Chapter 7 Section 2

Trails to the West

Trans-Appalachia

• The area west of the Appalachian Mountains

• Attracted people that wanted to escape overcrowding

What areas did Americans settle in the early 1800s?

• Kentucky• Indiana• Ohio• Michigan Territory

Pinckney Treaty

• Set southern boundary of the U.S. (Left Florida to Spain)

• U.S. citizens free to use Mississippi R. through Spanish territory

• Spanish and the U.S. would control Native Americans in their own territories

Adams-Onis Treaty

• Spain agreed to cede (give up) Florida to the U.S.

• Established border between Louisiana Purchase and Spanish land in the West

• U.S. handed over huge portion of current territory in SW to Spain

Why did Spain cede Florida to the United States?

• Americans already occupied Florida, so Spain saw little hope in keeping it

• They decided to get whatever they could in exchange for land they would lose anyway

Manifest Destiny

• Belief that it was the United States to possess the entire North American continent

Oregon Country

• Northern California to southern border of Alaska– Mountainous– Forested– Fertile valleys- Claimed by the U.S.,

Briatain, Russia and Spain- Russia and Spain

eventually back out

Mountain Men

• Men that roamed the Rocky Mountains in search of beaver pelts– Adopted Indian ways– Married Indian women– Used Indian trails that

led to Oregon and California

How did Manifest Destiny shape American attitudes regarding the Oregon Country?

• Americans began to believe it was their right to possess the Oregon Country– So they began to

aggressively pursue the acquisition of the territory

Oregon Trail

• The main route across the central plains and Rocky Mountains– Could take 4 to 6 months– $500 to $1,000 to make

the trip

Why did people head west?

• Missionary work• Land challenge• Land• Trade• Smaller population

Santa Fe Trail

• Route traders used to get goods to Mexican Territory

California Gold Rush

• January 1848- Gold discovered

• 4,000 prospectors there by August

• Attracted settlers to California

• California: 14,000 residents in 1848; 200,000 by 1852

Describe the typical “Forty-niner”

• Unmarried• White• From the eastern U.S.

Ghost Towns

• Mining towns boomed during the gold rush

• People left when the mines stopped producing towns slowly decayed and died.

What were some consequences of the California Gold Rush?

• Brought hundreds of thousands of people to California

• Transformed San Francisco to a major commercial center

• Destroyed much of what was left of Native American cultures