great Plains they first traversed.
The Great Plains were often referred to as “The Great American Desert” because the agricultural potential of this dry, flat land was not first realized.
New technology would unleash the potential of the “American Breadbasket.”

10. Technology Steel Plow: Till the hard packed earth
Windmill: Bring scarce water to the surface
Seeds: Needed special seeds to grow in challenging climates
Mechanical reapers: Made the harvest possible

11. Unlimited Economic Possibilities
People could use the land for its resources and move on (fur trade; mining)
People could settle permanently and use the resources (ranching; farming)
Originally, squatters could claim land and keep it.
The Homestead Act of gave free land to anyone willing to work the land
Railroads received generous land grants from the government and this also encouraged settlers to come to the region.

12. Conflict and Cooperation
Although the journey west often required groups of people to help one another, settlement also brought conflict among groups that competed for access to the natural resources of the region.
As a group, add information about the conflict and cooperation experienced by your assigned group during Westward Expansion to the chart provided.

13. Impact on Native Americans
At first, many Native Americans welcomed and cooperated with explorers of the west.
Policy of the federal government changed towards Native Americans as a result of the transcontinental railroad, the discovery of rich mineral deposits on some reservations, and continued movement west of white settlers.

14. Transcontinental Railroad

15. Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

16. Black Hills (1876)

17. Nez Perce (1877)

18. Wounded Knee (1890)

19. Life on the Reservation
Life on the reservation was not easy
Less desirable lands
Not enough food
Corruption in the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Not enough supplies
The Native American culture was being threatened

20. Reformation?
Reformers of the late 19th century were concerned about how unfair the US government treaties were.
These reformers believed if Native Americans would give up their tribal traditions and adopt the way of life of the white man they would prosper.

21. Dawes Severalty Act (1887)
A new federal policy took the tribal lands of the reservation and divided it up into farms for individual Native American families.
This Act further infringed on Native American culture, which believed community was stronger than individuality.

22. Reformation?
Reformers believed Native American children should learn the ways of the white man.
Children were taken away from their families and sent to boarding schools far away, where they were taught to behave like white children, their hair was cut, and they were taught English.

23. Native Americans Today
Today, as a result of a civil rights movement among Native Americans in the 1960s, their culture is being preserved and their rights honored.