Transcript Chapter 13 Section 5 “Americans Rush West”

Chapter 13 Section 5
“Americans Rush West”
Vocabulary
• Vigilante – self appointed enforcer of the
law
• Lynch – hanging someone without a trial
• Forty-niner – nickname given to those who
went to California for the gold rush in
1849.
• Diversity – having many different
backgrounds
The Mormons
• Once we had achieved Manifest
Destiny, more and more people
rushed west.
• A new religious group called the
Mormons emerged in 1830. Many
of these people were shunned.
Joseph Smith, their leader,
thought they needed to find a place
where they could worship free of
persecution. He chose Utah.
When Smith was murdered by an
angry mob, Brigham Young was
chosen to take over. He lead them
to Utah and helped them learn how
to use the desert land. Young was
made governor of the Utah
territory, and Utah was made a
state in 1896.
Sutter’s Mill
• In 1848, a California
farmer was digging by a
river and discovered gold
at a place called Sutter’s
Mill. He tried to keep it
secret, by it was no use,
the Gold Rush was on.
People from around the
world came to California to
strike it rich. In fact, over
80,000 people made to
long trek to California in
1849. These people
became known as fortyniners. Few people struck
it rich, but the gold rush did
help to settle the west.
• California had a
hard time
becoming a state
for the same
reason that Texas
did. The issue
was whether
California would
come in as a free
or slave state. In
the end,
California was
annexed as a
free state.
• California had a very diverse population because
people had come from all over the world to get to
California. This caused some tension. The
Chinese that came were ostracized, the Native
Americans were oppressed, and African
Americans were denied rights.
• Today we celebrate California’s rich heritage. It
is one of the most culturally diverse states in the
union.