Westward Expansion Lesson A: Reasons for Westward Expansion Learning Intentions Learning About The reasons for Westward Expansion (why Americans began to move westward from the eastern cities) Learning To • Use ABCD to write an explain response • Write a To What Extent response SHANARRI • Achieving • By covering content and practising skills • Nurtured • By being given scaffolds to help us learn our exam structures • Responsible • By completing independent work Success Criteria N3 • I can explain one reason why Americans began to move West • I can list the different reasons for Westward Expansion, and can try and say which I think was the most important. N4 • I can explain two simple or one developed reason why Americans began to move West • I can describe the different reasons for Westward Expansion and give a conclusion about which reason was the most important. N5 • I can explain six simple or three developed reasons why Americans began to move West • I can analyse the different reasons for Westward Expansion and come to a supported conclusion about which reason was the most important. Yeah…but why? • The move west is really important for our later topic on relations with Native Americans. • The move west cut across traditional lands and caused conflicts and displacement. • It will explain the rush to civil-war in 1860. • It will help you understand modern American society better and will help you better understand how America has developed through history. Starter What do we know about the American West already? Mexican American War Texas, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Wyoming owned by Mexico until 1848. A war began over the territory in 1846, and ended in 1848 with Mexico granting all territory north of the Rio Grande to America This opens the American West for further settlement by American citizens Great Plains Hostile environment. Called the “great American desert” or the “grassland sea” Settlers didn’t want to live there – but DID want to cross to get to California. Rocky Mountains Characteristics of the Great Plains Huge Poor land Animals • Covered an enormous area • But had a lack of trees – not sheltered • Semi arid – little water available. • Unpredictable weather. • Cold, violent winters. Scorching hot summers. • Locusts and grasshoppers • Wolves • Bears and Bison People were reluctant to move before 1850. However, after 1865, things picked up: Freed slaves from the ‘South’ – to start a new life or to escape social, and economic problems after the Civil War European immigrants – seeking political or religious freedom, or to escape poverty at home Younger sons from the east – they couldn’t inherit, and it was too expensive to buy land in the east Topic Key Concepts • The key concept to understand for this topic are the reasons WHY people moved West. • Here are some example questions on this topic: • Explain the reasons why Americans began to move west after 1850. • How fully does Source A explain/describe the reasons for westward expansion? • Evaluate the usefulness of Source A as evidence of why people wanted to move west. • To what extent was X the main reason for westward expansion? Task • We will look at SEVEN reasons for westward expansion. • For each one, get down two-three DETAILED facts • Then, write an ABC(D) sentence for it in the space provided. ABCD – How to answer a question A One reason for westward expansion was B because C Americans believed it was their Manifest Destiny to take over the Great Plains and spread their way of life. LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question D The idea of Manifest Destiny was further encouraged by being advertised in newspapers and from government funding. Manifest Destiny The term manifest destiny is thought to have been originally used by John L O'Sullivan, the editor of both the Democratic Review and the Morning News at the time. “other nations have undertaken to intrude themselves ... for the avowed object of ... checking the fulfilment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions.” This basically meant that Americans and their way of life were morally superior and therefore Americans are morally obligated to spread this way of life in order to free people from their lesser cultures/systems of government O'Sullivan's phrase was taken by some to mean that it was America's manifest destiny to expand and encourage the American way of life on the Great Plains. Politicians felt that it was part of God’s plan to take over the whole country. This belief they felt gave them the right to take land from the Native Americans. They even encouraged this idea by offering grants to people willing to fulfil their manifest destiny and move west. LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion Manifest Destiny cont’d O'Sullivan's phrase was taken by some to mean that it was America's manifest destiny to expand and encourage the American way of life on the Great Plains. Politicians felt that it was part of God’s plan to take over the whole country. This belief they felt gave them the right to take land from the Native Americans. They even encouraged this idea by offering grants to people willing to fulfil their manifest destiny and move west. “It is our manifest destiny to overspread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of Liberty”. Horace Greeley, American writer Soon newspapers all over the country were taking up the cry and telling people to fulfil their Manifest Destiny. The people of the US saw their country as a shining example to freedom loving people everywhere. Their government was the perfect form of government. It must therefore be the ‘God Given’ duty of the United States to spread these blessings across the whole of the continent of America. Gold Rush In 1848 gold was discovered in California, and soon thousands of prospectors rushed there, hoping to make their fortune. By spring 1849 there were 40,000 miners (the '49ers') in California. This was the start of the gold rush, which lasted from 1849 to 1856. Relatively small finds could make a man rich as it was so valuable at the time. It also appeared to be easy to find, and many had success with gold panning which wasn’t hard to do. These successes encouraged even more to move. It is estimated that by 1855 some 300,000 people had streamed into California hoping to strike it rich. At first almost all the miners were men, and they lived in makeshift tent-settlements, hoping to make a quick fortune. They were soon followed by shopkeepers and traders. Few miners made their fortune from gold. But they spent the savings they had used to go mining with, and this kick-started the California economy. LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion Government grants to encourage gold prospecting also increased westward expansion. Grants were given to people to move to Colorado and Montana in 1858, and the Black Hills in 1874. The port town of San Francisco went from a population of about 1,000 in 1848 to become the eighth largest city in the U.S. in 1890, with a population of almost 300,000. LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question ABCD – now you try A One reason for westward expansion was B because C What happened and when? Why would this make them move? D How many moved? Were there other things that combined with this to encourage people? Railroads LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion The first of five Pacific Railroad Acts was passed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. It provided government support for the building