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GCSE REVISION > History- American West > Flashcards

History- American West Flashcards

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1
Q

Who were Mountain Men?

A

Men who travelled across the Great Plains to the Mountain Ranges of the west, such as the Rockies.

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2
Q

Why did Mountain Men move to the mountain ranges in the west?

A

To hunt animals for their fur.

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3
Q

What began to happen in 1840, and how did this effect Mountain Men?

A

1840- the fur trade was declining. They began to look for jobs as guides for the wagon trains. These guides were ideal for the settlers who wanted to move west.

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4
Q

What happened to the USA in 1937?

A

The USA was hit with an economic depression.

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5
Q

How much were wages cut by in 1837?

A

40%

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6
Q

What was the percentage of unemployment in some areas following 1837?

A

25%

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7
Q

What reports were spread about the west to the east in the early 1940’s?

A

The east was told how great the far west was.

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8
Q

What did the west give away in huge quantities in the early 1940’s for free?

A

Land.

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9
Q

What stories from the Mountain Men were spread?

A

California and Oregon was ‘Paradise on Earth’, and how the sun always shone and fruit grew everywhere.

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10
Q

What happened in 1849?

A

California Gold Rush.

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11
Q

Name 3 effects of the California Gold Rush.

A

The economy boosted due to all the gold being found.

The Gold Rush attracted a lot of crime and outlaws, so crime increased in California.

The population increased drastically, in 1855 the population of California was 300,000.

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12
Q

What is ‘Manifest Destiny’?

A

The belief it was God’s Will for white Americans to settle in the West.

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13
Q

How much money did the Government spend mapping and publicising the Oregon Trail?

A

$30,000.

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14
Q

How much did it cost to get to California by sea? How did this help the Oregon Trail?

A

$300. Wagon trains were MUCH cheaper.

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15
Q

How far was the journey from East to West?

A

3,800km.

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16
Q

What were some of the dangers when moving west?

A

Attacks from the Plain Indians.

Extreme heat in high summer, massive snowstorms with hailstones the size of snowballs in winter.

Wrong routes or misjudged timings.

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17
Q

How many people used the Oregon Trail between 1836-1869?

A

400,000 people.

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18
Q

When should you start your journey to the west and why?

A

April- leaving in april means there would be grass on the Great Plains to feed the Oxen that pulled the wagon.

Journey would be completed by winter to avoid being stuck in the mountains and freezing/starting to death.

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19
Q

What was the total size of the Donner Party?

A

60 wagons, 300 people.

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20
Q

When did the Donner Party depart? Why was this a mistake?

A

May 1846, NOT april 1846. This means they wouldn’t miss the winter and there would be less grass on the Great Plains for the Oxen.

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21
Q

How many people took a shortcut? What was the result of this?

A

80 people went on this shortcut. 300 cattle died, 4 wagons broke and 1 man killed another.

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22
Q

What mountain range did the Donner Party get stuck in?

A

Sierra Nevada mountains.

23
Q

How did the survivors of the shortcut survive?

A

Cannibalism.

24
Q

When was the Donner Party rescued?

A

January 1847.

25
Q

Who started the Mormon religion?

A

Joseph Smith.

26
Q

Why were they hated by Christians?

A

For their beliefs polygamy (the belief a man could have more than one wife).

27
Q

What happened as a result of the constant persecution?

A

The Mormons moved to an unpopulated area- the Great Salt Lake.

28
Q

What happened to the Mormons in 1845?

A

The Mormons had to leave Illinois due to their leader, Joseph Smith, being assassinated.

29
Q

Who took over the Mormons following the assassination of Joseph Smith?

A

Brigham Young.

30
Q

Where did Brigham Young take the Mormons? What were his reasons?

A

The Great Salt Lake.

Unpopulated area.

There was streams, and there was good soil for farming.

The area still belonged to Mexico and was outside US control, who the Mormons didn’t trust.

31
Q

What were the positives of Young’s journey to the Great Salt Lake?

A

He sent a party of 150 Mormons to take the 2000km journey first.

They marked the journey, and even marked where to cross rivers and where water culd be found.

He divided the Mormons into small, manageable groups so if something went wrong they could manage.

He gave everyone a specific role and there was no arguing.

There was regular rest places put in place along the journey.

