Key Issue 2 Flashcards
Who were the first people to travel west through the Rocky Mountains? and when?
Mountain Men
Between 1820-1840
Why did Mountain Men go west?
To trap beavers for their fur.
What are the 2 reasons for Mountain Men being important?
They found safe routes through the Rocky mountins.
They told stories of the glorious west to people in the east.
Name 4 push factors for why people moved west.
East was becoming overcrowded.
Farming crisis in the east.
Economic depression in the east in the 1840s.
Religious and racial persecution in the east.
Name 4 pull factors for why people moved west.
Free/cheap/plentiful land (Homestead act 1862)
Gold.
Stories from Mountain Men.
Manifest Destiny - west needed civilizing.
Identify 7 problems faced when travelling west.
Dangerous terrain. Extreme weathers. Disease spread easily. Attacks from wild animals. Attacks from hostile Native Indians. Shortage of food and water. No maps so could get lost.
Identify 2 case studies of people who traveled west and describe what happened to them.
The Donner party 1846 - took a “shortcut” but got lost. Only 50/87 survived and onle due to turning to cannibalism.
The Sagars 1844 - everything bad happened
What year was gold discovered in California and who discovered it?
1848 by James Marshall
What year is associated with the “Gold Rush”?
1849
How much, on average, did people make a day panning gold?
$3
How much would you have to pay for a bottle of water in mining towns?
Hundreds of dollars
Name 3 problems with mining towns.
Spread of disease.
Problems with law and order.
Unofficial Miners courts.
Describe what Manifest Destiny was.
It was the idea that god wanted white Americans to go and spread their way of life (civilise) to the west.
Who started the Mormon religion?
Joseph Smith
What was the book published by Joseph Smith called and when was it published?
“The book of Mormon” in 1830
