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Westward Expansion

Learn about the push factors behind westward migration after the Civil War and how Manifest Destiny shaped the American frontier. Discover the influence of events like the Homestead Act, California Gold Rush, Native American Wars, and the Transcontinental Railroad.

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Westward Expansion

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  1. Westward Expansion www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJcCl_ZDJoQ

  2. Reasons why people moved west after the Civil War • In the East, farmland was expensive • Poor people could not buy their own land • Sharecropping was how many poor whites and ex-slaves had to farm • In the West, there were “wide open” areas –especially the Great Plains where “only” some Indians lived • Gold and silver were discovered – drawing people who wanted to get rich quick • Millions of buffalo lived on the Great Plains – easy to kill and hides worth money back east

  3. Manifest Destiny • Americans, stirred by their hunger for land and the ideology of “Manifest Destiny,” flocked to the new frontiers. • Manifest Destiny = the United States’ fate to grow and become powerful regardless of who or what was in their way – Indians, buffalo, Mexicans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHemd90ZdsU

  4. The Homestead Act of 1862 • The Homestead Act gave public lands (lands owned by the national government) to American citizens • For a small fee a person could obtain 160 acres • The Homestead Act helped poor families who could not afford land in the eastern states. • It gave unemployed workers a chance to find work on land of their own.

  5. California Gold Rush The CA Gold Rush began in 1849, attracting thousands of gold hunters known as forty-niners. Thousands of miners from the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and China flocked to the West. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDkqvqqjMAA&list=PLBy8FMQx5L_c7lLwL79y0Il8YaKGrRXsb

  6. Effects of Westward Migration: African Americans Move to the West • Thousands of African-Americans moved west in 1879 in an effort to find a better life. • This was known as the “Exodus of 1879”, and the participants were called “Exodusters”.

  7. Effects of Westward Migration: Buffalo and the Rise of the Cowboy • Buffalo were in the way of railroads and settlers so had to be removed • Also, hides worth money back east • 25 million buffalo killed (1840-1889) • Replaced with cattle – and rise of the cowboy • 1 in 4 cowboys were African Americans http://www.history.com/topics/homestead-act/videos/native-american-cultures?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false

  8. Effects of Westward Migration: The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad · Railroad companies raced to lay tracks to the gold mines

  9. Effects of Westward Migration: Immigrant Workers Build the Railroads Labor was scarce due to the hard, dangerous work and low pay. Central Pacific - approximately 90% of their workforce were Chinese immigrants Union Pacific - hired many Irish immigrants Immigrants willing to work for low wages and in harsh conditions were used.

  10. Effects Of Westward Migration:Native American Wars • As Indians lost more and more land, they fought back. • Battle of Little Big Horn (1876) – Dakotas, Wyoming and Montana • George Custer planned to defeat the Lakota and force them onto a reservation. But underestimated Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull who helped lead the Lakota to victory. • It was the biggest victory Native Americans ever won over United States forces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn5SXMKS1xU • Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) – South Dakota • The last major conflict between the United States and Native Americans occurred at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc7fZonjD1M

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