32
Q

Why was Brigham Young a successful leader?

A

He had complete control over the community, all the decisions were made by him.

He was highly organised.

Took the Mormons to an isolated area to evade persecution.

He set up the Perpetual Emigrating Fund which ensured people from all over the USA and the world would join the Mormon community. Each of these people brought with them a new skill the Mormons desperately needed as they wanted to be self-sufficient.

Due to his planning, farming increased threefold from 1850-1860.

33
Q

What event happened in 1849?

A

Gold was discovered in California?

34
Q

Who were the ‘49ers’?

A

Miners who went to California in an attempt to find gold and get rich quick.

35
Q

from 1849-1852, how much did the population of non-Native Americans rise in California?

A

14,000 to 225,000

36
Q

How did some people take advantage of this population increase?

A

Some became store owners, some became saloon owners and some became owners.

37
Q

What happened with 49ers of different nationalities?

A

They were banned from most camps.

They caused racial tensions to rise.

38
Q

What happened to Mexican 49ers?

A

They were driven from there claims by mobs.

39
Q

What happened to Chinese 49ers?

A

Left to rework old exhausted claims but were often harassed and murdered there as well.

40
Q

What happened to Indian 49ers?

A

They were often murdered.

41
Q

What happened to African American 49ers?

A

Most miners refused to work alongside them.

2000 African Americans did prospect (mine for gold).

42
Q

Why was the 1849 California Gold Rush important?

A

It promoted the West would make you rich.

The people mining for gold often became miners. California’s excellent farmland meant it could export food worldwide.

Money from the Gold Rush helped fund the Transcontinental Railroad.

43
Q

Why was law and order an issue in mining towns?

A

Mining towns grew quickly, and there wasn’t enough properly trained law-enforcing officers.

There was disputes over claims to mines.

Travel in the west was slow, so law-enforcers couldn’t get around fast enough.

Gold attracted criminals.

Many miners went to saloons for pleasure. Gambling and prostitution was very common.

There was a Miner’s Court that used brutal methods of punishment. There was no appeal, trials didn’t take long and hangings were common.

The US Government couldn’t appoint enough Lawmen.

44
Q

Who were the Homesteaders?

A

People who wanted to settle on the Great Plains.

45
Q

What influenced the Homesteaders?

A

Mainest Destiny.

46
Q

Name some of the groups of people who were Homesteaders.

A

Ex slaves.

Ex soldiers.

People from the East who couldn’t afford land there.

47
Q

Why did some people from the East become Homesteaders?

A

They couldn’t afford land in the West, and land on the Great Plains was cheap.

47
Q

What were some issues with land on the Great Plains?

A

There were no trees to build a house, make fences or for fuel.

The land was hard and often dry.

48
Q

Who fought in the American Civil War?

A

The North/The Union.

The South/The Confederacy.

49
Q

What was the death/injury toll from the American Civil War?

A

600,000 died.

400,000 injured.

50
Q

How did the American Civil War cause migration to the Great Plains?

A

Slaves wanted a new life following the end of the American Civil War.

Soldiers wanted a new following the end of the American Civil War.

Unemployment in the south was high due to there being a limit of jobs, so some people moved to the Great Plains as land was cheap.

51
Q

Who were the Exodusters?

A

A group of ex-slaves who migrated to Kansas in 1879.

52
Q

Why did the Exodusters move to Kansas from the south?

A

Racism was high in the south- groups such as the Klu Klux Klan (established in Tennessee in 1866) would persecute ex-slaves, and white Americans who supported them equally.

Despite President Grant breaking the KKK’s power in 1871, groups like the Red Shirts were set up in its place.

It was hard for ex-slaves to get a job in the south.

Elections in the south were rigged, so after 1877 African-Americans couldn’t win an election.

There was a rumour in 1879 that the Government was giving away land. Due to many ex-slaves having little to no money, this was the only land they could get. Over 4000 made the journey.

Despite the land being free, the journey wasn’t. This led to many ex-slaves having to stay in the south as they couldn’t afford the money.

53
Q

After the American Civil War ended in 1865, what did the Government no longer have to spend its money on?

A

Promoting the Great Plains so people could achieve ‘Manifest Destiny’.

GCSE REVISION (9 decks)

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