AMERICAN WEST - EARLY SETTLERS QUIZ (GCSE History)

What were the pull and push factors for people going West 1830's - 1850's

The whites believed in [blank_start]Manifest Destiny[blank_end] ; the belief that land was a [blank_start]gift from God[blank_end] and so it is humans duty to [blank_start]use[blank_end] it. Because of this, most of the population of whites thought they needed to [blank_start]populate[blank_end] and [blank_start]govern[blank_end] America. They thought their ideas were [blank_start]superior[blank_end] to Native Americans.

The 1830's - 1840's saw the arrival of [blank_start]Mountain Men[blank_end]. They travelled West to hunt [blank_start]beavers[blank_end] to get their fur. Once a year they would meet at rendez-vous to trade their goods. As they'd be out on the plains all year, they'd [blank_start]marry[blank_end] Indian [blank_start]women[blank_end] so they could stay in their camps in the winter. Their lives were lonely and in extreme weather.

The 1840's saw the arrival of the [blank_start]first farmers[blank_end]. They went West to escape [blank_start]poverty[blank_end] in the East and a better lifestyle with cheap land. The journeys were dangerous and could take [blank_start]several months[blank_end]. Strong believers in [blank_start]manifest destiny[blank_end]

As well as Mountain men and first farmers, the early settlers also include the [blank_start]mormons[blank_end] and [blank_start]gold miners[blank_end].

What problems with weather did they have to deal with travelling West?

Which of these were problems (other than weather) that they had travelling west?

The early settlers were from the [blank_start]1830's[blank_end] to the [blank_start]1850's[blank_end].

The Gold Rush happened in [blank_start]1848[blank_end] - [blank_start]1849[blank_end] (the forty-niners) , in [blank_start]San Francisco[blank_end]

Who discovered gold on his land in 1848 in California which sparked the gold rush?

The gold rush of 1848 - 1849 was sparked by [blank_start]James Marshall[blank_end] in California when he discovered gold on his land. The news travelled and soon tens-of-thousands of people were flooding into the West. During 1848-1852 the population grew from 14000 to [blank_start]225000[blank_end] people. Many of them lived in camps, which turned into [blank_start]mining towns[blank_end]. However, many of them came equipped for searching streams; '[blank_start]panning[blank_end]' , which became worn out and expensive mining took over. Because of this, they were forced to work for big mining companies to earn any money and survive. This meant hard labour in terrible conditions - not the dream life they'd wished for.

What was a 'claim jumper'?

The Gold Rush did mean that the [blank_start]Native Americans[blank_end] and [blank_start]Nature[blank_end] did suffer. During the Gold Rush, the [blank_start]Native American[blank_end] population dropped from 150000 to just [blank_start]30000[blank_end] as a result of [blank_start]violent attacks[blank_end] from the whites, [blank_start]disease[blank_end] and [blank_start]epidemics[blank_end] and being driven off of their land by whites. Miners would chop down [blank_start]forests[blank_end] for timber and [blank_start]chemicals[blank_end] released during mining polluted the environment.

Why were people so crazed by the idea of gold and wealth in 1848? The [blank_start]great economic depression[blank_end] of [blank_start]1837[blank_end]