Motivations for Westward Expansion

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Motivations for Westward Expansion

• Objective 4.01

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Why move West?

• Claim land for settlement
• Find new markets for commerce
• Provide homes for millions of Americans including
  immigrants
• Locate harbors on the Pacific
• Seek employment and avoid creditors Spread the
  virtues of Democracy

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How did they get there?

• Transcontinental Railroads
• Was a race to see who could get more track down
  before the other company.
• Two major companies Union Pacific and Central
  Pacific
• Workers on the railroads
• Civil War Veterans
• Irish and Chinese Immigrants
• African Americans
• Mexican Americans

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Homestead Act of 1862

• Settlers could claim land of up to 160 acres for
  a 10 fee
• Got deed after 5 years
• Gave legal recognition of a persons land in the
  Great Plains and more wanted to come
• Wanted to relieve the dense population of
  immigrants in east

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Comstock Lode

• Henry Comstock staked a claim in Nevada in 1859
  to find that the mud was almost pure silver ore
• Prospectors flooded into the areabecame a city
  of wealth
• 1859-1878yielded about 400 million in silver
  and gold

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• Brought many advancements in mining technology
• Decline began in 1874 and by 1898 the town was a
  ghost town

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Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889

• Most famous of all land runs
• Federal govt. gave up land to homesteaders
• At noon on April 22nd, TX and AK borders were
  lined with settlers
• Hunt for land so fierce that some were killed

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People in the WestRoles of Women

• Had to be resourceful
• Job was to
• Raise the children
• Run the householdfood clothing
• Establish schools and churches in some instances

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Roles of African Americans

• West offered new homes, new beginnings, and new
  opportunities to enjoy freedom
• Oklahoma became a premier haven for African
  Americans to settle
• Black Towns sprang upLangston, OK was most
  popular

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• Worked as
• Cattle drivers
• Miners
• Railroad workers
• Farmers

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Roles of Irish

• Mass immigration1840s
• Met with resistance
• Many went west for the new opportunities
• Did the hard jobsbuilding bridges and railroads
• Built a reputation for being hard-working

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Roles of Chinese

• Not welcomed!
• Proved to be essential to growth through
• Railroads
• Farming
• Mining
• Servants (mostly men)
• Doctors (herbalists)

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Roles of Mormons

• Religion was introduced by Joseph Smith
• Established the Church of Latter-day Saints
• Many people did not agree with his beliefs and
  jailed him for treason.
• An anti-Mormon mob broke into the jail and
  murdered him.

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• Brigham Young became the next leader and decided
  to move to Utah.
• Mormons were awarded plots of land.
• They also held ownership of two very important
  resources
• Water
• Timberland