Migration and Early Settlement Flashcards
what was manifest destiny?
the belief that it was gods will to have white americans populate the whole of america
when was the economic depression?
1837
where was the economic depression?
in the east
how did the economic depression encourage westward migration?
high unemployment rates meant people wanted a new start
what was the pre-emption act?
encourages settlers to stake a claim for the ownership of land which allowed them to buy 160 acres of land for $1.25 an acre
how did victory over mexico in 1848 encourage migration west?
california was now part of the USA
when was the californian gold rush?
1849
what did the miners who moved west in search of gold become known as?
the forty niners
how many people travelled to california in april 1849?
100,000
how did farmland in Oregon encourage migration west?
traders who had been travelling to oregon for many years passed on news of good farmland in the west
when was the oregon trail first publicised?
1825
how may people used the oregon trail in 1836?
only 4
by 1869 how many people had used the oregon trail?
400,000
who were the donner party?
a group of 300 migrants and 60 wagons
when did the donner party begin their journey?
May 1846
by July where had the donner party reached?
fort bridger in the rocky mountains
what did the donner party decide to do when they had reached fort bridger?
half of the group decided to take a new shortcut through the rocky mountains that had never actually been tested
what was the problem with the ‘shortcut’?
it turned out to be longer than the normal route with rocky and steep terrain
what did the donner party have to do to cross the rivers?
try several different spots as there was no ferries like on the oregon trail
where had the donner party reached by mid october?
the sierra nevada mountains
what happened when the party reached the sierra nevada mountains?
snow storms hit and trapped the group and livestock died meaning they ran out of food
when did the first migrant die of starvation?
15th december
how did the remaining party survive until february?
by eating those who had died
why did the mormons needs to leave illinois?
they were facing persecution due to their beliefs and practice of polygamy
why did the mormons eventually decide to leave illinois?
in 1845 their leader Joseph smith was murdered
who became the new mormon leader?
brigham young
when did the mormons set off for salt lake valley?
1847
how were the mormons more organised than the donner party?
young did a count of all of the mormons and wagons they had before leaving so he could plan logistics
young consulted with explorers and trail guides to find out about the trail
migrants were divided into groups, each with a leader
strict discipline
they had an advance party to clear a route and plant food along the way
between 1847 and 1896 how many mormons migrated?
70,000
what were the problems with migration west?
migrants needed to complete their journey before winter
migrants needed to take enough food for the whole journey
oxen were incredibly strong but very slow
encounters with buffalo herds
travelling in dark
crossing raging rivers
dangerous wildlife
what did Brigham young believe?
god had called on the mormons to migrate to salt lake city
why were the mormons forced to leave illinois early?
hostility
how did leaving early actually hold them up?
bitter conditions made families travel slower so it took until june for them to complete the first part of the journey
why did the mormons decide to congregate at Omaha ?
by the time they completed the first part of their journey it was too late in the year to travel on to salt lake city
how did the mormons overcome the challenge of no crops when they reached salt lake valley?
young sent advance parties ahead to plant crops for when the rest of the party arrived
how did the mormons overcome the poor water supply in salt lake valley?
built irrigation systems that brought fresh water from streams into their farms
how did the mormons overcome the problem of there only being one settlement?
young planned to start lots of other mormon settlements and set up the ‘perpetual emigration fund’ to pay for other mormon families to travel from Utah to follow them
how did the mormons overcome the threat of fights?
young decided all land belonged to the church meaning no individual family owned anything
how did the mormons overcome further persecution through trade with the US?
young ensured the mormons were self sufficient by growing as much of their own crops as possible and negotiated with railway companies to bring traders to the area to avoid contact with non mormons
how did the mormons overcome the US governments threat to make Utah a state?
young compromised and agreed to step down as governor of Utah and allow a non mormon to take the job instead
who were mountain men?
explorers
