3. Why move west?
Rumors of gold!
Thousands moved west to California to mine for
gold.
Gold Fever! California Gold Rush! 49ers!
Free land!
Homestead Act: To those who were eligible, the
U.S. gave 160 acres of land.
21 year old heads of households who agreed to build on
and care for the land
Adventure and escape!
Many moved simply to experience adventure and/or
to escape from situations that they didn’t care for
4. Manifest Destiny
Many believed that they were destined, or meant
to, expand the U.S. from “Sea to Shining Sea”
5. Where did they go?
Most pioneers left their homes in the east and
headed westward to the Great Plains in the west
The Great Plains is a huge area of grassland
between the Mississippi River and the Rocky
Mountains
6. How did they travel?
Wagons!
Most families packed up their valuables and their
necessities in a covered wagon
Groups of wagons called “wagon trains” often
traveled together
Family members took turns riding in wagons and
walking beside the wagons
Captains often led these “trains”
7. What dangers did they face?
Lack of food, water, and shelter
Lack of protection from the weather (floods,
storms)
Lack of medical care
Exposure to Native Americans who felt
threatened by the presence of settlers
Conflict with other settlers- they sometimes were
competing for the same land and resources
(water, animals, trees). Sometimes small “range
wars” broke out. These were feuds between
neighboring settlers.
8. What was life like on the prairie?
Many arrived to find huge empty areas of land
Built homes (log or sod houses)
Found sources of water and food…some lived
near creeks or rivers while others had to make
windmills to pump water out of the ground
Many were miles from their nearest neighbors or
trading posts…lonely
Harsh weather that they weren’t used to
Different soil for raising crops and animals
9.
10. From a prairie woman…
“It might seem a cheerless life, but there were
many compensations: the thrill of conquering a
new country; the wonderful atmosphere; the
attraction of the prairie, which simply gets into
your blood and makes you dissatisfied away from
it…The pioneer spirit was continuous in our
family”
11. A sad part of history…
Many Native Americans were unfairly driven from
the lands that they’d lived on for many, many
years because the U.S. government claimed it.
They were forced to move to reservations.
Herds of wild bison became nearly extinct as
settlers began to use them as sources of food
and shelter
12. Eventually…
So many pioneers traveled west that…
Small cities and towns popped up in the west
Many families grew as they lived in the west
Immigrants moved into the west
These westward areas were eventually added as
states which are much more populated today
13. Journal Entry Assignment
For our learning on Westward Expansion, it is
important that you are able to understand how the
people involved were affected by movement to the
Western side of the continent.
For this assignment, you need to write a journal entry
from the perspective of a pioneer moving West!
Remember, journal entries are from the first person
perspective (I, me, my, etc.)
Your journal entry must be at least 10 sentences.
Be sure to include facts based on information that
you’ve learned so far (for example, why are you
moving West? Gold? Land?)
After you finish your first two sentences, come
14. More info…
Watch the BrainPop on this topic!
Visit these sites!
http://www.thecaliforniatrail.com/gowest/
http://www.kidinfo.com/american_history/pioneers.ht
ml
http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/
http://www.americanwest.com/
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/owfrm.htm
Pioneer Life: http://library.thinkquest.org/J001587/
