Year 11 are currently studying The American West. It's a story of how various groups moved west in the 19th century; some by choice, some by necessity. Some settled and stayed; others' presence on the western lands was short-lived. Who were the most successful travellers? The optimistic gold miners? Persecuted Mormons? Isolated mountain men or the resilient Homesteaders? Post your thoughts on the groups studied so far. Even better: who would have considered themselves a success, and would this change over time?
14 comments:
I think that the Homesteaders were the most successful travellers West because even though they had problems, they worked throught them and came out better in the end. Unlike the Mormons, there trade was farming and in crops so there was fewer problems when the trade went wrong i.e. when the banks collapsed, the Mormons were blamed and pushed out, if the crops fail, only the family suffer and they aren't pushed out, they just have to come up with a solution. I think their success was down to determination.
I believe that the most successful travellers west were the Mormons. I believe that this is the case because Brigham Young was very organised in the way he led the Mormons west.
Also, the Mormons set up Salt Lake City, solving the problems of infertile land due water shortages through due to wells and crop irrigation. Land was designated to everybody and in accordance to their occupation (eg. farmers got more land) and they provided a place of freedom where religious teachings could be followed and negative aspects of the outside world (eg. drinking and smoking) were removed.
This was a long-term plan and we can see clearly that they had a positive overall impact as Salt Lake City still stands strong in today's world and there are over 3 million Mormons in the world today.
I believe the most successful travellers were the Early Pioneers; this is because even though they did have many problems on the journey such as the Indians, rivers, cold climate etc. They still managed to get to the West in the end and settle down and make a living, for example the vineyards in California and the many farms on the West. In contrast many other groups such as the Homesteaders and Mormons did manage to get West with less casualties. However, their main problems were actually settle West, this is because the Mormons kept being pushed away by Non Mormons because of their beliefs i.e. black people should be freed and nobody should drink or gamble. They were constantly pushed away from most states that they had to have a new leader which would eventually help them to settle down in Salt Lake City. The main problem for the Homesteaders was that the hopes of beginning to have a new life farming on the Plains were quickly dashed by extreme climate and natural disasters i.e. locusts and fires. Even though they did have solutions to stop this i.e. growing a surplus, many couldn't afford to buy these solutions and in the end the hard work they put into trying to farm the land was eventually worthless as many turned back. Therefore, in conclusion I believe that the Early Pioneers were the most successful because even though the journey caused problems many did get to the West and settle there and make a living. Also it helped inspire other travellers to come across to the West as well.
I believe the most successful travellers were the Early Pioneers; this is because even though they did have many problems on the journey such as the Indians, rivers, cold climate etc. They still managed to get to the West in the end and settle down and make a living, for example the vineyards in California and the many farms on the West. In contrast many other groups such as the Homesteaders and Mormons did manage to get West with less casualties. However, their main problems were actually settle West, this is because the Mormons kept being pushed away by Non Mormons because of their beliefs i.e. black people should be freed and nobody should drink or gamble. They were constantly pushed away from most states that they had to have a new leader which would eventually help them to settle down in Salt Lake City. The main problem for the Homesteaders was that the hopes of beginning to have a new life farming on the Plains were quickly dashed by extreme climate and natural disasters i.e. locusts and fires. Even though they did have solutions to stop this i.e. growing a surplus, many couldn't afford to buy these solutions and in the end the hard work they put into trying to farm the land was eventually worthless as many turned back. Therefore, in conclusion I believe that the Early Pioneers were the most successful because even though the journey caused problems many did get to the West and settle there and make a living. Also it helped inspire other travellers to come across to the West as well.
In terms of travelling I believe the Mormons are the most successful because their long journey to Salt Lake City was so well organised by their leader Brigham Young as he had ensured that the Mormons made their journey at ease. For example, the Mormons had rest spots where people could regain their health unlike the early pioneers even though they had difficult obstacles to overcome i.e. the Rocky Mountains.
However in terms of settling in the west, I believe the early pioneers were most success because they did not need to change and adapt their lifestyles to survive like the mountain men, they had also settled properly with stable permanent homes nothing like the gold miners who lived in shanty towns due to their eagerness of wanting to begin their search for gold. The early pioneers did not have to struggle to settle like the homesteaders who suffered many living and farming problems forcing some of them to move back east.
