Date
Name
TERMS AND NAMES
manifest destiny Belief thatthe
United States would expand across
the continent
Treaty of Fort Laramie Treaty that
gave Native Americans control of the
BEFORE YOU READ
central plains
Santa Fe Trail Trail from Missouri to
In the last section, you learned about changes in the
Santa Fe, New Mexico
American economy~
Oregon Trail Trail from Missouri to
In this sqction, you will learn why Americans continued toOregon
Mormnns Religious group that settled
move westward.
near present-day Salt Lake City
Joseph Smith Founder and leader of
AS YOU READ
me Mormons
Use this char~ to take notes on the reasons Wny ~eoNe
Brigham Young Leader of the
usedthe Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail to move
Mormons who decided to move the
westward.
group west to Utah
"Fifty-Four Forty or FightF Slogan
used in the 1844 presidential election
as a call for U.S. annexation ofthe
Oregon Territory
Manifest Destiny
TRAILS WESTWARD
REASONS FOR MOVEMENT ON TRAIL
"to "trade,
1. What was manifest destiny?
The Frontier Draws Settlers
(pages 280-281)
Why d~’d settSers continue moving
westward?
.
Many Americans belie~Jed that God wanted the Settlers and Native Americans
United States to expand across the continent. They
felt that Americans were meant to control the How did westward expansion
West. This belief was called manifest destiny. affect Native Americans?
As a result of this belief, many peop!e began
moving west. Some moved because of the cheap The westward movement caused conflicts between
land. Others--such as business owners -hoped to Native Americans and white settIers. In the early
star* trade with Asia. Stone fled west to escape eco- 1830s. Chief Black Hawk and members of the Sank
nomic problems in the east. The Panic of 1837 in and Fox tribes led a rebellion against settlers in
which many of the nation’s banks failedcausedIllinois and Wisconsin territories. The battle ended
many people to lose their jobs and savings. As a when the Illinois mih~ia kil]ed 200 Sank and Fox
result, some Americans wanted a fresh start on thepeople. As a result of their defeat, these tribes were
forced to move west of the Mississippi River.
frontier
Cm~TE~ 9 EXPANDING MARKETS AND MOVING WEST 97
One group that migrated west along the Oregon
In 1851. the United States government signed
the .Treaty of Fort Larazxtie with many NativeTrail was the Mormons. The Mormons ~vere a rehgious group, started by Joseph Smith. Because of
American groups. The treaty gave Nativetheir different views Mormons had been persecutAmericans control of much of the Great Plains Ined for their beliefs. Brigham Yotmg was the
return, the Native Americans agreed not to attackMormon leader whe followed Smith. Young decidsettlers as they moved west. The Native Americansed that the Mormons would be safer if they lived
also allowed the government to build forts and
roads. The United States promised that settlersapart from society.
In 1847. thousands of Mormons settled near the
-vould stay out of tim Native ~meriean lands. Butedge of the Great salt Lake in Utah. They shared
the U.S. government did not honor this trea~T.
water and timberland and built a community
2. What was the agreement made in the Fort Laramie
around present-day Salt Lake City.
Treaty?
Both the United States and Britain claimed the
Oregon Territory. In 1844 James K.. Polk. the
Democratic presidential candidate, called for the
entire Oregon Territory to be p~r~ of the United
States. His campaign slogan was "Fifty-Four
Trails West o gss 282-2
Forty or Fight!" This referred ro the northern
limit of the territory--the latitude 54 4
What routes did the settlers take.?
Britain ~vas interested in the Oregon TerritoI~
Settlers used several major routes as they movedmainly for its many beaver furs. Eventually, beaver
west. They were a series of old Native Americanhats went out of style. As a result, the British lost
trails and new routes. The Santa Fe Trail was ainterest in the Oregon Territory. The United States
trade route between Independence Missouri. and claimed the region as theirs. This established the
Santa Fe. New Mexico. Traders traveled this route current border between the United States and
to Santa Fe, where they sold cloth, guns, axed Canada.
knives. In return, they bought silver. _~old, and furs.3. What two trails did Americans take te move West?
The Oregmr Trail stretched from
Independence to portland. Oregon. By 1844. about
5.000 Americans had settled in Oregon.
In this painting by William Henry Jackson, Mormon wagons wait to
ferry across the Missouri River at Coundl Bluffs, iowa, in 1846.
Skillbuilder
1. How did many people travel
westward during the 1800s?
~-. How does this picture show
that the population of the
West grew in the 1800s?
98 CHASTEn 0 SECTION