The Westward Spirit

About this episode

This episode explores the westward expansion of settlers in the 1840s and the cultural dynamics involved.

While a few bold settlers had moved westward before the middle of the nineteenth century, they were the exception, not the rule. The “great American desert,” as it was called, was considered a vast and empty place, unfit for civilized people. In the 1840s, however, this idea started to change, as potential settlers began to learn more from promoters and land developers of the economic opportunities that awaited them in the West, and Americans extolled the belief that it was their Manifest Destiny—their divine right—to explore and settle the western territories in the name of the United States. Most settlers in this first wave were White Americans of means. Whether they sought riches in gold, cattle, or farming, or believed it their duty to spread Protestant ideals to native inhabitants, they headed west in wagon trains along paths such as the Oregon Trail. European immigrants, particularly those from Northern Europe, also made the trip, settling in close-knit ethnic enclaves out of comfort, necessity, and familiarity. African Americans escaping the racism of the South also went west. In all, the newly settled areas were neither a fast track to riches nor a simple expansion into…

People in this episode

Host: Miranda Casturo

Topics covered

• westward expansion
• Manifest Destiny
• cultural clash
• settlers
• American history

Keywords

• westward expansion
• Manifest Destiny
• Oregon Trail
• settlers
• American history
• cultural clash
• economic opportunities

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: OpenStax

Places: United States, Oregon Trail, South, West, great American desert

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