Westward Expansion and Prairie Life
By Keely Mastio
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Table of Contents Section Title
Page Number
Chapter 1:All about westward expansion Louisiana Purchase Louis and Clark moving west
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Chapter 2:All about Prairie life Education/family chores/entertainment food/get water build house/how?/supplies
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Chapter 3:The impact on Prairie life
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Glossary
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Bibliography
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Chapter 1 : All About Westward Expansion
Wagons ho! we are expanding into the west. Without Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea and the corp of discovery we would not have the big country we have today. We would have 13 colonies. We would also have minimum space to live and play.
Louisiana In 1803 the Louisiana Territory was purchased from france by President Thomas Jefferson. He purchased it for $15 million. The Louisiana Territory doubled the size of our country over night. When thomas jefferson bought the louisiana Territory, it was unknown land. It stretched out west from the mississippi river to the rocky mountains. The Louisiana Territory was 828.800 square miles. Finally we had more land to explore and live on in the future.
Lewis and Clark After the Louisiana Territory was bought thomas jefferson asked Meriwether lewis and William Clark to explore it. On May 14, 1804, Lewis and Clark left. A Native American woman, Sacagawea was an interpreter so lewis and clark could have oece with other Native Americans. Lewis Clark and the corp of discovery traveled up the Missouri and Mississippi River. On November 7th, 1805, after, over 7000 miles they reached the Pacific Ocean. Clark drew sketches of animals and other things they saw. Lewis on the other hand wrote about the sketches Clark drew. They went home in September 1806. When lewis and Clark got home, 50 years later Westward Expansion started.
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Westward Expansion In 1804, Pioneers started moving to the Louisiana Territory. They were moving to places with with gold, food, ranches, farms and religious freedom. They used covered wagons to move to these good places. These trips were long hard and many people did not survive. Pioneers used these trails to travel Organ Trail, California Trail, Mormon Trail, and Santa Fe Trail. People were moving without family and friends they loved. It was very hard but they turned their “faces toward the land golden promas that lay beyond the rocky mountains.” They had owned 44 states now and why waste land they own. People stopped moving out in the 1890’s.
Chapter 2 On March 20, 1849, 14 year old sally Hester and her family began a trip from St.Joseph Missouri to California. The Hesters sold lots of there belongings and packed what they needed into two wagons. In 1841 and 1866 more than 850,000 pioneers journeyed from eastern to western United States. The family's wagon train traveled over 2,000 miles to get to California. Sally’s family was heartbroken because They were leaving all of their family and friends. Sally was leaving all of her classmates, teachers and friends. They were all going to miss the house that Mr.Hester had built to live in. They knew that Mr.Hester would build a better and stronger house when they got to the place they wanted to be at in California. There were many hardships on the California but they made it to California with no harm done.
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All about Prairie life Let's go west! In 1841 and 1866 more than 850,000 pioneers journeyed from eastern to western United States. This was the greatest period of the nation's history. On May 10th, 1804, the homestead act signed by president lincoln bought 160 acres of free land for settlers. What people put in there wagons for their trip was seeds, farming, and house tools, candles, sewing goods, food, utensils, most brought a bible, and all brought a gun or guns. The animals they used to pull the wagon were horses, mules or oxen. Oxen were slow but strong and could eat a bad diet. it was a hard and dangerous life for pioneers. Pioneers were going to began a dangerous adventure. The rout people took was the Organ Trail. It stretched across prairies, rivers, high mountains, and hot deserts. American people had risked their life for a new and better life. Some people thought it was their religious duty none as Manifest Destiny. Lots of pioneers traveled over water. They had to move their wagon pon to a boat. Those boats were called Keelboats or barges. Those boats could carry very heavy wagons across the river. When the pioneers got to there destination life was hard
Education, Chores and Entertainment Life for pioneers was hard difficult and dangerous. Everyone worked from sunrise to sunset. Swarms of insect such as locusts or grasshoppers could wipe out a year of crops in a few days. Prairie fires and blizzards would burn your crops. Dust storms would bury your crops. The mothers chores were hard she had to raise the children, cook all the meals, gardening, hauling water, laundry, stitch the clothing and quilts, made candles, soap, prepared medicines and took care of sick people. Children milked cows, fed chickens, gathered eggs and buffalo chips . The girls picked vegetables, cooked, and cared for younger siblings. When boys were old enough they could chop wood. All of the children would learn how to build a house, how to make and get materials, also grow food, and how to survive harsh weather. The school the children went to was a one room school house. There was also only one teacher that taught all grades and subjects. There was a small 4
