How did the settlement of the American West begin?
Beginning of Settlement in the American West 1 Trading-Posts Built on the Missouri River. Permanent occupancy of this country of the Great Plains can be dated from the early days of the fur traders. 2 Development into Settlements. ... 3 Settlements Become Towns. ... 4 Early Settlers in Kansas and Nebraska. ... 5 Squatters Along the Trails. ...
What led to the early settlement and organization of the Far West?
No one factor led to the early settlement and organization of the Far West more than the establishment of Spanish missions early in the nineteenth century. The Spanish mission was a tool for advancing political, economic, and religious goals.
Why did people move to the west in the 1800s?
After the first European settlers arrived in the Americas, they began to move westward. In time, many would journey beyond the Mississippi River, encouraged by the promise of prosperity. From the mid-1800s to early 1900s, there were several waves of settlement in the American West.
Did the American Civil War open the west?
But these wars did not open the West—individuals did. Acting alone or in small groups, brave individualists ventured into virgin territory to claim what seemed to be "free" land or to profit from the abundant wild game. Without governmental protections, these frontiersmen stood alone in the wilderness.
Who opened the West?
Men like Daniel Boone and James Harrod ventured into the uncharted forests across the Appalachian Mountains to ready the area for settlement in the 1760s and 1770s. Although these men were interested in settling the frontier, they did not want to replicate life in the East.
What event opened the West for exploration?
Westward expansion, the 19th-century movement of settlers into the American West, began with the Louisiana Purchase and was fueled by the Gold Rush, the Oregon Trail and a belief in "manifest destiny."
What things helped the settlement of the West?
Overview. Land, mining, and improved transportation by rail brought settlers to the American West during the Gilded Age.
What caused westward expansion?
A significant push toward the west coast of North America began in the 1810s. It was intensified by the belief in manifest destiny, federally issued Indian removal acts, and economic promise. Pioneers traveled to Oregon and California using a network of trails leading west.
How the West was settled?
Congress did, on occasion, offer free land in regions the nation wanted settled. But the landmark law that governed how public land was distributed and settled for over 100 years came in 1862. The Homestead Act, which became law on May 20, 1862, was responsible for helping settle much of the American West.
When did Americans start moving to the West?
1803The westward expansion of the United States took place during the 19th century, starting in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase and ending in 1890 when the U.S. Census superintendent formally announced that the country's frontier had been settled.
Who helped open the western territories after the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln and the West Though best known for guiding the nation through the tumultuous four years of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln also played an instrumental role in encouraging settlement and expansion of the American West.
Who settled the American West?
White settlers from the East poured across the Mississippi to mine, farm, and ranch. African-American settlers also came West from the Deep South, convinced by promoters of all-black Western towns that prosperity could be found there. Chinese railroad workers further added to the diversity of the region's population.
How did the railroads help open the West?
The historic moment created the first transcontinental railroad, enabling travelers to go from coast to coast in a week's time, making it markedly easier to travel west in search of land for settlement. By 1872, under the Pacific Railroad Act, Congress awarded the railroads over 170 million acres in land grants.
Which three factors were key to westward movement?
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.
When was West explored?
Lewis and Clark Under the command of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the Corps of Discovery set forth from St. Louis on May 14, 1804.
Who were the first people to explore the western America?
10th Century — The Vikings: The Vikings' early expeditions to North America are well documented and accepted as historical fact by most scholars. Around the year 1000 A.D., the Viking explorer Leif Erikson, son of Erik the Red, sailed to a place he called "Vinland," in what is now the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
Who explored the American West?
Among these men were Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, co-leaders of an expedition tasked with exploring land that the United States had recently acquired. Their trip would turn into an epic 8,000-mile-long trek—and the first big step in the United States' westward expansion.
Who discovered American mainland?
Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas in 1492.
Why did the American colonies move west?
The rapid population growth in the American colonies during the 1700s motivated colonists to move west. American farmers felt that they needed at least one hundred acres to support a family. As lands were divided and dispersed among growing families, and as the fertility of the soil declined after more than a century of use, it became increasingly difficult to support a family on an eastern farm. It only made sense to the colonists that they take possession of the fertile land in the Ohio Valley (an expansive area west of the Appalachians that includes part or all of the present-day states of West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois, as well as the far western parts of Pennsylvania and New York ).
How did the fur trade help America?
