Transcript Life in the West - NYOS Charter School

Life in the West
The motives, hardships, and legacies of the
groups that moved west in the 1800s.
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Mrs. Mata
NYOS Charter School
• Rugged individuals, wore shirts and trousers made from animal
hides and had long hair and beards, mostly men
• Were happy with the “freedom & adventure” this brave life
provided
• In 1807, a Spanish trader named Manuel Lisa led 42 trappers up
the Missouri River and in 1808 he took 350 trappers into the
Rocky Mountains
The Mountain Men
Who were they?
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• For the next 30 years, these fur-trappers crisscrossed the West in
search of valuable furs
• The men sought economic opportunities and explored the newly
acquired Western lands
The Mountain Men
What was their motive?
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• Lived a hard life, usually died young due to daily hazards:
disease, landscape, thieves, Indians, wolves, bears, etc.
• During the Spring & Fall, they set their fur traps in icy streams
The Mountain Men
What were their hardships?
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• They pioneered across mountains and deserts, these routes
became known as the “Oregon and California Trails”
• Many of the men became scouts, guides, and traders that helped
other settlers going west
• Left behind personal journals that tell us today of the conditions
that they lived
The Mountain Men
What was their legacy?
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• Marcus & Narcissa Whitman and Henry & Eliza Spalding were
the best known Missionaries
• They traveled west form St. Louis along the Oregon Trail
• Narcissa Whitman described the Rocky Mountains as, “the most
terrible mountains for steepness.” However, her safe arrival in Oregon
was proof that women could endure the journey west.
• These Missionaries goal was to convert Indian tribes such as
the Nez Perce and Cayuse to Christianity.
• Marcus Whitman said, “It does not concern me so much what is to become of any particular
set of Indians. Our greatest work is…to aid the white settlement of this country and help to
found its religious institutions.”
• In 1842, he urged Americans he encountered on horseback in the
west, to settle in Oregon.
The Missionaries
Who were they? What were their motives?
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• Marcus Whitman guided many new settlers along the
Oregon Trail
• “The poor Indians are amazed at the overwhelming number of Americans
coming into the country,” observed Narcissa, “they seem not to know
what to make of it.”
• Measles attacked in 1847, killing the Indians and not the
White settlers. The Cayuse Indians feared that the
Whitmans were purposely killing Indians, so they murdered
the couple.
The Missionaries
What were their hardships?
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• The Missionaries hoped their legacy would be large
numbers of Christian Indians.
• In fact, relatively few Indians became Christians, because
many died of diseases.
• The only true legacy the Missionaries left was the
opening of the west to settlement.
The Missionaries
What was their legacy?
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• Shared the danger and work of settling the West
• They were wives, mothers, and single women seeking husbands or
new opportunities
• Helped shape the future of the West and earned a new status
for themselves & for women
• For African American women who escaped slavery, the West
was a new found freedom
• Between 1840-1869 about 350,000 people traveled West in
covered wagons and met up at Independence, Missouri and
organized themselves into “wagon trains” like modern day
caravans
Pioneer Women
Who were they? What were their motives?
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• This journey West lasted 4-6 months and covered about 2,000
miles
• When land became steep along mountain side, settlers had to toss
out the few treasures they brought and the Oregon Trail was
littered with furniture, china, books and other items
• Women were expected to do the work they had done back home,
but while traveling 15-20 miles a day
• They cooked, washed clothes, and took care of children
• The food consisted of bread, bacon, & coffee
Pioneer Women
What were their hardships?
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• The journey West changed pioneer women because the trail
brought out strengths and abilities they did not know they
possessed
• Wherever they settled, schools, churches, libraries, literary
societies, and charitable groups soon blossomed.
• Annie Bidwell married John Bidwell and moved to his ranch in
what is now the town of Chico, California. There she taught
sewing to local Indian women and helped their children learn
to read and write English.
Pioneer Women
What was their legacy?
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• Annie was also active in the cause to give women the right to
vote.
• The Wyoming Territory led the way by granting women the right
to vote in 1869.
• By 1900, a full 20 years before women across the nation would
win the right to vote, women were voting in 4 western states.
• The freedom and sense of equality enjoyed by women in the West
helped pave the way for more equal treatment of women
throughout the U.S.
Pioneer Women
What was their legacy?
