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