1. The Western Pioneers (Chapter 7 Section 1 pages254-257)

2. “Americans moved westward and established new farms in the Midwest; later settlers traveled in wagon trains to the Pacific Coast”

3. Settling New Lands
,000 settlers lived west of the Appalachian Mountains
1820- that population grew to 2.4 million
By the Civil War more people lived west of the Appalachians than lived in states along the Atlantic Coast

4. Appalachian Mountains

5. Appalachian Mountains

6. Why Move West? Some religious reasons
Others, chance to own their own farms

7. Most people settled east ( ) of the Mississippi River (red line on the map)

8. However, 250,000 + people did continue further west across the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to California and the Pacific Northwest
Based off of this map and information, where do you think the Pacific Northwest would be????

9. Answer:

10. Manifest Destiny
1845, magazine editor named John Louis O’Sullivan claimed that it was the “manifest destiny” of Americans “to overspread the continent allotted by providence (fate)”
Many people believed in the concept of Manifest Destiny- the idea that God had given the entire continent to Americans and wanted them to settle western land

11. Farming New Lands
Squatters- pioneers that settled on lands they did not own
The federal government intended to survey the land and then sell large parts to real estate co.’s
Squatters wanted to buy the land direct from the government

12. Government Response Congress granted the squatters wishes by:
Passing the Preemption Act of 1830
this law protected squatters by guaranteeing them the right to claim land before it was surveyed
and gave squatters the right to buy up to 160 acres at the government’s minimum price of $1.25 per acre

14. Plows and Reapers
A few decades earlier, farmers had only wooden plows to break the grass cover and roots of Midwestern sod
1819, Jethro Wood patented an iron-bladed plow
1837 John Deere engineered a plow with sharp-edged steel blades that cut cleanly and easier through sod (reduced needed labor to prepare an acre for farming by half)

15. Replica of the Original John Deere and Co. Plow

16. Reapers
1834 Cyrus McCormick patented (copyrighted) the mechanical reaper
Prior to this farmers cut grain by hand using a sickle or a scythe
This was exhausting and time-consuming

17. McCormick’s Invention
Before
After

18. Cyrus, John, and Jethro
McCormick
Deere
Wood

19. Settling the Pacific Coast
Late settlers to the Midwest set their sights on the Pacific Coast
Partly because emigrants thought the treeless Great Plains had poor farming land
Oregon territory consisted of present-day Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia

20. Oregon Territory

21. Oregon Territory
Native Americans, United States, and great Britain all laid claim to the territory
1830’s American missionaries arrived to convert Indians

22. Westward Migration
Terrain from the edge of the Frontier to the Pacific was difficult
A small number of Trailblazers (mountain men) made a living trapping beaver and selling the furs to traders
At the same time, they gained a lot of knowledge of the territory and the local Native Americans

23. Kit Carson

24. Trailblazing By 1840’s, mountain men carved many East to West trails
Most famous was the Oregon Trail
Other trails California Trail and Santa Fe trail

25. Wagon Trains
Emigrants made the journey in groups of covered wagons called wagon trains
Before leaving wagon trains would assemble in frontier towns:
people would practice using the wagons, which new drivers sometimes tipped
Families would trade & sell goods
Trained oxen
Exchanged information

28. Wagon Trains First wagon trains hired mountain men to guide them
Once the trails became well-worn, most of the travelers (known as Over-landers)used guidebooks
Sometimes guidebooks were wrong though
Leading to tragedy in some cases
Ex: 1846 group of 87 known as Donner Party went wrong way got trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada
41 died of starvation the rest had to resort to cannibalism to survive

29. Typical trip Took 6 months 15 miles per day
Men – drove wagons, hunted game, and fed and cared for the animals
Women-looked after children, cleaned the camp, and laundered the clothes

30. Native Americans Early settlers feared Native American attacks
Estimated that 362 U.S. immigrants were killed by Native Americans
While 426 Native Americans were Killed by settlers between the years
Native Americans also often gave gifts of food, as well as helpful information
Where to find water
What plants are edible
Routes to take

31. Buffalo

32. Native American –U.S. Relations
As more settlers began emigrating many Native Americans grew concerned that the buffalo herds would be disrupted
Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho relied on Buffalo for food, shelter, clothing, tools, etc.

33. Government Responds
Hoping to ensure peace, the U.S. government negotiated the Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)
In the document 8 Native American groups were promised that specific territories in the region would belong to them as long as they allow settlers to pass through peacefully
Government also agreed to make payment to these groups

34. The Mormon Migration Many people settled West in search of land
Mormons-followed a deeply rooted American tradition; the quest for religious freedom
What was different?
Mormons had to seek freedom by leaving the Eastern states instead of coming to them

35. Persecute?
1. To oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, or beliefs

36. Moving Out
In 1844, a mob murdered the Mormon Church’s new leader Joseph Smith
Brigham Young took his people west to escape further persecution

37. Mormon Trail
Several thousand Mormons made their way along a path that became known as the Mormon Trail
This path was a valuable route into the Western United States

38. Mormon Trail

39. Destination
In 1847, the Mormons stopped at the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah
They staked claim on land they called the “Deseret” (not the desert)

40. The Great Salt Lake