As profitable as the fur trade became, however, trappers did not provide America with a stable presence in the Far West; only settlements could secure that. Families needed to be persuaded to cross the Mississippi River in search of homes. Towns needed to be built. So ultimately, Americans needed to discover what every square mile of their country had to offer and promote the best places for settlement. First, explorers blazed trails across the continent, and then the U.S. Army sent engineers to explore the boundaries of the country. After the Civil War (1861–65), the "Great Surveys" detailed the mysteries of the interior. These excursions provided maps of the continent and prompted many to flock westward and settle all worthy territory. Pulled by stories and guided by maps, America fulfilled what many called its manifest destiny: to settle the continent from coast to coast.
Why did fur trappers work in the Far West?
Fur trappers of the Far West accommodated the cultural differences between whites and Indians for the benefit of trade. Many allied themselves with Native Americans to learn more about the wilderness they roamed. Combing thousands of miles to collect animal pelts for trade, these independent trappers also gathered stories of the marvelous frontier. Their pelts and stories poured into the trading center of St. Louis and into the eastern states; the pelts became fashionable hats, and the traders' stories thrilled the easterners, helping to create a national desire to see the West.
What did Lewis and Clark do to entertain the Indians?
At these meetings, the Corps would put on a show to entertain the tribes: the soldiers would march in full uniform, and Lewis would fire a gun . As entertaining as the Corps' show was, Seaman the dog and the black slave, York, proved tremendously interesting to the Indians as well. Indians were fascinated with the "unpainted man-with-the-black-skin," calling him "Big Medicine."
Why did the Appalachian Mountains become the western boundary of the colonies?
And all these settlers ignored the Proclamation of 1763, which had declared the Appalachian Mountains the western boundary of the colonies due to ongoing conflicts with the Native American population in the region beyond the Appalachians.
What did Lewis and Clark do in the discovery?
Lewis and Clark assembled a group of explorers called the "Corps of Discovery," which included fourteen soldiers, nine Kentuckians, two French river men, a slave named York, and Lewis's pet Newfoundland dog, Seaman. On May 14, 1804, twenty-two oarsmen rowed a square-sailed keelboat (a shallow riverboat used for hauling freight) up the Missouri River near St. Louis, along with two groups of six and seven men in two pirogues, or canoes. Two hunters with horses patrolled the banks of the river for game. Along the way the Corps also added a number of interpreters who spoke various Indian languages.
What did the British colonists look for in the early 1700s?
As the British colonies on the eastern seaboard grew ever more crowded in the mid-1700s, colonists began to look westward, beyond the Appalachian Mountains, and imagine the incredible riches the continent had to offer. At first, only the hardiest souls wandered far from civilization into the unknown. The stories these early adventurers told—first of the thick forests of the Ohio Valley, and later of the mineral-rich mountains in California, Colorado, and Nevada; the grassy plains of Texas and the Oklahoma and Kansas territories; and the fertile Willamette Valley of the Oregon territory—thrilled and shocked the incredulous but curious easterners.
When did the American West settle?
The settlement of the American West began in the 1840s and ended in the early 1900s. Several factors influenced this settlement, including the use of the Oregon Trail and the doctrine of Manifest Destiny. Updated: 03/09/2021. Create an account.
What was the first wave of settlement in the West?
From the mid-1800s to early 1900s, there were several waves of settlement in the American West. The first is the California Gold Rush of the 1840s, along with the concurrent use of the Oregon Trail. The second was the call of Manifest Destiny, the idea that American westward expansion was an American right and something ...
What act helped manifest destiny?
Manifest Destiny was also helped by the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Preemptive Act of 1841. Both acts sold land on the Great Plains of the American West to settlers for an extremely reasonable price.
Why did people go west on the Oregon Trail?
Many people went west on the Oregon Trail because of Manifest Destiny. In 1845, a journalist named John O'Sullivan wrote about the Manifest Destiny of Americans. This was referring to the idea that Americans had the right to move west and take the land, since not only was it something that they had the right to do, but it was also a right given to them by God. People latched onto the idea that there was a rich and fertile land they had a right to own. It's important to note that the idea of Manifest Destiny wasn't a new one. Whenever a country wishes to take over another, the conquest is often framed in a positive light for their own people.
How many acres did the Homestead Act allow?
The Homestead Act, in particular, said that settlers were able to own over 100 acres for a small fee and a promise to live on the land for five years.
What was the purpose of the Oregon Trail?
Hundreds of thousands of Americans traveled the Oregon Trail between 1840 and 1868, which was used to transport large groups of settlers across the country in things known as wagon trains, which were very large groups of wagons traveling together. They usually traveled in large wagon trains.
How many people used the Oregon Trail?
