WESTWARD
EXPANSION:
THE PIONEER
CHALLENGE
1 videocassette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 minutes
Copyright MCMXCII
Rainbow Educational Media
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CREDITS
Producer: Martha Ann Byrnes
Author: Greg Byrnes
Narrator: Peter Collins Video
Editor: Jeanne Fones
Graphics: Parterre Productions
Produced for Rainbow Educational Video
By Parterre Productions
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Review Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Activities/Topics for Discussion.. . . . .
14
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Script. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
INTRODUCTION
In this program you will examine the westward
expansion of the United States from the period
following the Revolutionary War to modern
times. Students will see some of the challenges
presented to the pioneers by geography and how
they were met.
In many ways the history of the United States,
from the very earliest settlements, has been
the story of geography. George Washington,
before he was a military man, was a land
surveyor. He and Thomas Jefferson, both, though
temperamentally different, dreamed of mapping
the United States from the Altantic westward.
This program looks at the geography of the
United States through the eyes of settlers
moving westward. This began after 1776 with the
settlement of the midwest. This was followed by
the 2,000 mile journey from the Missouri River
to California. In each case the richness and
promise of new regions drew men, women, and
children westward.
In both art and literature the land itself has
been an important theme for Americans. Much of
our national self-image rests firmly on our
understanding of the land. Even in today's
highly urbanized environment the need to
comprehend geography and the various regions of
the country is important. In many ways the
settlement of America has only just begun as
new technologies make even remote regions
suitable locales for large numbers of people to
live and work in.
OBJECTIVES
After viewing this program students should :
* Know that the United States was settled
from east to west.
* Be aware of the various natural boundaries
that made this settlement arduous.
* Understand that geology and climate create
distinct regions in the United States.
* Be able to describe some of the famous
individuals and key events in the movement of
the settlers westward.
* Know that geography also helped the
pioneers.
* Understand the role natural resources play
in spurring development.
SUMMARY
This program examines the westward expansion of
the United States and looks at the challenges
presented to the pioneers by geography, and how
they were met.
Following the Revolutionary War, settlers, like
the famous frontiersman and scout Daniel Boone,
began moving through the Cumberland Gap into
Kentucky. Others went through Pennsylvania into
Ohio. Farmers were looking for new land and new
opportunity as homesteaders soon replaced
hunters in the Great Lakes region.
With Thomas Jefferson's 1803 Louisiana Purchase
the size of the United States doubled. He
commissioned Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
to travel from St. Louis to explore this
region. They did so with the help of a French
trapper and his Indian wife, Sacagawea,
reaching the Pacific Ocean in November 1805.
The 8,000 mile journey generated a new
enthusiasm for the West.
Rivers like the Ohio, the Mississippi and the
Missouri were highways of travel. The Erie
Canal connected Lake Erie with New York's
Hudson River creating a link between western
farm goods and eastern manufactured goods.
Cotton was king in the rich, flat farmlands of
the south. In 1840 Texas joined the union and
made cattle ranching a fixture in American
life. Within a few years gold was discovered
in California and farmers moved across the
Missouri River into Iowa, Nebraska and the
Dakotas. The richness of the land drew families
westward. Soon new territories and states were
established.
The 2,000 mile journey from Missouri to
California was one of the greatest challenges
in American history. The Santa Fe Trail, the
main southern route, took settlers from
Independence, Missouri, through rugged terrain
to Santa Fe, New Mexico. By 1850, 5,000 wagons
a year made the trek westward through Kansas
and New Mexico.
To the north ran the Oregon trail, the longest
of the overland routes to the Pacific. The
journey took six months. Food, water and wood
were scarce, disease and battles with Indians
were common.
As more settlers moved westward, the era of
railroading began. With the purchase of
California, Alaska and the Southwest a
continental nation emerged. The Union Pacific
and the Central Pacific raced to cross the
country. The Golden Spike uniting the world's
first intercontinental railroad was driven at
Promontory, Utah, in 1869.
Another far-away possession that would later
become a state was Hawaii. Acquired in 1900
this Pacific paradise was an important port in
the heart of the world's largest ocean.
The magnificence of the geographic heritage of
the United States inspired not only miners,
ranchers, farmers and manufacturers, but
nineteenth century painters who saw America as
a new Eden, a paradise which even with some of
today's ecological problems is amazingly
beautiful.
There were many obstacles to development, such
as the Rocky Mountains or the Cimarron Desert,
but other landforms, like the great
rivers of the midwest and west, helped in the
settlement of the land. Today television,
telephones, computers, air travel and highways
unite the nation. An uncharted expanse is
known. But the size and magnificence of the
land remains. Geography has been important and
will remain important in the settlement of
America.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. In which geographic direction was the
United States settled?
