the american west Flashcards
migration and early settlement.
what encouraged people to migrate west
economic condition/gold rush of 1849/farmland in oregon/the oregon trail/manifest destiny.
economic conditions.
From 1837 to the mid-1840s, there was
an economic crisis in the East and
South. Banks collapsed, and people
lost their jobs, businesses and savings.
Many looked to start a new life in a
new part of the USA.
The Gold Rush of 1849
In 1849, 100,000 people left the East for
California because gold had been
discovered there.
Most of these prospectors did not become
very rich, and often settled as farmers.
California’s population and economy grew,
as the government had hoped. This helped
the USA’s economy recover.
Farmland in Oregon
People were drawn to the excellent farming
land in Oregon (especially with the tough
economic conditions in the East).
The government encouraged people to move
to Oregon in the 1840s. In 1841 they funded
an expedition by John Fremont to map the
Oregon Trail and convince people that the
move was achievable.
The Oregon Trail
the Oregon Trail was a route across
Indian Territory and through the Rocky
Mountains to Oregon.
It was the main route used by migrants
to the West – 400,000 people used it
until it was replaced by the First
Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.
The first migrants to travel the Oregon
Trail with a covered wagon were
missionaries in 1836. They went there to
convert American Indians to Christianity.
In 1843 a group of 900 made the journey
(the “Great Emigration”).
The Process of Migration
The Oregon Trail began at the Missouri River
and ended in Oregon. It was 3200km long and
the journey was a major challenge.
Those who split off to head to California had an
even longer journey.
Challenges
for Migrants
-enough
food and essentials with them
to survive. Most lived on salt
pork.
-Cholera (migrants used the same rivers
for drinking water and going to the
toilet).
-Oxen (used to pull the wagons)
were very slow.
-At least 20,000 people are thought
to have died along the Trail, many
from drowning and accidents.
-It was best not to begin the
journey until April, so that
there would be grass for their
animals to feed on.
Who were The Donner Party
In May 1846 a group of 300 migrants in 60 wagons, led by the Donner brothers, started on the
Oregon Trail. They were well-equipped but had more women, children and elderly people than usual
TDP- july 1846
At Fort Bridger in the
Rocky Mountains, the
group split. Around 80 of
the migrants decided to
try a shortcut described
in a guidebook by
Lansford Hastings. They
didn’t know that
Hastings never actually
tried the route.
TDP- july to nov 1846
The “shortcut” was a mistake:
there was no established
route through and the ground
was rocky and steep. There
were no tested river
crossings, no forts where they
could restock, and often no
grass for the animals. They
argued about whether to go
back.
TDP- nov 1846
Snowstorms
trapped the
group in the
Sierra Nevada
Mountains. The
livestock died,
food ran out and
the migrants
began to starve
to death.
TDP- feb 1847
Rescuers from
California
reached the
Donner Party.
Only half of the
group was alive
and many had
been forced to
eat those who
had died.
The Mormon migration, 1846-7
The Mormons were a religious group who were forced to move from state to state because
other Christians disliked some of their beliefs, e.g. polygamy (having more than one wife).
In 1845 the Mormons were forced to leave Illinois when their leader and founder
Joseph Smith was murdered.
Their new leader Brigham Young believed God wanted them to migrate to Salt Lake
Valley, Utah. It was south of the Oregon Trail and outside US territory at the time.
The journey was very well-planned:
Before they left, Young counted how many people and wagons there were.
Young researched the route by speaking to explorers and trail guides.
To avoid arguments, Young was very strict and everyone had a specific role.
Young planned regular rests along the route, to stop everyone becoming exhausted.
The migrants were divided into smaller groups, so everyone knew what to do if they got split up.
the mormon journey-omaha feb-june 1846
The Mormons were forced to begin their
migration in February, when the weather
was still very cold.
When they reached Omaha it was too
late in the year to begin the trail, so they
waited and spent another harsh winter
at Omaha.
The Mormons’ journey-Great Salt
Lake
April-June
1847
In April 1847 Young led a small advance
party of about 150 Mormons on the
2000km journey to the Salt Lake Valley.
They left the Oregon Trail and took the
route used by the Donner Party.
