Chapter 7 Section 2
Trails to the West
Trans-Appalachia
• The area west of the
Appalachian Mountains
• Attracted people that
wanted to escape
overcrowding
What areas did Americans settle in the
early 1800s?
•
•
•
•
Kentucky
Indiana
Ohio
Michigan Territory
Pinckney Treaty
• Set southern boundary
of the U.S. (Left Florida
to Spain)
• U.S. citizens free to use
Mississippi R. through
Spanish territory
• Spanish and the U.S.
would control Native
Americans in their own
territories
Adams-Onis Treaty
• Spain agreed to cede
(give up) Florida to the
U.S.
• Established border
between Louisiana
Purchase and Spanish
land in the West
• U.S. handed over huge
portion of current
territory in SW to Spain
Why did Spain cede Florida to the
United States?
• Americans already
occupied Florida, so
Spain saw little hope
in keeping it
• They decided to get
whatever they could
in exchange for land
they would lose
anyway
Manifest Destiny
• Belief that it was the
United States to possess
the entire North
American continent
Oregon Country
• Northern California to
southern border of
Alaska
–
–
–
-
Mountainous
Forested
Fertile valleys
Claimed by the U.S.,
Briatain, Russia and
Spain
- Russia and Spain
eventually back out
Mountain Men
• Men that roamed the
Rocky Mountains in
search of beaver pelts
– Adopted Indian ways
– Married Indian women
– Used Indian trails that
led to Oregon and
California
How did Manifest Destiny shape American
attitudes regarding the Oregon Country?
• Americans began to
believe it was their
right to possess the
Oregon Country
– So they began to
aggressively pursue
the acquisition of the
territory
Oregon Trail
• The main route across
the central plains and
Rocky Mountains
– Could take 4 to 6 months
– $500 to $1,000 to make
the trip
Why did people head west?
•
•
•
•
•
Missionary work
Land challenge
Land
Trade
Smaller population
Santa Fe Trail
• Route traders used to
get goods to Mexican
Territory
California Gold Rush
• January 1848- Gold
discovered
• 4,000 prospectors there
by August
• Attracted settlers to
California
• California: 14,000
residents in 1848;
200,000 by 1852
Describe the typical “Forty-niner”
• Unmarried
• White
• From the eastern U.S.
Ghost Towns
• Mining towns boomed
during the gold rush
• People left when the
mines stopped
producing towns slowly
decayed and died.
What were some consequences of the
California Gold Rush?
• Brought hundreds of
thousands of people
to California
• Transformed San
Francisco to a major
commercial center
• Destroyed much of
what was left of
Native American
cultures