Westward Expansion: America goes West.

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Westward Expansion

The discovery of gold sent a number of emigrants towards the west. Poeple had many reasons for moving west. The west seemed to promise something new. The routes or trails were long and devastating for the travelers. One main problem was that the ytook over much ladn that Indians had occupied.

People liked the challenge of traveling and seeking something new. Americans were getting tired of crowded streets and blackened skies by coal smoke from factories. They wanted to settle in a new land no one else had settled. Many Americans wanted land, many wanted adventure, or just a fresh start in life. Other reasons for this movement was to escape poverty or persecution, or religious persecutions.

Millions of panphalets and posters were printed in variety of languages across the atlatic to northern Europe. "Land for the Landless! Home for the Homeless!" were advertised. It was a call for many settlers in the west.

Two words came sone to the excitement, "free land." The Federal Government would grant you a title to 320 acres of land. The only catch was you had to work for the ladn for the amount of acreage.

As many travelers traveled west, the routes became mud puddles and filthy swamps. The land was soon grazed out, sot htat travelers had to keep seeking new trails. Americans traveled by wagons or by horse, later when found by Indians. Wagon ruts cut deep into the soil, leaving trails that did not disappear. Many trails were difficult to encounter because of the rain or dust storms. Many travelers followed rivers or ther people who knew or thought they knew the trails.

As they moved farther away from civilization, people had to adapt to all the strave demands of life in an unknown land. They wanted land...