The American West 1840 - 1895: Pioneers 4.0 / 5 based on 1 rating ? HistoryThe American West 1840-1895GCSEOCR Created by: WSCreated on: 14-04-17 14:54 Journeying Across the Plains took approxiamately 6 months to complete with little ground covered each day (about 32 km/ 20 miles) and the journey over the mountains was slower a lot of resources was needed to survive but it was scarce upon the Plains making it difficult the lack of water on the Plains left people dehydrated during the hot days the Plains could be hot and dry at times but also windy and cold risk of Indian attacks - Indians would attack travellers for their resources such as horses people travelled by wagons across the Plains and they often broke down on the rough trails diseases such as Cholera killed many along the way, around 34,000 died between 1840 and 1860 1 of 7 the Pioneers: Heading West (push factors) push factors (factors which encouraged people to move away from their current area): Financial Crisis/ 1837 Economic Depression many lost their jobs and went out of business so there was no work in the East banks collapsed and people lost their savings farmers along the Mississipi Valley were hit buy falling wheat prices Growing Population many people moved to America from Europe and China which caused overcrowding in the East Land was expensive too many people in the East wanted to buy land to farm Religious Persecution Mormons were driven out of states for their beliefs In Europe, Catholics and Jews were being oppressed 2 of 7 the Pioneers: Heading West (pull factors) pull factors (factors which encouraged people to move into another area): Gold discovery Gold was discovered in California in 1848 and many travelled there in the hope to become rich smaller gold rushes occured in: Colorado and Nevada (1858 - 1859), Montana (1862) and the Black Hills of Dakota (1874) Reports and stories of the West the mountain men told stories of the fertile land found beyond the Rocky Mountains which encouraged other white people to go west reports came from Missionaries who wanted help other stories came from those who wanted to make money from the new settlers 3 of 7 The Discovery of Inexhaustible Gold Horace Greeley - New York Tribute (a newspaper) editor reported the Gold Rush encouraging many people to go west 'the gold here is as plentiful as the mud on the streets' supported Manifest Destiny - 'Go West, young man, and grow up with the nation.' John Sutter & James Marshall Sutter established Sutter's Mill (a mill) and Sutter's Fort (a fort) Marshall found gold in a river near Sutter's Fort in the Sierra Nevada region in 1848 The discovery was not publicised as the two didn't want gold hunters and Sutter's dream was to set up a farming empire Sam Brannan - an entrepreneur in San Francisco promoted the Gold Rush became the richest person in California at that time from selling pans, shovels and pickaxes and made more money than gold miners President Polk discovered the Gold Rush (the first abd biggest rush) in California and told everyone 4 of 7 the Pioneers: the Donner party a rare case of pioneers that didn't complete the journey west (90% of 500,000 people made it) a party of 88 people led by George Donner in 1846 they followed Lance Hastings as he claimed that there was a short cut across the Plains the path actually delayed their journey and they were attacked by Paiute Indians and lost their oxen and supplies the party had to go back to the original path but got stuck in Sierra Nevada's worst ever winter to be recorded some resorted to cannibalism to survive 5 of 7 the Mountain Men: Jim Bridger 1822 - became interested in fur trapping after seeing an advert/ poster 1824 - discovered the Great Salt Lake whilst beaver hunting 1830 - bought the Rocky Mountain Fur Company 1843 - built Fort Bridger on the Oregon Trail 1850s - bought a farm and continued to work as a guide 1870 - he went blind and then died in 1881 on his farm During his life on the West he travelled through Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and North and South Dakota Couldn't read or write but spoke French and 10 Indian languages Accepted by the Plains Indians and understood their ways had 3 Indian wives in succession 6 of 7 Mountain Men and their Impact on the American West enabled Manifest Destiny - the view that it was their god given duty for white Americans to take over the land and use it 'properly' encouraged mass migration of whites the mountain men told stories of the West White settlers flooded through the mountains and settled on sacred Indian land this aided Manifest Destiny opened up mountain passes and trails for whites to pass through to get to California the tracks created helped later settlers know safe areas military forts were set up and built in the west mountain men could meet up here and trade resources the mountain men learned Indian skills and some were accepted into the tribe the Indians recieved items they lacked like guns and alcohol diseases such as smallpox were brought over and thousands of Indians died 7 of 7
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