Westward Movement Flashcards
John Jacob Astor
Raced a boat and a trail party, water was faster, but Robert Stuart accidentally discovered Oregon Trail on the way to notify Astor of the sea win.
Donner Party
George Donner led the party
Took Lansford Hastings Cutoff (200 miles longer and through salt marsh desert)
Got to Truckee Lake (Sierra Nevada Mountains) when worst snowstorm in California history hit ( less than 100 miles away from safety at Sutter’s Fort)
Sent Forlorn Hope (15 people) to get help while rest of party waited at the lake. Got lost and resorted to cannibalism
Lake- a camp for winter and had to eat the dead to survive
46 of 87 survived. 2/3 of women and children survived, 2/3 of men
Caused decline in the Westward Movement
Now known as Donner Lake
Brigham Young
In Missouri, Joseph Smith was killed and Brigham Young becomes the new leader
Sam Houston
Led victory at San Jacinto on April 21, 1836
Joseph Smith
Founded Christian religion called the Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Mexican War
Addition of Texas had America looking to CA
California Trail
Same as Oregon Trail until South Pass, goes towards California
John Sutter had fort near Sacramento, gold discovered at fort
1849 gold rush, 49ers
Samuel Slater
Brought blueprints from Britain and sparked Industrial Revolution
Native American Pacification
Colonial to 1830
Suppress or eliminate Indians with military force
Indian Removal Act
1830
Forced Indians west on Mississippi River
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Ordered at gunpoint 800 miles Poor boats, spoiled food, cold, disease 100,000 moved and over 4000 killed By 1845, Indians not a problem (driven away) until Westward Movement
Indian Reservations
Indian Territory lands opened up to whites and Indians forced on to reservations
By 1880, nearly all either exterminated or on reservation
Allotment/Dawes Act of 1887
Reservations divided among Indian families
Didn’t understand- sold
By 1935, Indians lost 2/3 of land from 1887
Indian Reorganization Act
1934 Ended allotment Surplus land was given to tribes Government jobs Time Time not right for reform
Assimilate
The 1950s
Termination of reservations
Allotment in a different form
Fort Laramie
Largest trading post on the Oregon Trail
Extremely expensive
Independence Rock
People were there around Independence Day
Pioneers carved their names
Texas Independence Day
March 2, 1836
Mormons
Christian religion founded by Joseph Smith
Ran out of New York
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Go to Ohio, ran out
Go to Missouri, Smith assassinated, Brigham Young becomes new leader.
Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail went to the Great Salt Lake
In Utah area, Mormons wanted to become the state of Deseret, by 1896, enough non Mormons to become Utah
Industrial Revolution
From farming to manufacturing (ONLY IN NORTH)
Home before now machines too big and often water powered by a river- factories
Boom- War of 1812 cut off foreign goods so the US produced its own
Francis Cabot Lowell
(MA)- textile factory and community
Lowell Girls
10,000 “Lowell girls”, young women worked until married (sent money home to family), had church and rules
Factory Conditions
Pay 1/2 for women and kids (squeezed into areas) 12 hours per day/ 6 days a week
Interchangeable Parts
Interchangeable parts- Eli Whitney, gun parts made by hand before, so all different, now machine made so all same, grew to clocks, etc.
Cities
Moved off farm to near factory. 1800- 6% live in cities, 1850- 15% live in cities, 1920- more than 50% live in cities
Transportation
Turnpikes- charged for roads (gravel and stone) (National Road)
Steamboats- steam engine powered- faster and more comfy
Canals- (rivers and lakes)- Erie, Connected Great Lakes with Hudson River and connected western farmers. Could ship goods to port of New York
Railroad
Cholera
1st Part of Trail: Leading cause of death (over 20,000)
Great Plains
1st Part of Trail: Independence, MO to Rocky Mountains
Fuel
1st Part of Trail: Few trees- needed fuel for cooking- buffalo dung, used furniture also
Front and Back of Wagon Train
1st Part of Trail: Hot and dusty- Front OK, back- breathed dust-filled air
Streams
1st Part of Trail: Sometimes dry
Sometimes flooded
Sometimes neither- still had quicksand and sudden drop-offs
Food Supply
1st Part of Trail: Couldn’t be sure of finding enough grass for animals
Result- Pioneers had to move farther from the trail to find grass.
Inclines and Declines
Uphill and downhill
Swift Moving Streams
Carried away wagons and animals
Uneven trail
Trail not continuous
Ended next to the rock, picked up 5 feet higher
Blizzards
Death if caught (Donner Party)
Texas
In the 1820s, America looked with eager eyes toward Texas, now owned by Mexico.
Moses and Stephen F. Austin
Mexican government large tracts of land to develop
In return 4 catches…
1830
New dictator General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna “closed door” to Texas
Texans consider themselves Americans
Wanted Constitution of 1824 to be honored
October 2, 1835
Gonzales: “Come and Take It”
February 23, 1836
Alamo
150 Texans vs 3000 Mexicans for 12 days
13th day, Mexicans storm and killed all (including Davy Crockett)
Rally cry- “Remember…” and government
Followed by other defeats (Goliad massacre)
March 2, 1836
TX independence
TX looked to America for help, none came
April 21, 1836
Sam Houston led victory at San Jacinto
Had only a single star on flag (Lone Star Republic) to signify fighting alone
1846
TX annexed as a state
Mexican War
Addition of Texas, had America looking to CA
War was sparked by…
Pres. James K. Polk sent troops to Rio Grande to guard Texas border
May 9, 1846
Mexicans attacked
Polk asked for declaration of war
1848
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo- Mexicans forced to give up CA, NV, UT, NM, AZ, and parts of CO and WY
Called Mexican Cession, US agreed to pay $15 million
Grant- “most unjust war in American history”
Star Spangled Banner
Used to be a poem called “The Defense of Fort McHenry”
Wrote it on a British ship, tried to free captive, watched battle
Wasn’t national anthem until 1931
Used to be a drinking song
Meant he wondered whether the American flag was still there, if we had won the battle
Congreve bombs- bad aim, “rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air”
Can see flag still there
Westward Movement General Timeline
1840s-1850s
1818- England let US occupy Oregon
Oregon Trail to get to Oregon
Took 6-10 months to get to Oregon, 15 miles per day
Went for land, better life, propaganda, fertile soil, no sickness, no slavery, no politics, better weather, adventure, Manifest Destiny, gold (CA), new start, preachers, romance, entrepreneurs,
Before 1848 =20,000 1849-1843=6 over 200,000
1804-1806- Lewis and Clark
1810- John Jacob Astor
Robert Stuart- Oregon Trail discoverer
1836- Marcus Whitman (1st down Trail in wagon)
South Pass- 12 mile gap in Rockies
1843- 1st 1000 wagons from Independence, MI
1846- England gave US OR
4 Catches to settling Mexican owned Texas
Become Catholic, learn Spanish, follow Mexican law, and (insert other one here)
