Westward Movement

Westward Movement

Chapter 6.4

Learning Objectives

• Describe how settlers traveled west

• List the steps Americans took to improve their roads

• Explain how steamboats and canals improved transportation for Americans

Heading Into the West

Settlers had been moving steadily westward from the Atlantic coast since the 1600s. In the early 1800s, the promise of new farmland and other work opportunities brought a flood of new migrants to the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains.

Multiple Choice

What is the main reason so many settlers moved west of the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1800s?

• to create farms and find jobs

• to increase their independence

• to be able to make their own laws

• to be closer to the port of Louisiana

Heading into the West

• Settlers took many routes to the West

• Most setters pushed towards the Ohio river Which became known as the "Gateway to the West"

• Once setters reached the Ohio River they frequently loaded up all of their goods onto Flatboats in order to travel down the river to new territories

• Flatboats are large flat-bottom boats that were well suited traveling down the river with heavy loads because they could navigate the shallowest parts of the river

Entire families gathered up all their possessions, including furniture and livestock, and made the long journey westward in their quest for a better life on the frontier.

Multiple Choice

What was known as the "Gateway to the West"?

• Ohio RIver

• Mississippi River

• Neches River

• Hudson River

Multiple Choice

What was used to travel down the Ohio river because it was well suited to the shallow waters?

• Flatboats

• Bullboats

• Rallyboats

• Steamboats

Heading into the West

• So many people moved to the West that soon new states would be formed

• between 1794 and 1819 eight new states joined the union

• Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Illinois, and Alabama

Multiple Choice

How many states joined the union between 1794 and 1819?

• 7

• 8

• 9

• 6

Building Better Roads

Settlers faced difficult journeys as they traveled to the West. Many roads were narrow dirt trails, barely wide enough for a single wagon. Trails often plunged through muddy swamps. Tree stumps stuck up in the road and often broke the wagon axles of careless travelers. The nation badly needed better roads.

Open Ended

What were some of the problems with frontier roads?

Paying Tolls

• In order to begin getting better roads, the U.S. took after a European Tradition and turned to private companies for help

• Private companies would build roads out of gravel and stone

• This was a very expensive process and in order to pay for it the companies collected tolls from travelers

• At various points on these roads a pike gate would block the road until travelers paid a fee

• These roads became known as turnpikes

Multiple Choice

What name was given to roads built by private companies on which you had to pay a toll?

• Turnpike

• Company road

• hyperloop

• expressway

Building Roads

• The best road in the U.S. at this time was the Lancaster Turnpike that ran from Philadelphia to Lancaster, Pennsylvania

• This road was so good because it was made of a bed of gravel to drain water and topped with Smooth Paving Stones to provide a good driving surface

• In other parts of the country other methods of road building were used.

• In the Swampy South roads were made by laying logs side by side.

• These corduroy roads were successful at keeping wagon from getting stuck but they were extremely bumpy and uncomfortable

Multiple Choice

What kind of roads were built in the swampy south?

• Corduroy Roads

• Company roads

• Turnpikes

• Rugged roads

The First National Road

• While some states had started setting aside money for road building projects it was 1806 before congress approved funds for the first national road-building project

• The "National Road" was to run from Cumberland Maryland to Wheeling in Virginia on the Ohio River

• Work began in 1811 but had to stop during the war of 1812. I was completed in 1819

• The National Road was later extended into Illinois

• As the road extened more and more settlers used the road to move to the western frontiers

Multiple Choice

What caused a delay to the construction of the national road?

• the war of 1812

• The civil war

• lack of funds

• lack of workers

Open Ended

How did Turnpikes and Corduroy roads make travel easier?

The Age of Steam

Whenever possible, travelers and freight haulers used river transportation. Floating downstream on a flatboat was both faster and more comfortable than bumping along rutted roads. It also cost a lot less.

Open Ended

Why was river travel preferred to roads?

The Age of Steam

• Despite all the advantages of river travel it had problems as well

• It was very difficult to move upstream, people had to use paddles or long poles to push up river.

• For example: a boat can go down stream from Pittsburg to New Orleans in 6 weeks but the return journey would take at least 17 weeks

Steamboats Arrive

• In the late 1700's a new invention, the steam engine, began to make waves in the transportation world

• In 1787 John Fitch equipped a boat with a steam engine that powered the oars and started a ferry service on the Delaware river

• Not many people used his ferry so it went out of business but the idea of steam powered boats was born

Multiple Choice

What new invention did John Fitch add to a boat in 1787?

• steam engine

• Outboard motor

• internal combustion engine

• Duramax

The Clermont

• In 1807 Robert Fulton launched his own steamboat named the Clermont on the Hudson River

• On its first trip from New York City to Albany and back it made the 300 mile trip in just 62 hours setting a record

A Travel Revolution

• The success of the Clermont began the Age of the Steamboat

• Soon steamboats began to carry passengers up and down the coast but more importantly they began to move West

• Because western rivers tend to be fairly shallow, Henry Shreve designed a new steamboat based on the Flatboats that already sailed on the rivers.

• These new steamboats could move heavy loads of cargo and passengers faster than ever before

Multiple Choice

What began the Age of the Steamboat?

• The success of the Clermont

• The need for shallow boats

• The War of 1812

• Presidential Interest

A Travel Revolution

• Not every thing was perfect with steamboats. In fact they could be quite dangerous

• Sparks from smokestacks could cause fires

• High-Pressure boilers could sometimes explode when captains pushed their boat to hard racing each other up and down the rivers

• Between 1811 and 1851, 44 steamboats collided, 166 burned, and more than 200 exploded

Review Quiz

Multiple Choice

What is the main reason so many settlers moved west of the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1800s?

• to create farms and find jobs

• to increase their independence

• to be able to make their own laws

• to be closer to the port of Louisiana

Multiple Choice

Why were decent roads so necessary for settlers traveling west?

• They showed settlers the route.

• Settlers were used to good roads.

• Many settlers were using wagons.

• Settlers wouldn't travel without good roads.

Multiple Choice

In general, steamboats were able to travel

• more safely than other boats.

• more quickly than other boats.

• on more rivers than other boats.

• from more ports than other boats.

Multiple Choice

The main purpose of building longer canals in the early 1800s was to

• connect lakes and rivers.

• speed up travel in the East.

• assist westward expansion.

• help western farmers get goods to market.

Multiple Choice

How did connecting western farms with eastern cities affect shipping goods to market?

• It slightly decreased the cost.

• It greatly decreased the cost.

• It increased the cost but sped up the process.

• It didn't affect the cost but sped up the process.