Transcript Chapter 12 Notes - 3 trails heading west

3 Trails Heading West
The Oregon Trail
• Independence, Missouri to The Oregon
Territory
• 2,000 miles of trail
Oregon Trail
1. First People to go
were fur traders –
very few
2. Second People were
Missionaries – tried
to convert Native
Americans to
Christians
3. After that – Settlers
began moving
looking for a better
life
Oregon Trail
• 1843 – 1,000 pioneers made the trip
• 1850 – 12,000 pioneers had made the trip
• (400,000 total)
• Very Dangerous trip
• Disease – Cholera
• Many people died – an estimated ten deaths
per mile
Mormon Trail
• Nauvoo, Illinois to The
Great Salt Lake (1,300
miles long)
• Mormon religion had many
new ideas – Started by
Joseph Smith – he wrote
The Book of Mormon
• Many people disagreed
with Smith and his Book –
the Mormons were not
accepted and forced to
move westward to a place
where they could practice
their religion freely
•
•
Mormon Trail
Joseph Smith is Murdered
The death of Joseph Smith, Jr. on June 27,
1844 marked a turning point for the Latter
Day Saint movement of which Smith was the
founder and leader. When he was attacked
and killed by a mob, Smith was the mayor of
Nauvoo, Illinois, and running for President
of the United States. He was killed while
jailed in Carthage, Illinois on charges
relating to his ordering the destruction of
facilities producing the Nauvoo Expositor, a
newspaper whose first and only edition
claimed Smith was practicing polygamy and
that he intended to set himself up as a king.
Smith had voluntarily surrendered to the
authorities at the county seat at Carthage to
face the charges that he was accused of.
While he was in jail awaiting trial an armed
mob of men with painted faces stormed the
jail and shot him and his brother Hyrum to
death. The Latter Day Saints view Joseph
and Hyrum as martyrs. (a person who
suffers persecution or death usually due to
religious beliefs)
Mormon Trail
• Brigham Young would
become the new leader of
the Mormons
• When the Utah Territory
became part of the United
States, the Mormons
were granted permission
to settle there
• By moving West they
created the Mormon Trail
• Thousands would follow
Young westward to the
Great Salt Lake (Salt
Lake City)
The Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail
•
•
•
•
Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe
900 mile trail
Santa Fe was owned by Mexico
The trail was created to start Trade (not
settle) with the U.S. and Mexico
• Americans became very rich – more
Americans took interest in this land
• By 1846 – Americans dominated New Mexico
and took the land over for the U.S.
• Mexico did little to stop them