In the mid-19th century, people were mesmerized by the western part of the United States so much that they were willing to risk life and limb for a new start at life. The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile land route that started in the Midwest to new settlements in Oregon, California, and Utah. This route enabled early Pioneers to migrate west, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The first pioneers to travel this route were Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, the two made their journey in 1836 . The first mass migration did not occur in tell the year 1843, when approximately 1000 pioneers set off from Independence, Missouri. The Oregon Trail was the only feasible route for the early settlers to get to the west coast from 1836 to 1869. This is when the …show more content…
The Panic of 1837 was one such incident involving an unstable currency and financial system resulting in a lack of confidence in both government and the banks. Thus caused a financial crisis in the states; wages, profits, prices went down, while unemployment went up. Many Americans believed that if they could not succeed where they were, they could always move West and start over. The Homestead Act was one of the big factors in motivating the colonist to uproot their lives and go to unchartered territory. The Homestead Act offered free land to the settlers, 160 acres of public land. In trade, homesteaders would pay a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residency before gaining ownership of the land. After six months of continuous residency, the homesteader had the option of buying the land from the government for $1.25 per acre. For most people, a move West represented a combination of motivations, including the chance to start over in a land where no one could tell them what to do and where they could follow their religion as they …show more content…
Thus making the colonies crowded. With the population growing, there was less land available for the settlers, which raised the price of the land. In 1845, a New York newspaper editor named John L. O’Sullivan gave the spirit of expansion a name, calling it Manifest Destiny. He said, “Our manifest destiny is to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly, multiplying millions.” The perception of Manifest Destiny was quickly used by others and became a familiar idea throughout the United States. The Colonists understood that expanding west was the only way to make the country superior and stronger. The belief of Manifest destiny gave new hope to the Colonist. Manifest Destiny also had government backing, so it gave a lot of motivation to the early pioneers to move westward on the Oregon Trail. Thomas Jefferson once said “It is America's right to stretch from sea to shining sea. Not only do we have a responsibility to our citizens to gain valuable natural resources we also have a responsibility to civilize this beautiful
I noticed a few graves of people whom have died of the disease cholera (Document C). Some campers may need to
America’s Manifest Destiny first surfaced around the 1840’s, when John O’Sullivan first titled the ideals that America had recently gained on claiming the West as their ‘Manifest Destiny.’ Americans wanted to settle in the West for multiple reasons, from the idea that God wanted them to settle all the way to the West co...
To stimulate growth inland, the Homestead Act was initiated. Many traveled overland by horse and wagon on rutted trails and grassland to find a plot of 160 acres of undeveloped land. They were granted title to the land if they “improved” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land. After five years on the land, farmers were entitled to the property, free and clear.
The availability of inexpensive land in the American West provided opportunity for many Americans to fulfill the American dream of individualism, economic opportunity and personal freedom. Immigrants, former slaves and other settlers moved across the country to become western farmers and ranchers to make a new life. One of the reasons why the west was a land of opportunity for the farmers and ranchers was the large quantity of cheap available land. This allowed for many Americans, both rich and poor, to buy land for farming and raising cattle. The Homestead Act of 1862 aided the process. The Homestead Act gave title to 160 acres of federal land to farmers who staked a claim and lived on the land for five years. Alternatively, a farmer could buy the land after six months for $1.25 an acre. Many blacks and immigrants joined the westward expansion, looking for a better life. Immigrants saw the land as opportunity because many could not own land in the countries where they were born. For example, in Nebraska, a fourth of the population was foreign born. These immigrants transformed...
Man has always had the desire to expand, venture forth to develop greater wealth. With the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory and the prospects of future land acquisition, Americans used the idea of Manifest Destiny to justify their actions for moving westward and their treatment of Native Americans. The idea of Manifest Destiny was created directly by the European-used Doctrine of Discovery and industrialization; this direct correlation was proven to be true from the verdict of the court case Johnson v. M’Intosh.
Manifest Destiny was the motivating force behind the rapid expansion of America into the West. This ideal was highly sponsored by posters, newspapers, and various other methods of communication. Propaganda is and is still an incredibly common way to spread an idea to the masses. Though Manifest Destiny was not an official government policy, it led to the passing of the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act gave applicants freehold titles of undeveloped land outside of the original thirteen colonies.
Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean; it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquisitions. Advocates of Manifest Destiny believed that expansion was not only good, but that it was obvious and certain. Originally a political catch phrase of the 19th century, "Manifest Destiny" eventually became a standard historical term, often used as a synonym for the expansion of the United States across the North American continent.In the early 1840s John L. O’Sullivan, editor of the Democratic Review, inaugurated the expression Manifest Destiny to depict American expansionism. O’Sullivan described the nation’s extension as inevitable and criticized those that delayed that progression "for the avowed object of thwarting our policy, limiting our greatness and checking the fulfillment of our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions."(Horsman 219) Horsman notes that even though O’Sullivan laid claim to the phrase manifest destiny, the idea was embedded in Anglo-Saxon heritage. In chapter one of Horsman the concept of ...
The government participated in a great "push" to get its citizens to move to west. At first few people moved to the west, but this changed when gold was discovered in California in 1848. This caused a "gold rush" to the west coast which consisted of many prospectors seeking to find their fortunes in the gold mines of California. Many traveled to the west coast, however few actually found their fortunes.
The time of westward expansion was filled of hardships and challenges for the citizens of America. They left their homes at their own will to help make life better for themselves, and would letter recognize how they helped our country expand. The people of the Oregon trail risked their lives to help better their lives and expand and improve the country of America. However, no reward comes without work, and the emigrants of the Oregon Trail definitely had it cut out for them. They faced challenges tougher than anyone elses during the time of westward expansion.The Emigrants of the Oregon trail had the the most difficult time surviving and thriving in the west because of environmental difficulties, illness abundance, and accident occurrence.
John L. O’Sullivan, an editor, coined the term “Manifest Destiny” and gave the expansionist movement its name in 1845. The “Manifest Destiny” was the belief that Americans had the divine right to occupy North America. The Americans believed they were culturally and racially superior over other nations and other races such as the Native American Indians and Mexicans. The notion of the ‘Manifest Destiny’ was that the Americans were morally superior and therefore morally obligated to try to spread enlighten and civilization to the less civilized societies. According to World History Group, “The closest America came to making ‘Manifest Destiny’ an official policy was The Monroe Doctrine, adopted in 1823, it put European nations on notice that the U.S. would defend other nations of the Western Hemisphere from further colonization” (World History, 2015). This divine American mission caused Anglo-Saxon Americans to believe they had the natural right to move west and bring blessings of self-government and religion, more specifically-
The Manifest Destiny was a progressive movement starting in the 1840's. John O'Sullivan, a democratic leader, named the movement in 1845. Manifest Destiny meant that westward expansion was America's destiny. The land that was added to the U.S. after 1840 (the start of Manifest Destiny) includes The Texas Annexation (1845), The Oregon Country (1846), The Mexican Cession (1848), The Gadsden Purchase (1853), Alaska (1867), and Hawaii (1898). Although this movement would take several years to complete, things started changing before we knew it.
White settlers started moving westward to settle the land gained by the victory over the Native Americans. A major factor that caused this major movement, other than by the victory of the war, was the homestead act. This act provided and granted 160 acres of free land to any citizen who was the head of a house or family. While moving, the settlers were challanged by the new enviornment of the plains and they had to start adapting to the new enviornment. While moving west, all farmers were supported by the government on technical aspects and on agricultural education.
Many believed in Manifest Destiny. That is was a God given right to spread Christianity and American ideals such as democracy all over the continent from coast to coast. This idea triggered over a million Americans to get up and sell their homes in the east and set out on Oregon, Mormon, Santa Fe, and California trails. Not everyone agreed with this expansion in the West. The slavery debate, once again, fueled many problems with Westward expansion.
Biking from Franklin on the Allegheny Valley Trail, average travelers would assume that the path on which they were riding was nothing more than an ordinary trail in an ordinary town. Then around the five mile marker they would see the massive Belmar Bridge rising in the distance. Today the bridge serves as a reminder of our region’s rich history, harkening back to the days when oil wells dotted the landscape and railroads crisscrossed the countryside. At about the eight mile marker, a large rock covered in intricate symbols and markings juts out of the river. Centuries ago, Indian God Rock served as a waypoint for the Native Americans who created the paths on which the railroads were built. The Allegheny Valley, Samuel Justus, and Sandycreek Trails built by the Allegheny Valley Trails connect all eras of our region’s history, from the Native American period to the glory days of the oil industry, the years of economic decline, and the our recent resurgence as a center of tourism and recreation.
When The Oregon Trail was first introduced to elementary schools, most people didn't fully understand the effect it would have on their students. The Oregon Trail is a computer game that was designed to showcase students what it would have been like for pioneers in the 19th century. Students were to take on a role of a character that was embarking on this epic journey, that was known as The Oregon Trail, hence the titular namesake of the game. However, when the creators set out to establish this game, it is unclear if they were aware of the impact it would have in the history of American folklore.