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• The Mormons were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints
• Joseph Smith had founded this church in New York in 1830. He
believed that he received the Book of Mormon from an angel
and believed it was his task to create a community of believers
who would serve God faithfully.
The Mormons
What were their motives?
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• The Mormon pioneers traveled to Utah in search of religious
freedom.
• They built cities and towns that allowed them to practice their
religion without persecution from others
The Mormons
What were their motives?
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• Wherever the Mormons settled, their neighbors persecuted them
• Many people were offended by the Mormons teachings, especially
their acceptance of polygamy—the practice of having more than
one wife
• Others resented the Mormons for their rapidly growing power and
wealth
• In 1844, a violent mob in Illinois killed their founder, Joseph
Smith
• After Smith’s death, Brigham Young took over as leader of the
Mormons and moved his community West to Utah
• Many died along the trails. As one Mormon recalled, “We soon though it
unusual to leave a campground without burying one or more persons.”
The Mormons
What were their hardships?
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• They finally settled in the western territory near the “Great Salt
Lake” in Utah, at present day Salt Lake City
• By the time Brigham Young died in 1877, Utah had 125,000
Mormons living in 500 settlements
• Mormons were the first Americans to settle the Great Basin
• They pioneered farming methods that were particular for this
dry part of the country
• Salt Lake City, Utah became an important stop for travelers going
West in need of food and supplies
• Today, the Mormon Church has grown into a worldwide religion
with more than 11 million members
The Mormons
What was their legacy?
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• In 1848, a carpenter named James Marshall spotted something
shining in the American River of California which turned out to be
GOLD!
• By 1849, over 250,000 gold seekers from around the world had
joined the California Gold Rush
• Most were young men
• About 2/3 of these 49ers were Americans, the rest were
immigrants from Mexico, South America, Europe, Australia, and
China
The Forty-Niners
Who were they?
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• Men who were seeking economic opportunities for new land,
fortune, business and a new life in the West
• GOLD, GOLD, GOLD!
The Forty-Niners
What was their motive?
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• Getting to California for the Chinese & Australians required them
to cross the Pacific Ocean
• Miners frequently fought over the boundaries of their mining
camps. Often when disputes occurred, they took it upon themselves
to punish others because there were no police to control this
western land
• Digging for gold was hard, tedious work because they spent long
days digging in mud, dirt, and stones while standing in knee-deep
icy streams
The Forty-Niners
What were their hardships?
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• By 1852, the Gold Rush was over
• Between 1848-1870 warfare and disease reduced the Indian
population from about 150,000 to just 30,000
• By 1850, California had enough people to become the 1st state in
the far West.
• These 49ers helped transform the “Golden State” into a diverse
land of opportunity
The Forty-Niners
What was their legacy?
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• To poor, hungry Chinese, “Gam Saan” or “Gold Mountain”
(California) sounded like paradise
• “You will have great pay, large houses, goods, and clothing of the finest…money is in
great plenty.”
• By 1852, more than 20,000 Chinese had ventured across the
Pacific Ocean to California.
• 1 out of 10 settlers in California were Chinese
• In 1852, the governor of California praised Chinese immigrants as
“one of the most worthy classes of our newly adopted citizens.”
The Chinese
Who were they?
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• The California Gold Rush attracted thousands of Chinese immigrants
• Most were seeking their fortune with the hopes of returning to China
as a rich man
The Chinese
What were their motives?
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• As gold mining became more difficult, attitudes towards immigrants
changed and the American miners called on the government to
drive foreigners out of the goldmines.
• In 1852, the state legislature passed a law requiring foreign
miners to pay a monthly fee for a license to mine.
• The Chinese paid the tax and stayed on the goldmines but the
Americans tried to force them to leave by torturing them. White
hacked off their long queues (braids) worn by Chinese men, burned
their shacks, and publicly beat them.
The Chinese
What were their hardships?
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• Discouraged Chinese immigrants left the mines to open other small
businesses like: restaurants, laundries, stores, and markets
• So many Chinese settled in San Francisco that local newspapers
called their neighborhood, “Chinatown.”
• The Chinese not only helped to build the West, but they also
brought with them the arts, tastes, scents, and sounds of one of
the world’s oldest and richest culture.
The Chinese
What was their legacy?
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