The United States developed from east to
west.
2. Name two founding fathers who dreamed of
mapping the west?
Thomas Jefferson and George Washington
dreamed of mapping the lands to the west of
the thirteen colonies.
3. Which pioneer led settlers through the
Cumberland Gap?
Frontiersman and scout, Daniel Boone, led
settlers through the Cumberland Gap into
Kentucky.
4. Why did many farmers go west?
Many farmers went west looking for new land
and new opportunities.
5. What was the profession of the people who
first went into the Great Lakes region?
Hunters and trappers were among the first
settlers to go into the Great Lakes region.
6. Which President bought the Louisiana
Purchase and when did he buy it?
Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803, doubling the size of the United
States.
7. Which men were assigned the task of
leading an exploration party into the new
region?
President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark to travel from St.
Louis to explore this region.
8. Which Indian assisted them in this
journey?
With the help of a French trapper and his
Indian wife, Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark crossed
the Continental Divide and reached the Pacific
Ocean in November 1805.
9. How long did this journey take?
The journey of over 8,000 miles took two and a
half years.
10. Name two major rivers between the
Appalachian highlands and the Rocky
Mountains.
The Mississippi and the Missouri are two
important rivers in the midwestern United
States.
11. What did the Erie Canal connect and why
was it important?
The Erie Canal linked Lake Erie with New
York's Hudson River making it easier for farm
goods to be shipped east and manufactured goods
shipped west.
12. Which crop dominated southern
agriculture?
10
Cotton was king in the rich, flat farmlands of
the south.
13. When did Texas join the union?
Texas joined the Union in 1840.
14. When was gold discovered in California?
Gold was discovered in California in 1849. It
is one reason California is nicknamed the
"golden state."
15. What are Iowa, Nebraska, and North and
South Dakota noted for?
They are among the richest farmlands in the
world.
1 6 . Which was the main southern route from
Missouri to California?
The Santa Fe Trail was the main southern
route. It took settlers from Independence,
Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
17. What advantage was there to cutting
across the Cimarron Desert? What were the
risks?
The cut across the Cimarron Desert was a
shorter distance, but there was little water
and the danger of fights with Indians.
18. Why does the cactus thrive in the
southwest?
Cactus thrives there because it can survive
with very little water.
11
19. Name a northern overland route to the
Pacific?
The Oregon Trail was the longest of the
overland routes to the Pacific, running
almost 2,000 miles.
20. Who led the first wagon train through the
Rockies?
Benjamin Bonneville took the first wagon
train through the Rockies in the 1830' s .
21. What two railroad lines built the first
intercontinental railroad and what ethnic
groups largely made up the labor force?
The Union Pacific, using predominantly Irish
laborers, was chartered to build a line west
from Omaha, Nebraska, while the Central
Pacific, using Chinese workers, built east
through the Rockies from Sacramento.
2 2 . Where did these lines meet?
The Golden Spike uniting the world's first
intercontinental railroad was driven at
Promontory, Utah, in 1869.
23. Who purchased Alaska for the United
States?
In 1867, Alaska was purchased from Russia for
$7,200,000 by American Secretary of State,
William Seward.
24. What natural resources generated interest
in Alaska?
The Yukon Gold Rush of the 1890's and later the
discovery of oil and gas have generated
12
interest in Alaska, as has the rich fishing
off its coastal waters.
25. When did Hawaii become a part of the
United States?
Hawaii was acquired in 1900 and remains an
important Pacific port.
2 6 . How did some 19th century painters
portray America?
Many 19th century American artists saw
America as a new Eden, a new paradise.
13
ACTIVITIES/TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Have students write a short report on the
journey of Lewis and Clark. What inspired it?
How was the expedition assembled? Describe one
significant event that occurred during the
journey. What was learned about the geography
of the country? What impact did it have on
America as a whole?
2. Students can create a bulletin board of the
United States. On this should be drawn some of
the major routes settlers used in going
westward, along with the dates these routes
were first used. A historical atlas will
provide invaluable information. The names and
locations of major Indian tribes can be
included along with the dates different
sections of the country were incorporated into
the United States.
3. Have students do a short report on the Santa
Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail. They should
trace these routes and describe what traveling
in a wagon train along these trails might have
involved. In writing about the Santa Fe Trail
students should say which of the two variations
of the trail they would have taken and why.
4. Hold a class discussion. What role do
students think climate, geology and geography
played in the settlement of the region you
live in? How was the region hospitable to
settlement? How was it hostile? How have
population patterns varied in the last 200
years? In what way are people's livelihoods
affected by where you live? Are there many
farmers, do you live near a port, are you in
the Sunbelt, etc.?
