0606 Texas Colonization
Land and opportunity were major attractions that drew a number of American settlers to Mexican Texas. But when tensions between the two cultures developed, they eventually led to rebellion and war. To be allowed to settle in Texas, Americans had to be willing to become citizens and obey the laws of Mexico. Over time, enforcing […]
0605 The Oregon Trail
Oregon was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west. Marcus Whitman, who was determined to spread Christianity to American Indians, set out on horseback from the Northeast in 1835 to prove that the westward trail to Oregon could be traversed safely and had proved both men and women […]
0604 US Expansion
The natural resources of Oregon country pulled many bold men to the Northwest. At first, fur trading was a major attraction. As the industry declined, fur traders became trail guides. They eventually led hundreds of pioneers west along the Oregon Trail.
0603 West by Water
Before trains, cars, trucks, and airplanes existed, rivers were used for travel. That all changed with the introduction of steam-powered boats. The first man to build a steamboat in the United States was John Fitch in 1787. A steamboat is a boat that is propelled primarily by steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels.
0602 West by Land
New methods of transportation were developed during the early 1800s. In the early 1800s, travel was anything but easy. None of the methods of transportation that we take for granted today were available-no cars, trains, or airplanes. Travel at that time was physically exhausting, often dangerous, and very, very slow. Remember that there were no […]
0601 Westward Unit Overview
In 1803, President Jefferson purchased the territory of Louisiana from the French government, thinking that it was the key to the nation’s health. Nearly 40 percent of the nation’s population lived in the trans-Appalachian West. Following a trial, most of these people had left their homes in the East in search of economic opportunity. In […]
