Migration Westward Flashcards
pull factors for moving west: (5)
- freedom and independence
- fertile land
- space
- oregon trail
- gold
push factors for moving westward: (4)
- collapse of wheat prices
- overpopulation
- persecution
- unemployment
why was their financial panic in the east 1837?
a collapse in the price of cotton lead to economic difficulties as banks ran out of money and people lost their savings and jobs- unemployment was 25% in some areas
why was the west financially attractive?
reports of land and gold
what was the farming crisis in the midwest 1837?
corn prices collapsed leaving farmers facing ruin, which was not helped by overcrowding in the farming region
why did farmers want to migrate west?
believed they could settle on better farmland in the West where it wasn’t overcrowded and make lots of money
what was the US belief in manifest destiny?
it was God’s will that white Americans should settle over all of America and show the Native Americans how to be civil and more like them
where and when was the Gold rush?
California 1849
how many migrants were using the Oregon trail to California to find gold between 1836 and 1846, compared to 1849?
5000 before, 10s of thousands after
what event in China led people to migrate to California in 1852? how many people?
a famine, 20,000 people
did most migrants find any gold?
no they were unsuccessful
who took over the gold in 1850?
professional miners with specialist equipment
what were the consequences of the California Gold rush? (8)
- Migration to California
- Lawlessness in mining camps
- Racial tension
- Gold boosts US economy
- Tension with indigenous Americans
- Farming boom in California
- Manifest destiny coming true
- Genocide of indigenous Californians
what year does california become a state?
1850
what was the population in California in 1855?
300,000 people
why did the California gold rush cause tension with the indigenous Americans? (3)
- increase in migration along the Oregon trail
- racial tension rose between American settlers and foreign workers
- genocide of indigenous Californians by migrants
where did the Oregon trail begin?
Independence, Missouri
how long did the trip take along the Oregon trail
8-9 months
how long was the Oregon trail?
3200km
when did migrants begin the Oregon trail and why?
April so there was enough grass for their animals
when did migrants aim to complete their trail journey?
before winter as the may get stuck in the mountains
what factors made crossing the Great Plains dangerous? (7)
- sandstorms
- quicksand
- extreme heat
- storms
-disease - stampedes
- lack of supplies
what did migrants rely on for directions and guidance?
explorers or indigenous people before they created their own guide books that were relied on later
what were mountain ranges like on trails and how were they navigated?
- they were steep, there was not much to hunt and the weather could be bad, making injuries common
- wagons were hauled across using chains/ropes/pulleys
who led the donner party?
Jacob and George Donner
when did the Donner Party set off and with how many wagons and people?
1846 with 60 wagons and 300 people (more elders and children than normal)
where did the Donner party split off and how many people tried to take the shortcut?
at Fort Bridger, 80 people tried to take the shortcut with only a leaflet for guidance
what were the losses taken by the group from the Donner party who took the shortcut?
4 wagons broke, 300 cattle died and one man killed another
what happened to the Donner party shortcut group at Sierra Nevada?
they were trapped by heavy snow
how did the Donner party shortcut members try to survive?
they ate their dead
when were the shortcut donner party group rescued?
Jan 1847
what were the reasons for Mormon persecution? (6)
- people worried about the Mormons gain political power through voting
- other religions saw their beliefs as blasphemy (against God)
- angered slave owners with their beliefs in slave freedom
- their polygamy (having multiple wives) offended other christian groups
- government opposed their paramilitary force as they were violent
- angered white americans when they spoke up for the indigenous people’s rights
who was the leader of the Mormons and what did he do?
Joseph Smith- he founded the church of Latter- Day Saints and followers obeyed him as he said his decisions were inspired by God.
when and where was Joseph Smith murdered?
in Illinois 1844
who took over leading the Mormons when Smith died?
Brigham Young
why did the Mormons travel out of illinois and where to?
persecution of mormons forced them to the Great Salt Lake as no one else wanted that land
what did Young do to ensure they made the journey to Great Salt Lake (4)
- split everyone into groups with leaders
- gave everyone a specific role
- taught them how to form their wagons into a circle for safety
- insisted on discipline and regular rest
how long was the Mormon’s journey to Great Salt Lake?
