What were the causes of Westward Expansion?

What were the causes of Westward Expansion?

Suggested Teaching Instructions

• Gold rush and mining opportunities (silver in Nevada)
• The opportunity to work in the cattle industry; to be a “cowboy”
• Faster travel to the West by railroad; availability of supplies due to the railroad.
• The opportunity to own land cheaply under the Homestead Act.

How was the West settled?

From the 1820s through the 1840s, westerners pushed for more liberal land laws, calling for “free homesteads” or “donations” for those who would settle on the land. The Homestead Act, which became law on May 20, 1862, was responsible for helping settle much of the American West.

When was the West being settled?

While the settling of the American West began in earnest in the 1840s, the most famous period in the region’s history, the Wild West, began in 1865 after the American Civil War, which was the war fought between the Northern and Southern United States between 1861 and 1865, and ended in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

Which groups settled in the West?

Terms in this set (8)

• The Explorers. They traveled 8,000 miles, their papers and baggage contained priceless information about the land and the people that called the West their home.
• The Mountain Men.
• The Californios.
• The Missionaries.
• The Pioneer Women.
• The Mormons.
• The Forty-Niners.
• The Chinese.

Who were the first settlers in the West?

The hunters were the first Europeans in much of the Old West and they formed the first working relationships with the Native Americans in the West.

What attracted settlers to the West?

Pioneer settlers were sometimes pulled west because they wanted to make a better living. Others received letters from friends or family members who had moved west. These letters often told about a good life on the frontier. The biggest factor that pulled pioneers west was the opportunity to buy land.

What were the major events that had a huge impact on the development of the West during the 1840’s?

The California Gold Rush was a major factor in expansion west of the Mississippi. That westward expansion was greatly aided by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, and passage of the Homestead Act in 1862.

Why did people take on the challenges of the West?

The Mining Industry Growing industries in the East needed the resources of the West. Settlers move to the West’s mountain states to find these riches.

How did the fight for land and resources unfold in the West?

How did the fight for land and resources unfold in the West? The Homestead Act of 1862 promised free land to citizens or prospective citizens. Hundreds of thousands moved west in hopes of striking gold, and to exploit natural resources and labor. Cattle ranchers followed railroads to establish grazing kingdoms.

How long did it take people to travel west?

The covered wagon made 8 to 20 miles per day depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take up to six months or longer to reach their destination.

What years did wagon trains go west?

Travel by wagon train occurred primarily between the 1840s–1880s, diminishing after completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Some remnants of wagon ruts along the well-travelled trails are still visible today.

How did individuals travel to the West?

Roads, Canals, and Trails Led the Way for Western Settlers Americans who heeded the call to “go west, young man” may have been proceeding with a great sense of adventure. But in most cases, those trekking to the wide-open spaces were following paths that had already been marked.

How much did wagons cost in the 1800s?

It was costly—as much as $1,000 for a family of four. That fee included a wagon at about $100. Usually four or six animals had to pull the wagon. Oxen were slower, but held up better than horses or mules.

What diseases did pioneers get?

Diseases and serious illnesses caused the deaths of nine out of ten pioneers. Such diseases as cholera, small pox, flu, measles, mumps, tuberculosis could spread quickly through an entire wagon camp. Cholera was the main scourge of the trail.

What was the main cause of death during the westward expansion?

Disease. By far, the most common cause of death along the westward trails was by disease. Diseases such as those described below spread quickly among families and camps because of the unsanitary conditions or lack of nutrition that prevailed. Scurvy is a condition caused by a lack of Vitamin-C over time.

What diseases were in the Old West?

Scarlet fever, yellow fever, diphtheria, smallpox, tuberculosis, and influenza attacked settlers along the westbound way. In addition to these scourges, fatalistically received as acts of God, there was violence, and the festering ills it trailed behind. Against such hazards there were few defenses.