supply of books because nobody wanted to go to town and waste money on books. Kids wrote on ​ slates instead of expensive paper. The subjects the teens and children learned were history, spelling. hand writing, reading and arithmetic. School back then was only 3 months a year. School started at sunrise and ended early afternoon. It was from december through february because that was when there was not a lot of help needed by the kids. The kids or teens could only be 5 to 16 years old no younger or older. School was closed on planting or harvesting times because the children and teens can help their parents at home. Teen boys only went to school half the time. The other half they were at home helping because they were a big help to the mom and dad. The older students helped the younger students because the teacher was gone or the teacher was busy doing other things around the school. Students made quill pens at home to bring to school. They made the pens out of feathers for the pen and berries or boyled for the ink. Pioneers also had fun when they were not doing chores or were at school. families had fun by playing musical instruments. They also did dances and and had picnics. Children played outside, swam in rivers or ponds, made simple toys like paper back dalles and and dried corn nuts. pioneers lifted spirits by playing musical instruments such as harmonicas, fiddles, and banjos. Picnics and church brought people together for food and friendship. There was once a harvest festival for pioneers to meet other pioneers. On the fourth of july pioneers feasted, made nose and listened to speeches. On christmas people handed out small gifts and feasted. Communities had fairs, and feasted once crops were harvested. Pioneers also liked going to hoses races, baseball games, and circuses.
Home Pioneers had to have rich soil, ready water, and room to farm and build a house on. They also needed a forest, big trees, pine needles or straw, and mud to build a log house. The hoses were very small most were 15 feet wide and 25 feet long. In the house they had beds, kitchen, and a fireplace for cooking and warmth. The kids would help the dad find logs at the creek or river. The kids would also help dad fill the cracks with the pine needles or straw and mud. People also depended on raw materials when they lived in a hill. these homes were called soddies or sod houses. These houses had dirt roofs dirt walls with one or two windows and dirt floors. Everything was full of mice bugs and snakes. Sometimes these animals and insects would come out and your house would be full of gross stuff. Pioneers sometimes lived in the southwest deserts. There home was made out of bricks and adobe​ because there were no trees or logs. They used adobe to hold the bricks together. Adobe was cool in the summer and hot in the winter. Manny pioneers used adobe for their house. Prairie life was a big impact on Westward Expansion.
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Chapter 3:The impact on Prairie Life Prairie life was a big impact on Westward Expansion in the United States. This impacted the Westward Expansion in the United States by cutting trees and plants dawn which were homes and food for small creatures. Pioneers also went hunting for birds, chicken, and bison. The bison were the main food source. They were also used for the skin(fur). When pioneers killed bison for the skin they did not bring them home they skinned them and left them there to rot on the prairie. However national parks were created. They helped save some animals on the western lands. When pioneers first started moving to the prairie they made native americans leave off of their homelands. The land that they had lived and none for hundreds of years. Eventually pioneers turned 13 colonies into 48 states. That left pioneers determined to reach goal in life. The important message in life is to never give up even if times are hard. Pioneers were determined and brave. Tripes to the prairie were long and hard. Many people did not survive but others never gave up. people who went on the Oregon trail, California trail, Santa Fe tail, and Mormon Trail probably had a hard time getting past all of the furniture and blankets people had to leave behind to go forward or most of all the graves people made out of wheels or big rocks. Even though Westward Expansion is done in some people's mind it is still living.
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Glossary Adobe- mixture of clay and grass that is dried in the sun Buffalo Chips- buffalo poop that that was used to put in fire instead of wood Interpreter- person who translates words from one language to another Keel Boat- keel boats are boats that were used to get people and very heavy wagons from one side of a river or lake to the other Quill pens- feathers for the pen and boiled bark or berries for the ink Raw Materials- Used to make a finished product
Bibliography Domnaver.Teresa. Life in the west .New York:Schoolastic children press,2016. Sandler, Martin w.. Who were the pioneers in the westward Expansion. Bertman:Sterling children's books, 2014 The pioneers.Online.H4-16.www.lonehand.com/pioneers.htm.
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