2250km
how did Young use the Donners failure to his advantage?
sent an advance party down their route so they knew it was safe
compare the Mormons and Donners use of preparation (3)
- Donners used a leaflet but Young had researched carefully
- Donners ran out of food but Young had enough for a year
- Donners had many older and younger people but Young had specially chosen people on his advance party to improve the trail
between 1847-69 how many Mormons followed their ‘Mormon trail’?
70,000
how many Mormons followed after the advance party?
1500
why were the Mormons successful in Utah, Salt Lake City? (6)
- religious faith encouraged them to work hard and persevere
- Young made good decisions
- Resources were allocated out by the church and the town ran smoothy
- dug irrigation ditches so farmland had enough water
- Perpetual Emigration Fund provided resources
- Young organised settlers so that each town had the right skills to survive
who murdered Joseph Smith?
anti-Mormon group
how did settlers deal with a lack of timber
lived in caves and sod houses:
- thick walls and roof for insulation
- fireproof earth walls
-impossible to keep clean
problems with settling on the plains: (8)
- hot summers and dry winters
- lack of water and low rainfall
- prairie fires (dry grass)
- thick sod
- vulnerable crops without fences
- lack of trees
- extreme weather
- insect pests
what did the lack of wood mean for settlers?
- they had to pay large amounts of money to import timber to fence their claims
- homesteading was expensive until 1874 when barbed wire was introduced at a cheap price
what were some tough things faced by settlers on the Great Plains concerning the environment?
- crops died from lack of water or were eaten by pests
- ploughs didn’t work on the thick sod
- had to dig up sod with spades which was hard work
what happened in the Indian removal act and when was it?
1830- government force 46000 tribe members to give up their land in return for new land west of the Mississippi river as they thought that land was worthless
when was the Indian trade and intercourse act and what did it mean?
1834- created ‘permanent Indian frontier’ that divided Indian territory from the eastern states. forts guarded the frontier to prevent white people crossing into Indian territory
what was the consequence of the US winning the Mexican-American war and when did this happen?
1848- US gained new territories in the west meaning the Indians were sandwiched in the middle
when was the first Fort Laramie treaty?
1851
how did the government deal with crossing Indian territory to support western expansion?
- needed US citizens to go west meaning people needed to be able to travel on trails across Indian territory
- US army forced indigenous Americans to move away from trails in case they attacked migrators
when was the Indian Appropriations act and what did it do?(3)
- 1851
-government paid indigenous Americans to give up their land that white people wanted and move to smaller areas called reservations - paid for moving indigenous Americans into reservations and hoped they would start to farm and live like white Americans
- reservations could become a way to control what indigenous Americans did and where they went
why was the first Fort Laramie Treaty created?
migrants demanded army protection from growing tension between white settlers and indigenous peoples
reasons for tension between settlers and indigenous peoples (4)
- pressures on food supply
- increased conflict between tribes
- rapid increase in white migration across the plains, especially from the gold rush
- white people feared attack from native americans
what impacts did the huge increase of migrants along the Oregon trail have?
increased pressures on food supplies for indigenous peoples as migrants distributed the buffalo. Less food meant more conflict between tribes and more fear in white settlers that they would get attacked
what did the first Fort Laramie treaty of 1851 allow to happen? (4)
- territories set out for indigenous people’s tribes
- white settlers allowed into tribal territories
- railroad surveyors and military posts in tribal territories
- tribes receive resources from US government
what was the impact of the first Fort Laramie treaty 1851? (3)
- loss of independence for indigenous peoples
- settlement of the Great Plains
- Reservations
how did the government encourage the indigenous people’s loss of independence?
indigenous peoples agreed to the treaty in return for a yearly payment of $50,000. This meant the indigenous people started becoming more dependent on the government for food which meant they were losing independence
