1. The Western Pioneers
Section 1

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

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

7. 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

9. 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

11. Dividing Oregon
Read this section

12. 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

13. 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

14. Oregon Trail

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Native Americans Fear of Native American attacks was high
362 emigrants died from attacks from
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

19. 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

20. 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”