Westward Migration Flashcards
Why did people move West?
Pull - Gold, land, freedom, Oregon trail
Push - Overcrowding, financial crisis, unemployment, Mormons persecuted
Manifest Destiny
The government published guidebooks to encourage migrants to go west
Whites wanted to populate the west.
What was Manifest Destiny?
It was God’s will that White Americans should settle over all America
What was the Gold Rush of 1849?
Gold was discovered in California in 1848, which led to huge migrations to the West.
What were the consequences of the Gold Rush?
300000 more people by 1855,
Law problems,
Racial tensions,
Gold boosted economy,
railroad started,
Indians killed in California.
What was the Oregon Trail?
The only practical way for migrants to get across the mountains by wagon.
When did the first people travel the Oregon Trail?
1836
What did the guidebook do and who wrote it?
Helped travellers on their journey and was written by John Fremont.
Who sponsored the guidebook?
The government
How long did it take to travel the Oregon Trail?
It took 8 months and it was approximately 3000km - They left in April, crossed 2 mountains (Rockies & Sierra Nevada), and then crossed desert
What happened to the Donner Party in 1846?
They left in the winter and were trapped in snow on the Sierra Nevada mountain. Some survived by eating their friends.
Who created the idea of Mormons?
Joseph Smith.
What did the Mormons practise?
Polygamy
What was the Police Force called?
Danites
When was Smith killed?
1844
Who took over when Smith was killed?
Brigham Young
Where did the Mormons move to in the West?
Salt Lake City
Why was their move successful?
Strong discipline during the journey,
Split into groups,
Advance Party made way for others,
Why were Mormons successful in Salt Lake City?
The Mormon Church owned all the land, water and timber,
They allocated supplies to people,
Irrigation helped to farm,
Perpetual Emigration Fund helped other Mormons to join them,
Self-Sufficiency - had skills to survive on their own.
What was the 1879 Exoduster movement?
Black Americans from south moving to kansas.
What were the reasons for the Exoduster movement?
Slavery was abolished yet they were still being mistreated,
Who encouraged the movement?
Benjamin Singleton
How many black Americans moved?
40,000
What were the consequences of the movement?
Other settlers took the best land,
Found it difficult to survive,
Mass migration ended in 1880
What happened in 1889?
Indian territory in Oklahoma opened up to the white settlers in land rushes. First opened 2 million acres of land, thousands rushed to claim their 160 acres.
