American West

The American West- A Chronological Timeline 

Timeline-

1496- New World

Discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, beginning of the ‘New World’

1776- Revolutionary war

Americans win independence from the United Kingdom, creating the United States of America

1825- Oregon trail

Jedidiah Smith publishes the first edition of the Oregon trail, the 2170-mile journey to the west from Independence, Missouri which helped to migrate over 400,000 people

1830- Indian Removal Act

First piece of legislation made to inhibit the lives of Natives, the Act (signed by President Jackson) forced any Indians who were still living right of the Mississippi river had to move, although this land was promised to the Indians forever by Jackson

1834- Trade and intercourse Act

Responsible for the permanent Indian frontier, the stricter boarder between the whites and the Indians

1837- Economic Crash

Major crash of the economy in 1837 lead to many moving west in hopes of Improving the poor lifestyles

1841- Pre-emption Act

Allowed 160 acres of land to be brought for $1.25 per acre (in the west) provided certain categories were met, Head of the household, single and over 21 or widowed, citizen of the United States, and resident of the claimed land for 14 months

1845- Land gained

Texas gained from Mexico

1846-

·      Land gained- Oregon gained from Britain

·      Donner party- attempts to migrate from East to California, led by a bad guide posted by Lansford Hastings, the party was badly organised and ill-prepared for the difficult journey, most died

·      Mormon migration- to the west (Salt Lake City, Utah) showed what a successful migration would like, with advanced scouts and enough supplies, Brigham Young moved a majority of the Mormons and put signs down to allow others to follow on behind

1849- Gold Rush

Gold Discovered in California, resulting in many moving to the west to be a prospector, though most were unsuccessful, 300,000 moved to California during the Goldrush

1851-

·      Fort Laramie treaty-  was a treaty which was supposed to improve the cohabitation of the Indians and the whites, Indians agreed to; stop fighting, let migrants past, stay in their boundaries, pay for compensation. While the white Americans agreed to; letting Indians own their land and paying the tribes $50k a year for 50 years. There were some issues however, as the Indians did not speak English and they did not all agree on the treaty as it threatened their nomadic lifestyle

·      The Indians Appropriations Act- put the Indians on to set reservations of land, preventing them from being able to move with the buffalo they hunt, moved the Indians out of the way of whites

·      Crime-There was a large crime wave in San Francisco due to the mass migration into California, most of these migrants were prospectors who moved with the discovery of gold, leading to the creation of mining towns. These mining towns had several problems: a mostly male population, gambling, drinking, fighting, scams over…