opening the west it took americans a century and a half to expand as far west as the appalachian...
TRANSCRIPT
Opening the West
• It took Americans a century and a half to expand as far west as the Appalachian Mountains, a few hundred miles from the Atlantic coast.
• It took another 50 years to push the frontier to the Mississippi River.
• By l830 fewer than 100,000 pioneers had crossed the Mississippi.
Opening the West
• Major Stephen H. Long in 1820 described the West as "wholly unfit for cultivation, and...uninhabitable by a people depending upon agriculture for their subsistence.“
• Led to the Great Plains being called the “Great American Desert”
• Retarded the growth
Trailblazing
• The Santa Fe and Oregon Trails were the two principal routes to the Far West.
• William Becknell, an American trader, opened the Santa Fe Trail in 1821.
• The Santa Fe Trail served primarily commercial functions
Trailblazing
• In 1811 and 1812, fur trappers marked out the Oregon Trail, the longest and most famous pioneer route in American history
• The journey by wagon train took six months.• Settlers encountered prairie fires, sudden
blizzards, and impassable mountains. • Cholera and other diseases were common,
and food, water, and wood were scarce.
The Oregon Trail
• Pioneers gathered at Independence and St. Joseph, Missouri, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, to begin a 2,000 mile journey westward.
• Between 1841 and 1867, more than 350,000 trekked along the overland trails.
• Pioneers buried at least 20,000 emigrants along the Oregon Trail.
Overland Immigration Overland Immigration to the Westto the West
Overland Immigration Overland Immigration to the Westto the West
Between 1840 and 1860, more than250,000 people made the trekwestward.
Between 1840 and 1860, more than250,000 people made the trekwestward.
The Oregon TrailThe Oregon Trail – Albert – Albert Bierstadt, 1869Bierstadt, 1869
The Oregon TrailThe Oregon Trail – Albert – Albert Bierstadt, 1869Bierstadt, 1869
The Oregon Dispute: The Oregon Dispute: 54’ 40º or Fight!54’ 40º or Fight!
The Oregon Dispute: The Oregon Dispute: 54’ 40º or Fight!54’ 40º or Fight!
By the mid-1840s,“Oregon Fever” wasspurred on by thepromise of free land.
By the mid-1840s,“Oregon Fever” wasspurred on by thepromise of free land. The joint
British-U. S.occupation ended in1846.
The joint British-U. S.occupation ended in1846.
Conflict with Britain
• Both Britain and the United States claimed Oregon which extended to Russian Alaska.
• The feud was over furs.
• By early 1840’s the fur market had dropped and the U.S. and Britain settled on a boundary the 42 parallel
““American Progress” by John American Progress” by John Gast, 1872Gast, 1872
““American Progress” by John American Progress” by John Gast, 1872Gast, 1872
John C. Fremont• In 1842 – 1844 John C. Fremont of the Army
Topographical Corps - scientific expedition into the Rocky Mountains - guided by the mountain man Kit Carson
• Names a peak after himself• On his return, Fremont's account of the
expedition and expert maps are ordered published by Congress.
California
• 1846 In March, John C. Fremont, on his third expedition raises the American flag over California at an improvised fort near Monterey.
• He receives word of the impending Mexican War and returns to California to play a part in its conquest.
California
• Americans quickly defeat the Mexican forces in California and immediately start to take land from the Mexican Ranchos, who had wanted U.S. to take over California.
The Gold Rush
• 1848THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH On January 24, James Marshall, a veteran of the Bear Flag Revolt, discovers gold on the American River while building a lumber mill for John Sutter.
• A brief report of the discovery appears in a San Francisco newspaper in mid-March, where it goes mostly unnoticed.
• In May, Sam Brannan, a Mormon elder who owns a store near Sutter's Fort, arrives in San Francisco with a bottle of gold dust and a plan to draw potential customers for his supplies.
• Walking through the streets with the gold dust in his hand, he shouts, "Gold! Gold from the American River!" Brannan's publicity stunt sets off a gold rush that will draw fortune-hunters from around the world.
California Gold Rush
• 1849Forty-niners heading for California's gold fields – network of trails across the continent, – Forty-niners come west by ship, sailing
around Cape Horn or crossing by canoe and donkey train through the jungles of Panama
California Gold Rush
• 1849 year's end, over 80,000 fortune-seekers have made their way to California nearly tripling the territory's population
• 1850 California enters the Union.• Anti immigration sentiment – Foreign
miner laws
The Mormon Experience
The Mormon Experience
Leaving Illinois
• Now led by Brigham Young, a large contingent of Mormons leave Illinois for Mexican territory which is now Utah. The Mormons split on the issue of polygamy. The polygamist move to Utah
Utah
• Build Salt Lake City and become a very successful settlement.
• 1848, Utah becomes part of the U.S.
• 1890, polygamy is banned by the church
• 1896, Utah becomes a state.
Territorial Growth to 1853Territorial Growth to 1853Territorial Growth to 1853Territorial Growth to 1853
Free Soil PartyFree Soil PartyFree Soil PartyFree Soil Party
Free Soil! Free Speech! Free Labor! Free Men!
Free Soil! Free Speech! Free Labor! Free Men!
“Barnburners” – discontented northern Democrats.
Anti-slave members of the Liberty and Whig Parties.
Opposition to the extension of slavery in the newterritories!
“Barnburners” – discontented northern Democrats.
Anti-slave members of the Liberty and Whig Parties.
Opposition to the extension of slavery in the newterritories!
WHY?
WHY?
The 1848 Presidential The 1848 Presidential Election ResultsElection Results
The 1848 Presidential The 1848 Presidential Election ResultsElection Results
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