Just as Young finished the journey,
another wagon train of 1500 Mormons
was setting off from Omaha. Thanks to
the advance party this group had a clear
route to follow.
From 1847-69 70,000 Mormons followed
the Mormon Trail to the Salt Lake Valley.
The Mormons managed to
successfully settle in the Salt
Lake Valley because…
-Young’s group made the journey
easier for the next migrants by
noting water sources, setting up river
crossings and planting vegetables
along the way.
-Everyone obeyed Young. The Church
owned all land and everyone worked
together for the community.
-They built irrigation systems from
freshwater streams so that they could
grow crops.
-New Mormon settlements spread
away from the Valley, to areas with
better water supplies. Each produced
a different product, e.g. timber
White Settlement Farming
Many migrants settled and set up farms
in the West. Oregon and California were
especially good for farming.
By the 1850s people were also settling on
the Great Plains. In 1854, the
government created two new territories,
Kansas and Nebraska, behind the
Permanent Indian Frontier.
why did white settlers face problems
No white people had ever farmed the Plains before
problem 1=Low rainfall
and few rivers
No rivers for
transporting goods
Not enough water
for animals
Frequent droughts
Too dry for many
crops
problem-Few
trees
No timber for
houses and fences
Houses had to be
made of earth
(sod houses)
No wood for
cooking and
heating
problem-Extreme
climate
Crops died in very
hot summers
Tough ground
was hard to
plough
Hailstorms and
lightning fires
Tough living
conditions
problem-Grasshoppers
Swarms would
invade the Plains
They destroyed
crops and grass
Their droppings
polluted water
sources
Plains Indians were suspicious of white people because:
Resources were scarce on the Plains. New settlers threatened their food
supply.
The migrant trails disrupted their buffalo hunting.
The migrants’ oxen ate the grass that was needed for the Indians’ livestock
and hunting.
White settlers were suspicious of Plains Indians because:
They sometimes got caught up in tribal conflicts, and thought the Indians
were attacking them.
They thought the Indians were an inferior race who would be wiped out.
Indians sometimes stole their cows and horses.
The Fort Laramie Treaty (1851)
In 1851 the government
organised the Fort Laramie
Treaty to try to solve the
conflict between Plains
Indians and white settlers.
Its aims were to:
Agree on fixed territories for each tribe
End conflicts between the tribes
Guarantee safe access for white migrants across the Plains
In the fornt laramie Treaty (1851), Plains Indians agreed to behave in a certain way in return for protection and
money from the government:
plains indians had to- end fighting between tribes
-Allow
migrants to
travel through
their land
safely
-Allow railroad
surveyors to
enter their
land safely
-Allow the
government to
build roads and
army posts on
their land
-Pay
compensation if
their tribe
broke the
treaty
in return the government would-Protect them
from white
settlers
-Pay tribes an
annuity (yearly
payment) of
$50,000
Problems with the 1851 fort laramie Treaty-Choosing council
representatives
The government
wanted one chief from
each tribe at the talks,
but Indian society
didn’t work this way.
Just because one chief
had signed the treaty, it
did not mean that every
band would follow it.
Problems with the 1851 fort laramie Treaty-Getting
representatives
from every
tribe
Some tribes
didn’t attend.
Many of those
who did were
only there for
the government
food and gifts.
Problems with the 1851 fort laramie Treaty-Agreeing boundaries
Plains Indians didn’t
believe in fixed
boundaries and land
ownership. The
agreed boundaries
were not taken
seriously. Some Plains
Indians still hunted in
other tribes’
territories.
Problems with the 1851 fort laramie Treaty-Language barrier
The Treaty was in
English, so not all
the tribes
understood it. The
language and
cultural differences
meant that many of
the Indians didn’t
know what they’d
signed.
Significance of the Treaty-It restricted Plains Indians to
fixed areas of land…
…thus paving the way for
reservations.
Significance of the Treaty-It allowed white migrants to
cross into Indian Territory…
…thus undermining the Permanent
Indian Frontier, and leading to greater
white settlement of the Plains.
Significance of the Treaty-It made Plains Indians
dependent on resources
received from the government…
…thus taking away Plains Indians’
independence.
Lawlessness in Early Settlements
The American West had laws, but there were
problems in making people obey them.
Until the 1840s, migrant communities were very small
and so there was little lawless behaviour.
