Westward Expansion test Flashcards
Map of Westward Expansion
Date of Louisiana Purchase
1803
Date of Texas Annexation
1845
Date of Gadsen Purchase
1853
Date of ceding of Florida
1819
Date of ceding of Mexican Territory
1848
Date of aquisition of Oregon Territory
1846
Date of Red River Cession
1818
Why did people go west
- Possibility of Financial Gain
- Crowding in the cities on the east coast and in europe
- Encouragement by public figures such as politicians and writer (polk and twain)
- Romanticism of the west
- For farming and mining
- For religious freedom (The mormons)
Who are the mormons and where did they move to and why?
They were a new religious group that had practices (communal living, multiple wives) that were contrary to the mores of the time. The mormons settled in the Great Salt Lake Valley area in Mexican Territory. Settlements grew as more mormons arrived from Europe.
In what ways could you say that the mormons had their own republic
They had a militia, headed by Joseph Smith
The communal living allowded them to pool their wealth together
They created jobs for people to act as a central governemnt
Who started the morman migration?
Bringham Young
Where were the mining deposits located?
The mining deposits were located in the Dakotas, Oregon and California
Describe the evolution of mining pracices during westward expansion?
At the beginning of the mining booms, most of the mining was done by individual miners with primitive tools because mining was easy at the time because gold could be ealisy collected in streams and rivers.
After all of the easy gold had been collected, more complex techniques and equipment was needed to extract deep gold deposits in the ground. This method was very expensive and needed a lot of capital that only a corporation could provide. MIning corporations did invest in mining and brought in the heavy equipment and employed salaries miners.
Explain how ranching worked? and why did people ranch in the west? What were the risks?
Cattle in the west was worth very much to people in the east.
The main meat market in the east was Chicago
How ranching worked
Cattle ranchers herded their cattle to the nearest town that had a railroad station which allowed the cattle to be transported by rail to the east for the easrtern market.
This created “cowtowns” that were had a railroad station. The ranching insdustry jumpstarted the economy in these cowtowns.
Risks
It was very risky especially in the winter because it got very cold and it took a long time to heard the cattle to the nearest station. This led to the loss of cattle. It also took a toll on the ranch hands.
It was also very expensive
Explain the evolution of farming and the government involvement. What were the risks and dangers of farming in the west
Wheat produced in the US was exported all over the world and was consummed docmestically as well.
Farmers bought land directly from states and the federal government, or they acquired land from the federal government via the Homestead Act or the Morril Act, which was an expansion of the Homestead act.
At first, it was just local farming, but throught competiton between farmers and the evolution and developpment of farming technology (McCormack reaper, barbed wire) and techiniques farming became more and more commercialized. The small scale family farmers ended up going bankrupt
Family Farming turned into Commercial Farming
Risks and Dangers
first of all, there were enterprising criminals that terrorized and robbed farms as well as trains.
The climat was very unforgiving. It was very windy on the plains, there was little fuel and construction material, and rainfall was often sparse and unpredictable.
Who were the wild bunch? When and where did they operate?
The wild bunch was a gang of outlaws active in the late 1800s. They operated and terrorozed Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and the Oklahoma terriotry.
Why did criminals move west?
criminals moved out west because of the constant flow of money and goods via rail and other methods that could be sabotaged and stolen.
Give some characteristics of the population that moved west?
Many of the cowboys were former slaves
Immigrants immigrated to american to work of the railroad
There was a very divers group of people from many different nationalities. The immigrants form the same country usually sticked together in settlements.
The populatio growth was very uneven. For example, many people migrated to California, while fewer people moved to Kansas or the Oklahoma Territory.
For of the people that moved westward were male
What was the role of women during the westward expansion.
It was very rare for women to migrate west. However, there were still a few that did migrate. Some of the women, especially in mining towns were used as prostitutes. Others became very rich and famous by dancing or performing, such as Lola Montez, a french dancer who became famous in San Francisco during the gold rush. However, there were also women who worked alongside the men in the mining camps or on the cattle ranch or field. In fact, the western states were the first states to allow women to vote in major elections.
Examples of women that took non traditional roles:
- Laura Bullion -> Train robber
- Annie Oakley -> Sharp shooter
