1. Introduction

2.  Why did people move west?

3.   Rich resources  Cheap land  Mild climate  Adventure  Gold or other riches People moved west because…

4.   Really Americans had been moving into new western territory since the first colonies.  Land west of the Appalachian Mountains will open up following the American Revolution  Land west of the Mississippi River will open up following the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Westward Expansion Time Period

5.   Hunters would continue to push further west to get away from population in looking for more wild game  The west was originally settled by fur trappers. Following the Animals

6.  What is a Mountain Man? What did they do?

7.   Western fur traders and trappers Mountain Men

8.   First to explore and map the west  Lonely and dangerous life style  Adapted to many Native American customs and even in some cases joined Native American tribes  Rendezvous – yearly meeting of mountain men to sell furs and socialize.  Fur Trade ends in the 1840s Life of the Mountain Man

9.   Agriculture is the basis of the American Economy  People always searching for new and more cheap land  Failed use of crop rotation especially in the cash crop regions of the south  1820 – 80 acres = $100 (average wage earner earned $16 a week $832 a year)  1841 Pre-Emption Act allowed squatters to buy up land at $200 for 160 acres or leave Federal Land Acts