American West Flashcards
What year was gold discovered in California?
1849
What was the population of California in 1855?
300,000
What is ‘Manifest Destiny’?
The belief that it was God’a will for white Americans to settle west
What year was the USA hit with an economic depression?
1837
After the economic crisis, how much were wages cut by?
40%
How much money did the government spend mapping and publicising the Oregon Trail to white Americans?
$30,000
Name 4 factors why moving west was dangerous
Extreme heat in high summer
Storms with hailstones the size of snowballs in winter
Hostile Indians
Death from disease was common
Wrong routes (eg the Donner Party) could leave parties trapped
What was the size of the Donner Party that set off in may 1846?
60 wagons, 300 people
Why was setting off in may an issue for the Donner Party?
They needed to set off in April to avoid the winter
How many of the Donner Party went through the shortcut?
80 people
What was the damage from the shortcut on the Oregon Trail?
300 cattle, one man killed another and 4 wagons broke
How did the Donner Party on the shortcut survive?
Cannibalism
When were the Donner Party on the trail rescued?
January 1847
Who started Mormonism?
Joseph Smith
Why did the Mormons move out of Illinois in 1845?
Joseph Smith was murdered