14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bakeless. Journals of Lewis and Clark.
Penguin Books, 1964.
Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Bantam Books, 1971.
Merk, Freederick. Manifest Destiny and
Mission in American History. Vintage Books,
1963.
Silver, James F. Geography Skills Activities
Kit. Simon and Shuster, 1988.
Stenger, Wallace. Beyond the Hundredth
Meridian. Houghton, Mifflin Company, 1953.
Webb, Walter Prescott. The Great Plains.
Grosset and Duhlap, 1931.
Parkman, Francis. The Oregon Trail. Heritage
Press, 1943.
15
SCRIPT
In this program we will examine the westward
expansion of the United States and see the
challenges presented to the pioneers by
geography, and how they were met.
During the Revolutionary War, Thomas Jefferson
and George Washington dreamed of mapping the
lands to the west of the thirteen colonies.
Soon settlers, like the famous frontiersman and
scout Daniel Boone, were passing through the
Cumberland Gap into Kentucky. In many cases
settlers were moving into unknown territory.
America was an agricultural nation and farmers
were looking for new land to replace the rocky,
poor soil like that found in New England.
For some the first steps west took them to
Pennsylvania and then Ohio.
The Great Lakes region, once the home of
hunters and trappers, was soon overtaken by
homesteaders.
With Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase in
1803 the size of the United States doubled,
extending beyond the Mississippi River to an
unidentified western boundary.
President Jefferson commissioned Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark to travel from St.
Louis to explore this region.
With the help of a French trapper and his
Indian wife, Sacagawea, they crossed the
16
Continental Divide and reached the Pacific
Ocean in November 1805.
Their journey of over 8,000
a half years and inspired a
the west. Americans quickly
opportunity lying just over
miles took two and
new enthusiasm for
came to see
the horizon.
The midwest, the great region between the
Appalachian highlands and and Rocky Mountains
was dominated by important rivers, the Ohio,
the Mississippi and the Missouri.
The Erie Canal linked Lake Erie with New
York's Hudson River. This made it easier for
farm goods to be shipped east and manufactured
goods to be shipped west.
America's waterways became important networks
of commerce as the young nation gathered
economic strength.
In the rich, flat farmlands of the south,
cotton became king. In 1840 Texas joined the
Union. Its wide lands were suited for cattle
ranching. Cowboys became an important factor in
American life. Traveling light on horseback
across wide flat plains, they took cattle to
the beef market.
The discovery of gold in California in 1849
brought new settlers in search of wealth and a
better life. Perhaps this is why California has
been nicknamed the "golden state."
Farmers seeking new lands moved across the
Missouri River. Thick top soil made the
wheatbelt states of Iowa, Nebraska and the
Dakotas the richest farmlands in the world.
17
As more settlers moved in, territories and then
states, were established.
For settlers going west the nearly 2,000 miles
from Missouri to California was a great
challenge.
The Santa Fe Trail, the main southern route,
took settlers from Independence, Missouri, to
Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This meant crossing the Arkansas River. One
route followed the river's north branch.
Another cut across the Cimarron Desert, a
shorter distance, but one filled with Indian
fighting and hardship.
Once in Santa Fe many followed The Old Spanish
Trail to Los Angeles, others traded
manufactured goods for mules, silver and gold.
In 1821, 150 men and 80 wagons made the
journey. By 1850, 5,000 wagons a year made the
trek westward through Kansas and New Mexico.
The southwest is an extremely dry region noted
for its low rainfall and deserts. Cactus
thrives here because it can survive with very
little water.
Water meant survival - which is why settlers
found traveling along rivers so important.
The Oregon trail was the longest of the
overland routes to the Pacific, running
almost 2,000 miles.
It ran through Kansas to Nebraska, and
followed the Platte River to South Pass,
Wyoming.
18
Benjamin Bonneville took the first wagon train
through the Rockies here in the 1830' s .
The journey took six months. Food, water and
wood were scarce, disease and battles with
Indians were common.
Like Columbus before them, these settlers in
their covered wagons were true pioneers.
Once in Idaho, wagon trains followed the Snake
River into the Oregon territory and the
Columbia River. In the arid west, rivers were
the highways of civilization.
But with the Gold Rush the era of western
railroading was under way. The purchase of
California and the southwest after the Mexican
American War enlarged the nation.
The Union Pacific, using predominantly Irish
laborers, was chartered to build a line west
from Omaha, Nebraska, while the Central
Pacific, using Chinese workers, built east
through the Rockies from Sacramento.
The great railroad race was underway as the two
companies competed to determine who could lay
the most track.
