The Early Settlers Flashcards
What was ‘Manifest Destiny?’
The people in the East believed it was their god given right to conquer and develop the whole of North America.
What were the push factors to move west for the early settlers?
- 1837 = economic depression, eastern banks collapsed which led to people losing their savings, wages being cut by 40% and growing unemployment.
- Farmers faced economic trouble because the price of corn and wheat collapsed.
- It was too crowded in the east. People complained people were living too close to them and their farm.
What were the pull factors to move west for the early settlers?
- Pre-emption Bill (1842)- The West offered a lot of land for a very low price. If a farmer built a house and cleared the trees they would be given the land without being outbid.
- In the early 1840’s reports began to make their way back to the East about how wonderful it was.
What were the dangers when crossing the plains?
- Landscape (rivers and mountains + wagons)
- Weather (desert temperatures and blistering storms)
- Diseases (cholera was the biggest killer due to lack of clean water)
- Indians
How were the Mormons founded and who by?
Joseph Smith- Young boy confused about his own religion in the East had a ‘pillar of light’ behind his fathers house. He then began having visitations by an angel, who told him to dig up the plates on a hillside. He did this and shared his findings creating the Mormon religion.
What difficulties faced the Mormons in the East?
Kirtland- They were very successful causing jealousy amongst the non-Mormons. They opened several banks, however when there was an economic crisis the non-Mormons blamed the Mormons and drove them out of Kirtland.
Missouri- The Mormons began criticising the way the non-Mormons (gentiles) enjoyed life. The Mormons were friendly with both the slaves and the Indians. Smith was only allowed out of prison on the condition he left Missouri.
Nauvoo- The Mormons built up the ‘best city in the East’ and had 35,000 followers. Smith was said to have had a further vision that said Mormons should practice polygamy (more than one wife) and both the non Mormons and Mormons rebelled against this. Smith was imprisoned and murdered.
Who was the next leader of the Mormons (after Joseph Smith) and what type of leader was he?
Brigham Young
Organised, down-to-earth, led by example, determined.
How did the Mormons organise their journey West?
- Wagon trains of 100 wagons with a captain in charge
- Pioneer bands of selected Mormons who made the journey first and made it easier for the other Mormons to follow
- Created Winter Quarters (places to stay) near the Missouri river where the Mormons could stay during the cold winter months.
What problems did Brigham Young face when he arrived at Salt Lake?
- How land should be divided
- How to make the land useful for growing crops
- He didn’t have enough people to populate the land
- The US has won a war against Mexico and it was now under US rule.
How did Brigham Young solve the problems faced in the West?
- The land was owned by the church, large families were given over 10 acres, small families/elderly couples around 10 acres and artisans (those who did not need land for work) were given 5 acres in the centre.
- He used irrigation ditches to ensure land had enough water to grow crops.
- He set up the Perpetual Emigrating Fund to allow Europeans travel to Utah without saving for a payment. Once they arrived they could then pay back the money borrowed.
- Young applied for Deseret to become a state which was rejected by the US government. A compromise was made which allowed the Mormons to own the territory of Utah with Young as the leader.
When was gold discovered and who by?
It was discovered by James Marshall in 1848.
How did people respond when gold was discovered?
Covered by the press which caused thousands of people to flood West.
25,000 travelled by boat flooding the docks in New York and Boston.
Many more travelled by wagon.
What was life like for the miners in early mining towns?
Dirty and poor built shacks for houses.
Diseases: scurvy, diarrhoea, dysentery
Past-times: gambling, saloons and prostitution
By what year had the gold rush ended?
1852
How did the miners keep law and order?
Each town had a chairman who would hold a meeting to draw up the mining town code.
A sheriff would be used to arrest law breakers and a court of miners would be used to decide the punishment.