Some historians estimate that between 300,000 and 400,000 Americans used the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails between 1840 and 1868. Although it was popular, the Oregon Trail could be dangerous. Wagon trains, or very large groups of wagons traveling together, could face a variety of issues.
American West History: Settlement Overview
The American West was once pristine, native land, undiscovered by Europeans. Beginning in the early 19th century, people began to move west of the Mississippi into the unfamiliar lands that lay beyond.
The Settlement of the West: Background
The settlement of the west truly began after the Revolutionary War (1775-1776) when Americans were granted the ability to move beyond the Appalachian Mountains into the Ohio River Valley. The Proclamation of 1763 (largely ignored by colonists), stated that settlements further than the Mississippi were forbidden.
Why Did Settlers Move West?
Various reasons inspired people to expand westward in the 19th century, though two reasons were generally cited more than others. Economic opportunity, or the chance to strike it rich, was the first. The second was a chance at social mobility and progress, which was also tied to monetary desires.
The Settlement of the West During the Late 19th Century
In 1848, when the Mexican-American war ended and more swaths of land were added to the United States' territory, Manifest Destiny was officially considered "complete." Homesteaders were rushing to the frontier in the thousands, the railway connecting east to west was nearly complete, and the United States was happy for the time being with its massive territory.
What was the West in 1840?
As late as 1840, when Americans talked about the West, they referred to the area between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, and perhaps a slight bit beyond. The areas of Texas, New Mexico, California, and Oregon were regarded as a vast, unknown, and shadowy region, even by the nations with claims there. Spain, and after 1821, Mexico, claimed Texas, New Mexico, and California, and Oregon was jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain. These areas had, for the most part, remained devoid of settlers throughout the expansion boom of the 1820s and 1830s.
What were the early settlements of the Far West?
The Spanish mission was a tool for advancing political , economic, and religious goals . The missions were staffed by Franciscan priests who were paid by the government to convert Native Americans and settle them on mission lands. The mission at once became a center for trade from the East, oversaw the development of local government, and encouraged settlement of the Indians on mission lands in order to create a thriving class of workers able to aid in the development of the untamed West. Even as their direct impact waned due to "secularization" and the enmity of the Indians, their influence over the permanent settlement of the West remains clear even today in the names of towns and cities such as San Francisco and San Diego, scattered throughout the American West.
What Indians attacked New Mexico and Texas?
Apache and Comanche Indians attacked New Mexico and Texas, sweeping southward into Mexico. They advanced within 150 miles of Mexico City before being turned back. This turmoil in the Southwest made the settlers and Mexican government helpless to stop the advances of American settlers.
What was the impact of the Southwest in the 1820s?
During the 1820s and beyond, glowing reports of the Southwest led to a large influx of American settlers , especially into Eastern Texas. Meanwhile, the Spanish, and later Mexican, government attempted to promote the settlement of California and New Mexico by Hispanic people, largely through the use of the mission.
What was the Santa Fe Trail?
Farther South, the Santa Fe Trail linked St. Louis and Santa Fe, establishing strong economic connections between the regions surrounding the endpoints of the trail. After the Panic of 1819, merchants saddled with unsold goods loaded up wagons and traveled to Santa Fe where they traded for mules and New Mexican silver.
Which states were occupied by the United States in the 1820s?
Spain, and after 1821, Mexico, claimed Texas, New Mexico, and California, and Oregon was jointly occupied by the United States and Great Britain. These areas had, for the most part, remained devoid of settlers throughout the expansion boom of the 1820s and 1830s. Trappers and traders made the first forays into the Far West during the 1820s.
Where were the missions in California?
Missions were established all along the California coast and into the interior of Texas and New Mexico. The missionaries tried to convert the region's Indians, and built towns around their missions. By 1823, over 20,000 Indians had converted and were living in the missions of California.
The Fur Trade
Claiming The Land
Discovering The Land's Riches: Lewis and Clark
Sacajawea
The Inhabited West
Founding Astoria
- After 1807, the promise of abundant furs in the West was the main reason Euro-Americans ventured across the Mississippi. Merchants were also lured west in search of a convenient trade route to China and India. Four years after Lewis and Clark returned and detailed their trip to the Pacific, John Jacob Astor (1763–1848), one of the wealthiest Americ...
Trappers Map The West
Topographical Engineers
The Mountain Man Rendezvous
John Frémont, Promoter of The West
The Settlement of The West: Background
Why Did Settlers Move West?
The Settlement of The West During The Late 19th Century