The Golden Spike uniting the world's first
intercontinental railroad was driven at
Promontory, Utah, in 1869.
Two years earlier, in 1867, Alaska was
purchased from Russia for $7,200,000 by
American Secretary of State, William Seward.
Alaska, known as Seward's Icebox because of the
snow in its northern regions, is a land of many
natural resources like gold, oil, and timber.
19
Not until the Yukon Gold Rush of the 1890's
and, later the discovery of oil, was the
importance of this purchase recognized.
Another far-away possession that would later
become a state was Hawaii. Acquired in 1900
this Pacific paradise was an important port in
the heart of the world's largest ocean.
Its volcanoes, still active, continue to add
territory to the 50th state.
19th century painters saw America as a new
Eden, a new paradise. Despite ecological
problems, the wonders of our land still impress
us all.
Visiting Yosemite Park it's easy to see how
climate and geology could have affected
settlement.
It's also a reminder of the obstacles the
pioneers faced as they crossed the continent
from east to west.
At times landforms like rivers, helped the
pioneers progress, at other times, landforms
like the Rocky Mountains, hindered it.
Today television, telephones, computers, air
travel and highways unite the nation.
An uncharted expanse is now known.
Yet some things don't change.
The ruggedness of the American land has not
disappeared. And even today there are men and
women, boys and girls, who understand the
20
important role geography has played and will
continue to play in America's destiny.
THE END
21
CLOZE EVALUATION QUESTIONS
WESTWARD EXPANSION: THE PIONEER CHALLENGE
NAME
DIRECTIONS: Select the correct word from the four choices given. Circle the correct letter.
1. The beginning of the nineteenth century brought an interest in westward expansion. Early
pioneers like ____ led settlers through the Cumberland Gap into the land of Kentucky. This young
nation had a lot of growing to do and there was enough open land for its growth.
1. A.
B.
C.
D.
DavyCrockett
Meriwether Lewis
William Clark
Daniel Boone
2. President Jefferson encouraged this westward movement with a very important land
purchase. In 1803 he arranged for the purchase of a large area known as ____. It would double
the size of the United States and of course Jefferson wanted to learn about this important purchase.
3. President Jefferson asked two explorers to map out the region. The two pioneers known and
a ___ began their journey of 8,000 miles. It would take them over two
years to complete, but they brought back important information about the plants, animals, and
ways to travel in this vast region.
2. A.
B.
C.
D.
Texas
California
Louisiana
Alaska
3. A.
B.
C.
D.
4. A.
B.
C.
D.
Boone and Crockett
Caswell and Macey
Bonneville and Clark
Lewis and Clark
Great Plains
Old South
New Frontier
Great Plateau
5. The many rivers also helped in the settlement of America. Even in the East the ___
connected the Great Lakes with the Hudson River. Then goods could be carried down the river
to New York City and abroad.
5. A.
B.
C.
D.
St. Lawrence River
Niagara Canal
Erie Canal
Hudson Canal
6. The journey from Missouri to California was long and dangerous. An important trail known as the
____ Trail was the main southern route. Once at Santa Fe, New Mexico, a southern trail called the
Old Spanish Trail carried the settlers to Los Angeles, California.
6. A.
B.
C.
D.
Sante Fe
Cimarron
Oregon
Erie
7. Another important trail led the early pioneers overland for almost 2,000 miles. This was the
____Trail and it ran through the present states of Kansas, Nebraska, and parts of Wyoming. It was
a dangerous journey where death could come from Indians, starvation, or lack of water.
7. A.
B.
C.
D.
Pacific
Sante Fe
Erie
Oregon
8. Another important event in our history took place in California. The ____ occurred in 1849 and
brought settlers looking for gold. Some would find their dream, but many would find little or
nothing. This opened up the west for even greater settlement.
8. A.
B.
C.
D.
Silver Rush
Gold Rush
Western Migration
Far Western Trip
9. The invention of the steam engine would be used in another form of transportation that helped
settle the west. The ____ Railroad race brought the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads
together in Utah. This helped move even more settlers to the West Coast.
9. A.
B.
C.
D.
World
American
United
Transcontinental
10. America would also expand into the northern regions of the continent. Our largest state,
____, was called Seward's "ice box" for the cold winters. However, it is a land of beautiful
scenery, wildlife, and natural resources like oil and natural gas.
10. A.
B.
C.
D.
Montana
Alaska
Oregon
Washington
4. The land in the middle of our country would be settled by pioneers who turned to farming. This
region known as the ____ would become one of the most important agricultural regions in the
country. As many grains were grown here, the nickname of America's "bread basket" was
appropriate.
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