1. Westward Expansion

2. United States, pre-Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War

3. Election of 1844 Polk’s campaign slogan – “Fifty-four forty or fight!”
Take over all of Oregon as the U.S. spreads west

4. Opening the West Reasons people moved west:
Mountain men were from many different backgrounds
Jim Beckwourth
Jedediah Smith
They explored, found new trails, shared their knowledge of the land
Reasons people moved west:
To farm and ranch where land was plentiful
Land speculators bought huge plots
Broke it down and sold it in small parts to make a large profit
Find jobs or escape debt or legal problems
To find gold and become rich

5. Blazing New Trails Oregon
In 1846, a formal agreement was settled which divided Oregon between U.S. & G.B.
49th parallel became boundary between U.S. & Canada
Settlers were flooding Oregon on the Oregon Trail
Missionaries were the first permanent American white settlers

6. Mormons Mormons moved west seeking religious freedom
Blaze their own trail from Independence, MO to the Great Salt Lake

7. Santa Fe Trail Used to connect Missouri with the New Mexico territory
New Mexico seen as a place where traders could get rich
Founder of the trail came back to MO with bags of gold & silver

8. Trails Map