1. Trails to the West Americans moved West
They traveled by Canoe and flatboat, on horseback and wagon train. Some even walked much of the way.
The rush to the West occurred, in part, because of a hat.
It was made of water-repellent beaver fur.

2. AMERICANS MOVE West cONT.
John Jacob Astor created one of the biggest fur companies.
His company bought skins from western fur traders and trappers who became known as Mountain Men

3. Mountain Men They lived lonely and often dangerous lives.
They trapped animals on their own and lived far from towns and settlements
To survive in the frontier they adapted Native American customs and clothing
They often married Native American women

4. Pioneer william ashley
He realized that bringing fur down from the Rocky Mountains was expensive.
He asked his traders to stay in the mountains and meet once a year.
This practice helped make the fur trade more profitable
The yearly meeting was called the Rendezvous

5. The oregon trail
A 2000 mile trail which stretched from places such as Independence, Missouri, or Council Bluffs, Iowa west into Oregon Country
The journey usually started after the rainy season ended in late Spring and lasted about 6 months.
They traveled by Wagon Train and experience hardships such as shortage of food, supplies and water.

6. Native Americans
Native Americans helped pioneers, acting as guides and messengers.
They also traded goods for food.
Some newspapers recorded Native American massacres of pioneers, few settlers died from Indian attacks.

7. The Santa Fe Trail From Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico
American traders loaded their wagon trains with cloth and other manufactured goods to exchange for horses, mules, and silver from Mexican Traders in Santa Fe.

8. Mormons Travel West
In 1830 a young man named Joseph Smith founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Western New York. They later became known as Mormons
Smith and his members left New York and setup three communities, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. The communities failed.
An anti-Mormon mob murdered Smith

9. Mormons Continued
Brigham Young became the church's new leader and he choose to settle in Utah.
Thousands of followers took to the Mormon trail
By 1860, there were approximately 40,000 Mormons in Utah

10. The Texas Revolution
In Sept 1810 Father Hidalgo y Costlla, a Mexican priest, led a rebellion of about 80,000 poor Indians and Mestizos (Indian and Spanish Ancestry)
This revolt failed but started the rebellion that would lead to a free Mexico.

11. The Texas Revolution Cont.
The new Mexican government hired empresarios, or agents, to bring settlers to Texas. They paid the agents in land.
Stephan F. Austin started a Texas colony. The first 300 families became known as the Old Three Hundred
In exchange for free land the settlers had obey Mexican Law
But some settlers explictly ignored these laws

12. Mexico, Laws and Rebellion
An example of breaking Mexican Laws
Slavery - was banned but settlers brought them in anyway.
Concerned over losing control of the American population. Mexico banned further settlements by Americans
Angry Americans started to think about gaining independence from Mexico

13. Texans Revolt against mexico
On March 2, 1836, Texans declared their independence from Mexico
Both the declaration and Texas’s constitution were modeled after the U.S. Documents.
The Texas constitution made slavery legal

14. Texas Independence The new Texas government chose
David Burnett as President
Lorenzo de Zavala as Vice president
Sam Houston was head of Texas Army
And Stephan F. Austin went to the United States to seek money and troops

15. Battle at the alamo
Under Colonel William Travis, (Texas) a small force took the town of San Antonio.
They occupied the Alamo, an abandoned mission near San Antonio that became an important battle site in the Texas Revolution
Volunteers from the U.S. Including Davy Crockett and Colonel Jim Bowie joined the Alamo’s defense.

16. Battle at the alamo cont.
The Mexican army took the Alamo and all the defenders were killed.
The Mexican army took many losses.
The Mexican leader at the time was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Following the later battle, Santa Anna ordered the execution of 350 prisoners who had surrendered.

17. Battle of San Jacinto
Santa Anna chased the untrained forces of Sam Houston to San Jacinto River near Galveston Bay
Santa Anna confident of victory made careless mistake in choosing the site of his camp
Mexican troops were resting when Houston’s forces swarmed the camp, shouting “Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!”

18. Battle of San Jacinto cont.
The fighting ended quickly and Santa Anna’s army was destroyed
The Texans captured Santa Anna and forced him to sign a treaty giving Texas its independence