Mr. Arnold — Trails to the West

Trails to the West Lesson 6 Literacy Objective: To annotate the text in order to deepen understanding. Historian’s Journal I. Do Now – Answer the questions below. ____ 1. In the early 1800s, who would most likely make this statement? (a) New England minister (c) Southern sharecropper (b) Northern factory owner (d) Western gold miner ____ 2. What action did the U.S. government take towards Native Americans from 1820 to 1840? (a) paying Native American Indians a fair price for their land (b) passing a law giving all Native American Indians United States citizenship (c) encouraging Native American Indians to take jobs in factories (d) removing Native American from their tribal lands and placing them on reservations ____ 3. The ruling in the Supreme Court case of Worcester v. Georgia (a) established the policy of Indian removal. (b) determined that Georgia laws did not apply to the Cherokee. (c) was enforced by President Andrew Jackson. (d) established protective tariffs for imported goods. III. Walk in their Shoes – Read the passage. Answer the questions. 4. What will you expect your journey West to be like? Explain. (2 sentences) Consider REWARDING possibilities: – exciting new adventures – beautiful scenery – new friends to meet on the way Consider CHALLENGING possibilities: – enduring tired, aching feet from walking – guiding a loaded wagon over rough terrain in all types of weather – finding fresh water and food along the way 5. Recall: Who purchased the Louisiana Territory? 6. Analyze: How much did the size of the United States increase with the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory? (1 sentence) 7. Analyze: Based on the sentence above, what does the word “acquisition” mean? (1 sentence) 8. Analyze: How is the Louisiana Purchase related to westward expansion? (2 sentences) In the early 1800s, Americans moved westward. They even moved beyond the territory of the United States. They traveled by canoe and flatboat, on horseback, and by wagon trails. Some even walked much of the way. The rush to the West occurred, in part, because of a hat. The “high hat,” made of water-repellent beaver fur, was popular in America and Europe. While getting fur for the hats, French, British, and American companies slowly killed off the beaver population in the East. So companies moved west in search of more. Most of the first non-Native Americans who traveled to the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest were fur traders and trappers. 9. Analyze: What does it mean that the “rush to the West occurred, in part, because of a hat”? Explain. (2 sentences) American merchant John Jacob Astor created one of the largest fur businesses, the American Fur Company. His company bought skins from western fur traders and trappers who became known as mountain men. These adventurers were some of the first easterners to explore and map the Rocky Mountains and lands west of them. Mountain men trapped animals on their own, far from towns. Mountain men survived many hardships during their search for wealth and adventure. In order to survive on the Western frontier, mountain men adopted Native American customs and clothing. 10. Evaluate: What is the main idea of the paragraph above? (1 sentence) 11. Which of the following correctly orders major U.S. geographic features from West to East? (a) Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Mississippi River, Appalachian Mountains (b) Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Mississippi River (c) Great Plains, Mississippi River, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains (d) Mississippi River, Appalachian Mountains, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains In 1811, John Jacob Astor created a fur-trading post called Astoria near the Columbia River. Astoria was one of the first American settlements in what became known as Oregon Country. Native Americans occupied the region, which was rich in forests, rivers, and wildlife. 12. Predict: How did fur traders and Native Americans interact in this region? (1-2 sentences) Many settlers moving to Oregon Country and other western areas followed the 2,000-mile-long Oregon Trail, which stretched from places such as Independence, Missouri, or Council Bluffs, Iowa, west into Oregon Country. The trail followed the Platte and Sweetwater Rivers over the Plains. After it crossed the Rocky Mountains, the trail forked. The northern branch led to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The other branch went to California and became known as the California Trail. Traveling the trail challenged the strength and determination of pioneer families. The journey usually began after the rainy season ended in late spring and lasted about six months. The cost, about $600 for a family of four, was high at a time when a typical worker usually made up most groups of settlers. They gathered in wagon trains for the trip. There could be as few as 10 wagons or as many as several dozen in a wagon train. Oxen, mules, or horses pulled the wagons. Pioneers often walked to save their animals’ strength. They kept up a tiring pace, traveling from dawn until dusk. Settler Jesse Applegate recalled the advice he received from one experienced Oregon pioneer: “Travel, travel, TRAVEL. Nothing is good that causes a moment’s delay.” Some pioneers brought small herds of cattle with them on the trail. They faced severe hardships, including shortages of food, supplies, and water. Rough weather and geographic barriers, such as rivers and mountains, sometimes forced large numbers of pioneers to abandon their wagons. In the early days of the Oregon Trail, many Native Americans helped the pioneers, acting as guides and messengers. They also traded goods for food. Newspapers sometimes reported Native American “massacres” of pioneers. However, these were lies. Native Americans rarely attacked pioneers unless they were attacked first or forced to leave their homelands through the use of force. The settlers who arrived safely in Oregon and California found generally healthy and pleasant climates. By 1845 some 5,000 settlers occupied the Willamette Valley. 13. Evaluate: Was it a good or bad idea to take a wagon trail west in the 1840s? (1-2 sentences) 14. Identify: Based on this bar graph, what happened to the non-Native population from 1800 to 1900? Explain what caused this change. (2 sentences) 15. Identify: Based on this bar graph, what happened to the Native American population from 1800 to 1900? Explain what caused this change. (2 sentences) Many settlers moving to Oregon Country and other western areas followed the 2,000-mile-long Oregon Trail, which stretched from places such as Independence, Missouri, or Council Bluffs, Iowa, west into Oregon Country. The trail followed the Platte and Sweetwater Rivers over the Plains. After it crossed the Rocky Mountains, the trail forked. The northern branch led to the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The other branch went to California and became known as the California Trail. Traveling the trail challenged the strength and determination of pioneer families. The journey usually began after the rainy season ended in late spring and lasted about six months. The cost, about $600 for a family of four, was high at a time when a typical worker usually made up most groups of settlers. They gathered in wagon trains for the trip. There could be as few as 10 wagons or as many as several dozen in a wagon train. Oxen, mules, or horses pulled the wagons. Pioneers often walked to save their animals’ strength. They kept up a tiring pace, traveling from dawn until dusk. Settler Jesse Applegate recalled the advice he received from one experienced Oregon pioneer: “Travel, travel, TRAVEL. Nothing is good that causes a moment’s delay.” 15. Predict: Based on this poster, what are TWO reasons people took the railroad out west to California? (2 sentences) EXIT TICKET: 1. What did states like Iowa and Nebraska offering American settlers? a. flat, dry land to grow corn b. fertile valleys and sparkling rivers to help with farming c. livestock d. weapons and ammunition 2. What economic incentives made American settlers want to move out West? a. opportunities for a booming fur trade and cheap land b. free land in Oklahoma c. freedom from your boss in the factories d. none of the above 3. As Americans moved westward, Native American populations a. expanded eastward b. expanded westward to Alaska, even Asia c. diminished to extremely low numbers d. stayed the same