The Westward Expansion

By: Sherin and Rani

Lewis and Clark Expedition

• The Lewis and Clark expedition began in 1804. It took more than 2 years to complete it.• It had 3 purposes: 1- to find a route that would

be between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. 2- to trace the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase. 3- to claim the Oregon territory.

Reasons for Moving West

• The Gold Rush – in January 1848 James Wilson Marshall discovered gold while constructing a saw mill. The new York herald printed the news of of the Gold discovery in August 1848 . When people heard the news they headed west to search for gold.

• The Great Plains- In the early 1800s, people moved to the west to live in the great Plains. They wanted to own lots of land for farming. Many people came from the east of the U.S. where farm land cost a whole lot. In the Great Plains, the land was much cheaper.

The Great Plains / Agricultural Region

The great plains is a flat surface of land. It lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the rocky mountains. This are cover the states: Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

How was land different in the north and the

south?• North: smaller farms and manufacturing and cities• South: larger plantations

What does the Angel represent in John Gast’s painting?

• The angel represents the one who guides the American Progress. She represented the new advances of America.

Louisiana Purchase• By a treaty signed on Apr. 30,1803,the U.S.

purchased the Louisiana Territory . It was more than 2 million square km of land extending from the Mississippi river to the Rocky Mountains. The price was about $11,250,000.

All Western Expansion Territories

Territories:

• Louisiana Purchase

• Gadsden Purchase

• Mexican Cession

• Spanish Territory

• Oregon Territory

Inventions and their Inventors

Eli Whitney-built the nations first cotton ginCyrus McCormick- developed a horse drawn mechanical reaperRobert Fulton- built the river boat powered by a steam enginePeter Cooper- developed a steam powered locomotiveJohn Deere- developed a plow made of steel rather than iron

Modifications That Pioneers Made to Their

Environment

They built…….

• Roads

• Houses

• Fences

• Farms

• Workshops (stores)