Too add, I think the early pioneers had the best relationship not only with the Indians but amongst themselves and the rest of the outside world unlike the Mountain Men fighting Indians and the claim jumping with the gold miners and land disputes with the homesteaders as well as religious disagreements with the Mormons on polygamy.
In terms of success I would consider the most successful group of travellers to be the Homesteaders, for many reasons, first they not only succeeded in the short term in a similar way to the Mountain Men and to the Gold Miners, in the sense they established communities quickly but had no long term plans, they also had long term success with few problems, unlike the Mormons how had great educative problems and poor provision for children. Many would argue that for the same reasons I have stated you could easily nominate the Early Pioneers as the best travellers, however I believe that the Homesteaders were more successful because they settled in incredibly harsh environments and made something of it, unlike the Early Pioneers who only settled in the comparitive easiness of the West.
Therefore overall I would say that the Homesteaders were the most successful travellers West, due to the harsh conditions they settled in and the long term success they enjoyed.
I believe that the most successful travellers west were the Mormons. I believe that this is because when they settled in various areas such as Kirtland and Salt Lake City, they planned for the long-term and addressed issues such as sustaining themselves with shops and farming, distributed land fairly and solved problems of water shortage in Salt Lake City through irrigation.
If we compare the Mormons to the Gold Miners who were relatively unsuccessful at settling in the west we can see that they made make-shift housing and there was a lack of law and order, leading to no infrastructure in society and a much longer time period until they managed to make proper towns.
Finally, it is clear that the Mormons were one of the most successful groups in travelling West because the city they settled in, Salt Lake City, was miles away from other towns in order to give them peace and initiatives like the Perpetual Emigration Fund all helped the town to develop and sustain itself through farming and other trades which the many Mormons arriving in Salt Lake City had to offer. Finally, there are three million Mormons in the world today and if they had been unsuccessful in settling, this religious group would not still exist today with more members then ever. Salt Lake City also still stands today, proving that the Mormons settled in it well, distributed land fairly and made good use of the surrounding land and supplies to sustain themselves in order to produce one of the biggest cities standing in America to this very day.
"American West: who were the most successful travellers?"
From all the travellers who moved west (of whom we have studied), I think that the Mormons were the most successful group of travellers. This is because of many reasons.
1. As the Mormons moved city to city, they were successfully able to establish an ordered society, filled with many buildings including Banks, Schools and Hospitals. The Mormons were also set up a printing press. This was very important as it meant that they could share and spread their views on particular issues.
2. The Mormons also outnumbered the Gentiles (non- Mormons) which I think is very impressive, considering the fact that they would quickly settle in and work. This is very similar to the Early Pioneers as they also had a big responsibility whilst moving west. Unlike the Mountain Men who took the liberty of looking after themselves, the Early Pioneers brought along their families. As well as this, they also settled into broader foundations of which they could live upon i.e. setting up a school etc. The Mountain Men would just go off hunting.
So there are some similarities between the Early Pioneers and Mormons as both sets of travellers took responsibility for their possessions
3. One of the most important event that took place was when the Mormons were under a new leadership- following the death of Joseph Smith. His name was Brigham Young, and he decided to lead the Mormons West.
Brigham Young was a very practical, determined and considerate type of person. By this, i mean that as soon as he was in control of the Mormons, he had already planned to move to Nauvoo. And this is what they did. With Brigham Young being an excellent organiser, he was able to set up a Winter Quarters. This was where the Mormons would stay and rest in the winter period. I think that this was such a brilliant idea, as this helped them progress on.
In comparison with the Homesteaders, I thought that these two groups were very close as to who I thought was most successful. This was because I considered the Homesteaders always being one step ahead of the 'game.' They were the first group of travellers to settle on the Great Plains (Central America). The reason the Homesteaders moved to the Great Plains was to live there. As well as this, their community was as successful as the Mormons. This was because at the time, black slaves were being freed. Therefore instead of the slaves staying in the East where racial tension would still exist, they would strive to move west to live a new life with a business to make money. The construction of railroads was something I regard a saviour. The US Government wanted to link the land in the east to the land in the west. Eventually, the railroad met in Utah. This had two main effects; it meant that the Homesteaders would be able to get to the plains more efficiently. The second effect the railroad had was that it meant that the land was sold at cheap prices by the railroad companies.
