Westward Expansion History

Before the Civil War, the people who migrated west were mostly trappers seeking the rich furs of Oregon, miners in search of gold and silver, and those seeking freedom from religious persecution such as the Mormons. There were many other smaller groups such as a few farmers seeking more farmland, Irish immigrants seeking employment, etc. After the Civil War, Congress passed three major bills which spurred the largest migration west ever within the United States. Most of the people of this migration were made of farmers or people who wanted to become farmers. The Homestead Act lured many landless farmers from the East to travel west in hopes of acquiring their own plots of land to build a life. One group was the freed slaves. They were hoping to escape the poverty and violence of the South to start their newly freed lives. Although there were some who stayed and farmed, many more were unsuccessful. They settled on poor land, and they lacked the finances to establish the profitable farms. They ended up either moving on, or returning to the South. Another group who moved west were native-born whites from the East and Midwest. This group not only consisted of males, but also single women looking for larger plots of land to farm. Not all who migrated west were looking to farm. Some came in search of work on the railroad or in the mining industry.
The Mormons, who established Salt Lake City in Utah, flourished. They established their communities, businesses, and public services. The groups of farmers who were fortunate to acquire their land in the Northern and Central part of the Midwest were successful because the soil and climate was more favorable for the farming. The farmers who acquired their land on the Great Plains and further west often went bankrupt. This region had poor soil, a harsh climate, and lack of water supply. The railroad greatly benefited from this because they often bought the land from the bankrupt