of first railroad to link the east and west coasts of the U.S.A. Land around the railways became valuable, people wanted to live there and be connected to the rest of the country. The cost of travel using the railroad was also much cheaper – this encouraged more people to move west as it didn’t cost them as much In order to encourage the railroad companies to build the transcontinental railways, the government gave them 6400 acres of land (10 square miles) and $16,000 in government bonds for each mile of track laid. Railways made it much easier to move people, goods and cattle to different parts of the country. This made life in the West easier and so more appealing. The railroad connecting east and west completed in 1868. A trip that once took four months in a cart could now be done in days via the railroads. Therefore they launched a massive sales campaign, offering a settlement package, which included: 1.a safe, cheap and speedy journey west 2.temporary accommodation in 'hotels' until the families had built their own home 3.other attractions such as schools, churches and no taxes for five years Its completion was seen as Manifest Destiny being fulfilled, and the wild west being tamed. LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question ABCD A One reason for westward expansion was B because C What happened and when? Why would this make them move? D Were there other things that combined with this/about this that encouraged people? Religious Freedom Mormonism was a religion founded by Joseph Smith after he said he found some gold plates with angelic writing on them. Smith won many followers, but also angered others who accused him of fraud and blasphemy. By 1831 the Mormon Church had more than 1,000 followers, and Smith decided to move them to set up a City of God. They were hated in the East because of their beliefs: They allowed polygamy – Joseph Smith had ten wives The number of Mormons grew very quickly They had their own army They were very hard-working and became very successful – this made many jealous Smith ran for President – people were worried that if they became too powerful they would enforce their beliefs on the people of America LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion The government persecuted them. For example: Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an exterminating order against them. The state governor of Illinois asked them to leave Mormons were persecuted in most places, so moved to Salt Lake and founded Salt Lake City where they could live in peace. Brigham Young, who took over from Joseph Smith, told Mormons that Salt Lake was “the promised land” In 1849 they established the Perpetual Emigration Fund to encourage more Mormons to move west to Salt Lake City ABCD on the search for religious freedom A One reason for westward expansion was B because C Who were the Mormons? Why did they want to move? LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question D Were there other things that combined with this/about this that encouraged people? Homestead Act After the Civil War, the government encouraged people from both north and south to settle the plains with a series of grants and Acts: The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed homesteaders to claim 160 acres of land free if they lived and worked on it for five years. The prospect of free land was very attractive to people who could never have afforded a farm back home The Timber Culture Act was passed by Congress in 1873. The act allowed homesteaders to get another 160 acres (65 ha) of land if they planted trees on one-fourth of the land The Desert Land Act 1877: Families could purchase 640 acres of land for cheap in places where there was low rainfall By the end of the century, more than 80 million acres had been granted to over 480,000 successful homesteaders. In total, about 10 percent of the U.S. was settled because of the Homestead Act LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion ABCD – on the Homestead Act as a cause of westward expansion A One reason for westward expansion was B because C What happened and when? Why would this make them move? LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question D Were there other things that combined with this/about this that encouraged people? Advertising and adventure Once the population of an area reached 60,000, it could apply to become a state of the USA. Local governments therefore could benefit from encouraging more settlers to move to their areas. They attracted people using publicity campaigns. They advertised how health was better in the west, and printed fantastic idealised pictures of it in newspapers Stories circulated about the high quality of the crops that could be grown in California and Oregon. Potential emigrants were told that wheat “grew as tall as a man, with each stalk sprouting seven kernels”. LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion Being a “cowboy” and working on farms with cattle was romanticised. People wanted the ‘adventure’ of living in the Wild West. Letters home encouraged more and more people to follow onto the Plains ABCD – on the role of advertising and adventure in the westward expansion A One reason for westward expansion was B because C What did people hear and where did they hear it which would make them want to move? LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question D Were there other things that combined with this/about this that further encouraged people? Overcrowding and Opportunities LI: Explain the reasons for Westward Expansion Lots of people in the East were stuck in factory and other low-paid jobs. It was almost impossible to work themselves up in life, so people who had failed to get a good life in the cities of the East Coast left for a new life in the West where they thought they would be better off and could escape from poverty. There was also significant overcrowding in the eastern cities. The population in the east of the United States was 12 million in 1830, but had risen to 23 million by 1850. So people moved to escape the overcrowding, poor living conditions, and difficulty finding work. Freed slaves moved west after the end of the civil war. They still faced persecution in the slave states, and often couldn’t make a living there because of it. Opportunities in the West • Shopkeepers and hotel owners also travelled west to exploit the demand of the settlers. This was especially true during the Gold Rush. • Certain wheat strains were discovered and was capable of adapting to the climate of the plains, so people took advantage of this new crop to grow and make their living from. • Younger sons weren’t able to inherit their father’s property by law, and they couldn’t afford to establish themselves in the East without that money. So they took advantage of the opportunity of cheap/free land to make their own fortune in the West. ABCD (hint – you can actually get more than one ABCD for this topic if you want to challenge yourself) A One reason for westward expansion was B because C What opportunities did people hear of in the West which would make them want to move? LI: Use ABCD to answer an explain question D Any further detail, or another opportunity you could include to expand? Exam Questions • Explain the reasons why people moved west after 1850 (6 marks) Plenary Question • To what extent was the gold rush the main reason for Westward Expansion after 1850? (9 marks) Plenary • Label the painting “American Progress” with different reasons for Westward expansion which are shown in the image