Transcript Slide 1

The following people groups headed West, faced
hardships, and left legacies behind as they shaped the
way our country developed.
The Explorers – wanted to make friendly contact with
the Indian groups that might be interested in trade,
AND to find a water route across North America.
The Mountain Men – fur traders who lived rough, yet
adventurous lives.
The Missionaries – several
missionaries answered the
request of the Nez Perce
Indians for someone to teach
them about the “Black Book,”
or the Bible.
The Pioneer Women –
women earned new status
for themselves. They felt a
sense of freedom and
equality. Annie Bidwell
helped get women in
Wyoming the right to vote
20 years before other
women in the U.S.
The Mormons – members of
the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints, led by
Brigham Young. Young
claimed Salt Lake City, Utah
for the Mormons.
The Forty-Niners – tens of
thousands of gold seekers
from around the world joined
the California gold rush.
The Chinese – by 1852, more than 20,000 Chinese came
across the Pacific Ocean to the “Gold Mountain,” which
is what people in China called California. They brought
with them one of the world’s oldest and richest cultures.
The Mexicanos – Spanish-speaking people had been
living in the southwestern region of what is now
the U.S. since the 1500s.
Even though most white
settlers had little
respect for Mexican
Americans, they freely
borrowed much that was
useful from them.
Spanish words and Mexican
foods, laws, technology, and
architecture became a lasting
part of the Southwest culture.