However, the California Gold Rush caused mass
migration – in 1846 there were about 8000 nonIndians in California; by 1855 it was 300,000.
Soon the existing California law systems were unable
to cope with the number of people living there
Impact of
the Gold
Rush-violence and
tension
There was violence and
tension between the
different ethnicities and
religions in mining camps.
Impact of
the Gold
Rush-‘Claim jumping’
‘Claim jumping’ was common,
where men would try to steal
someone else’s claim if it
looked promising
Impact of
the Gold
Rush-Prostitution and alcohol
Prostitution and alcohol
in the camps caused
violent fights over
women.
Impact of
the Gold
Rush-‘Salting a claim’
‘Salting a claim’: conmen would
scatter a few flakes of gold on a
worthless piece of land and then
con a migrant into buying it.
Impact of
the Gold
Rush-Road agents
Road agents were
criminal gangs who
waited outside camps
to rob prospectors.
Gangs
By 1850 many prospectors had found what gold they could, and mining companies moved
in to mine the area properly. San Francisco’s population boomed because of -
former prospectors arriving in search of other jobs
Chinese migrants arriving following a famine in China
Many could not find work and there was a crime wave in 1851. Rival gangs controlled
areas of the city. Murder, theft and corruption was common.
Racism in the West
Chinese miners were only allowed to work old claims
In California, Chinese miners were taxed more heavily
White people were encouraged to murder Californian Indians
Racist crimes weren’t dealt with. American Indians, Chinese and
black people weren’t allowed to be court witnesses in California.
Tackling Lawlessness
The federal government decided the laws for each territory. (A territory could not become a
state until it had a population of 60,000.) However, these laws were often not very effective.
Tackling Lawlessness-US
Marshal
Each territory had a US
Marshal who was in charge of
law enforcement. He could
appoint deputies and order a
posse (group of men) to help
him hunt down criminals.
Tackling Lawlessness-sheriff
Communities
could also
elect a sheriff
to keep the
peace in their
county.
Law enforcement was hard because:
Territories were huge, which
made them very hard to control.
Law enforcers were badly paid,
so it was hard to recruit them and
many took bribes.
Sheriffs had no legal training so
did not always act fairly.
Tackling Lawlessness-Vigilance committees
Many people took the law into their own
hands. Groups of vigilantes would capture,
try and punish suspected criminals.
Vigilante committees were effective but
often unfair. A suspect’s guilt was usually
decided before they were captured.
Lynching was common.
Tackling Lawlessness-Settling claim disputes
Mining communities would agree
their own set of rules, and set up
their own court and judge.
A recorder was chosen to write
down all the claims made in the
district, and who had made
them.
American Civil War (1861-65)
conflict between the northern states (the Union)
and the southern states (who broke away to form the Confederacy).
The Homestead Act (May 1862)
encouraged more
people to settle and
farm in the West.
The government
offered 160-acre plots
of land called
homesteads – a house
with enough land to
support a family.
The Homestead Act-details
Registering for a homestead plot cost $10, so it
was affordable for ordinary people (e.g. ex-slaves).
Homesteaders had to live on and work the land themselves, and
there was a limit on how many claims one person could file. The
government didn’t want rich businessmen buying up all the land
for profit.
As long as they were the head of a family, or single and over-21,
anyone could file a claim for a plot. American Indians could not.
Once someone had lived on and worked the land for 5 years,
they could buy it outright for $30 (known as “proving up”).
The Homestead Act-Achievements:
By 1876, over 6 million acres of government land had
become homesteads.
Parts of the Plains were settled for the first time.
In Nebraska, the population grew so much that it
became a state in 1867.
It encouraged immigration from Europe.
The Homestead Act-Limitations:
Only 16% of public land was homesteaded. Far more was sold to railroads or cattle ranchers.
60% of homesteads were never “proved up”.
More homesteads were formed by railroad companies and squatting than by the Homestead Act.
Rich landowners still found ways to abuse the system: e.g. by filing claims in employees’ names.
Many people filed claims in order to sell it on for a profit afterwards.
homesteaders faced challenges:
They needed savings of around $1000 to get started
They quickly ran out of money during spells of no rain
These problems were made easier by several factors.
