Migration

• Oregon Trail


  The main route that migrants used to travel from the east of the USA, to the west
• The Oregon Trail was first published by explorer Jedidiah Smith


  1825
• By 1869, over 400,000 people had made the journey on the Oregon Trail
• Oregon Trail


  • It was 3,200km long and took around four months to complete
  • Dangers included getting stuck, falling ill, and running out of supplies
  • Disease was also a problem as some groups of migrants drank from the same rivers that previous groups had used as a toilet
• Practical route


  The Oregon Trail provided a practical route for wagons to get across the Rocky Mountains to allow settlers to reach the West
• The US government's mapping of the Oregon Trail provided people with the confidence that the journey West was possible and encouraged more migration
• The stories of successful crossings by large groups using the Oregon Trail encouraged migrants to travel as part of a wagon train to provide safety
• Manifest Destiny


  The belief in a God-given right to occupy America
• Manifest Destiny


  Increased the number of migrants moving to the West
• Manifest Destiny


  Allowed for the Indian Frontier, which had been guaranteed, to be breached, thus opening the way for further migration west
• Manifest Destiny


  Helped justify the poor treatment, and taking of land, from the Native Americans by indicating that white settlement was inevitable
• Increased migration due to the concept of Manifest Destiny


  Provided those who believed in it with a justification to settle in order to extend 'civilisation' to new areas
• Plains Indians did not cultivate the land, which led the white settlers to think that the Plains Indians were holding up progress and preventing the settlers from achieving Manifest Destiny
• Timber Culture Act, 1873


  It gave homesteaders an extra 160 acres of land if they promised to plant trees on a ¼ of it (40 acres)
• Timber Culture Act


  • Trees were important because they protected crops from the wind, provided settlers with timber to build houses, fences and furniture, and provided settlers with fuel for fires
• The Timber Culture Act was not very successful as many of the trees died due to a lack of rainfall
• Timber Culture Act


  Allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of extra land at no cost, helping farmers produce enough food to feed a family, which had not been possible before
• Timber Culture Act


  It was believed white settlements would become more permanent as planting more trees would provide settlers with fuel, timber for construction and shelter crops from the winds on the Great Plains
• Timber Culture Act


  The offer of more land increased the number of settlers attempting to set up homesteads despite the unsuitable nature of the climate for the planting of trees
• The Timber Culture Act was exploited by speculators who were hoping to sell it at a later date for a profit, meaning the government plan did not achieve the aim of increasing the number of trees in the west to help settlers
• Exoduster Movement 1879


  The first general migration of African Americans after the Civil War, as former slaves escaping ex-slave states and wanting to settle in the 'free state' of Kansas in order to gain personal security, economic stability and a life of freedom
• In 1873, Benjamin Singleton, a former slave, moved to Kansas and set about encouraging other black Americans to do the same
• In 1879, there was a rumour that the Government was about to give the whole state of Kansas to former slaves; it was not true, but thousands of former slaves moved to Kansas, as well as to Missouri, Illinois and Indiana
• Exoduster movement


  Led to an increase in black settlement, including the all-black settlement of Nicodemus, founded in Kansas
• Exoduster movement


  The advertisement by individuals, e.g. Benjamin Singleton, of the benefits of a new life in the West for African Americans, saw a growth in settlement
• Exoduster movement


  The first general migration of African Americans after the Civil War came about due to a rumour in 1879 that the government of Kansas would provide free land
• Oklahoma Land Rush, 1893


  The US government decided to open up the middle section of Indian Territory for white settlement, dividing the land into 160 acre sections, and thousands of hopeful settlers rushed over the boundary to claim a section as their own
• The Dawes Act in 1887 meant that, instead of the tribe owning all its land, individual Plains Indian families received 160 acres, and all the land that was left over was put up for general sale
• The US government continued to open up Plains Indians' land for sale as there was an increase in pressure from white settlers