A downside to the Homesteaders and everyone else who wanted to move west was that the railroad companies would falsely advertise the land in the Plains. The land on the plains had never been ploughed before. Therefore as soon as the people from the east and further west moved on to the plains, they had to plough the land. In spite of this, the railroad service provided people with sufficient resources i.e. wood and barbed wire to build the framework of their houses and to add a boundary to their set of crops.
The Homesteaders faced many problems such as extreme weathers, prairie fires, water shortages and unsuitable conditions to grow crops. The Homesteaders planted crops they had always grown i.e. Maize and Wheat. But because the environment was not suitable to grow such crops (including the climate) they could not grow their usual set of crops.
The Mormons also faced many problems, but not to do with their crops of some sort, it was more to do with their existence and control of taking over states as Mormon territory. For example; because the majority of the community in the later states they lived in was Mormons, they were accused and blamed for causing the economic crisis (although it may have not been their fault). Also, gentiles' also had their savings in the Mormon banks. It was not to do with religious beliefs, but it was more or less because of discrimination, power and jealousy over the Mormons that the Gentiles did not like. Other examples of the problems Mormons faced include the Mormons contradicting the Christian religion. As soon as they arrived in Missouri, attempts were made to stop them from voting in elections. The local settlers rioted and destroyed property (not just the property belonging to the Mormons). The governor of Missouri had to send in troops to restore order. The Mormons were held responsible for all the trouble and their leaders. (This included Joseph Smith of which was imprisoned and condemned to death).
Also in Missouri, as rumours spread that the Mormons were stirring up the Indians and freeing slaves, the governor declared that they were public enemies.
‘(They were to be exterminated or driven from state is necessary for the public good)’
In terms of how I chose the Mormons over the Homesteaders, I think that the Mormons had a more systematic approach to resolving their failures than the Homesteaders. Even though the Homesteaders had problems with their new environment on the plains, the Mormons had moved state to state for a long time and were gradually used to settling than resolving their problems.
And it is because of this reason that I think thought and still think that the Mormons were the most successful group of travellers to move west... so far!
Written by Manesh Mistry Class 11Y
I think the Mormons were the most successful. Firstly, their journey west was incredibly successful. Compared to the early pioneers who followed a similar rout they seemed to have less casualties and a more comfortable journey. This was probably because their leader Brigham Young was very well organized and he time tabled everything. Furthermore despite their trouble settling in the east they managed to settle very successfully in the west and build a functional city. Compared to the homesteaders who also settled on the plains they seemed to organize their land quicker and more successfully. They made sure everyone had enough farming land and enough water. Lastly they managed to own a whole piece of land - the state of Utah and it was generally self sufficient and organized well.
Personally, I believe that the most successful group of eastward bound travellers were the Early Pioneers. They managed to overcome the difficult journey; the harsh natural terrain and the tribes of violent Indians. Also, you must also look at the legacy of the Early Pioneers. Many of the towns and cities along the east coast of the United States were founded by Early Pioneers. Cities today like San Francisco, San Diego and los Angeles all were once but villages in the Spanish Empire until they were taken over by the Early Pioneers to grow and succeed. Much of the business done on the East Coast today is through cultivation of crops in ranches. In fact, many of the ranches have been in the same family for almost 160 years. In conclusion, I feel that the legacy of the Pioneers and their continued success in the modern day helped to make sure that the American West became one of the most important and successful population centres of the United States of America.
Overall, I feel that the Mormons have been the most successful travellers west so far. They have moved so far west to escape their persecution from the rest of American and have not only colonised one of the most remote and hositle regions of the west of America, the Salt flats, but they have flourished. Under the command of Brigham Young, the Mormons have adpated and become entirely self reliant in Salt Lake City, therefore i feel that they are the most successful of the western travellers so far
Jonathan G
I think that the most successful group of travellers were the Early Pioneers because although they had a rough journey and many of them died on the way, they were ultimately mainly successful in their move west because they arrived in California/Oregon (eventually) and settled in the Western states.
I think the most succesful tracellers were the Early Pionners. This is becasue they firstly worked as a team and when they moved west, they got what they intended for. They also had a wide variety of foods/fruits and jobs.
I think the most succesful tracellers were the Early Pionners. This is becasue they firstly worked as a team and when they moved west, they got what they intended for. They also had a wide variety of foods/fruits and jobs.
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