Name ________________________________ Class ____________________ Date _____________

Westward Expansion
Lesson 1

MAIN IDEAS
1. As American settlers moved west, control of the Mississippi River became
more important to the United States.
2. Expeditions led by Lewis and Clark, Pike, and Fremont increased Americans’
understanding of the West.
3. During the early 1800s, Americans moved west of the Rocky Mountains to
settle and trade.
4. Families moved into the far west and established thriving communities.

Key Terms and People

Daniel Boone guide who was first to lead settlers beyond the Appalachians; cut
a road west
Louisiana Purchase the purchase of Louisiana from France for $15 million,
which roughly doubled the size of the United States
Meriwether Lewis a former army captain chosen by President Thomas Jefferson
to lead an expedition to explore the West
William Clark co-leader of the western expedition
Lewis and Clark expedition a long journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase
Sacagawea a Shoshone who helped the Lewis and Clark expedition by naming
plants and gathering edible fruits and vegetables for the group
Zebulon Pikean explorer of the West who reached the summit of the mountain
now known as Pike’s Peak
John C. Frémont led an expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 1842 and wrote a
report of his journey that became a guide for future travelers to the West
mountain men fur traders and trappers who traveled to the Rocky Mountains
and the Pacific Northwest in the early 1800s
John Jacob Astor owner of the American Fur Company who founded the first
important settlement in Oregon Country in 1811
Oregon Trail the main route from the Mississippi River to the West Coast in the
early 1800s
Santa Fe Trail the route from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New
Mexico
Mormons members of a religious group, formally known as the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, who moved west during the 1830s and 1840s
Brigham Young Mormon leader who chose Utah as the group’s new home

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Lesson 1, continued

Lesson Summary
THE FIRST WESTERNERS
In 1775 Daniel Boone led a group that cut a road Why was the Mississippi
west through the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky. River important?
Thousands of Americans moved to the area The river was an important
part of their trade networks
between the Appalachians and the Mississippi
River. The settlers used the Mississippi and Ohio
rivers to move products east. New Orleans was
an essential port for river trade. Spain governed
New Orleans.

LOUISIANA AND WESTERN EXPLORERS

In 1802 Spain shut American shipping out of Why did Jefferson send
New Orleans. Then they traded Louisiana to ambassadors to France?
France. President Thomas Jefferson sent Jefferson sent ambassados
to france is to avoid war and
ambassadors to France. When the ambassadors help frontier farmers.
tried to buy New Orleans, France offered to sell
the entire territory of Louisiana. The United
States bought the western territory for $15
million in the Louisiana Purchase.
President Jefferson wanted to learn more about Underline the sentences
the West and the Native Americans who lived that explain what Jefferson
wanted to learn about the
there. He also wondered if there was a river route
West.
to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1803 Congress provided money to explore
the West. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
were chosen to lead the Lewis and Clark
expedition, which began in May 1804.
Lewis and Clark and their crew traveled up the What message did Lewis
Missouri River. They saw Native Americans, and and Clark give to Native
Americans?
Lewis used interpreters to tell their leaders that
The message was to tell the
the United States now owned the land on which leaders of the Native
they lived. Sacagawea (sak-uh-guh-WEE-uh) and Americans that the US now
her husband aided Lewis and Clark. Lewis and owned the land on which
the Natives lived.
Clark did not find a river route to the Pacific, but
they learned much about western lands.
In 1806 Zebulon Pike was sent to locate the
Red River. The Red River was the Louisiana
Territory’s border with New Spain. In present-
day Colorado he reached the summit of Pike’s
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Lesson 1, continued

Peak. Pike gave many Americans their first

information about the Southwest.
Another explorer, John C. Frémont, led an What was the result of
expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 1842. He John C. Frémont’s report
on his journey west?
wrote a report of his journey that became a guide
The report on his journey
for future travelers. The information he gave ended up being a guide for
made many more settlers eager to move west. future travelers.

MOUNTAIN MEN GO WEST

In the early 1800s trappers and traders known as
mountain men worked to supply the eastern
fashion for fur hats and clothing. John Jacob
Astor, owner of the American Fur Company,
sent mountain men to the Pacific Northwest
region that became known as Oregon Country.

SETTLING THE WEST

Many Americans began to move to Oregon
Country. Most of them followed a route that
became known as the Oregon Trail. It was Circle the names of three
common for families to band together and trails people used traveling
west.
undertake the perilous six-month journey in
wagon trains.
Mainly traders used another well-traveled
route west, the Santa Fe Trail. They loaded
wagon trains with cloth and other manufactured
goods. They traded the goods for horses, mules,
and silver in the Mexican settlement of Santa Fe.
One large group of settlers traveled to the West What group traveled west
in search of religious freedom. They were known in search of religious
freedom?
as Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus
The mormons
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thousands of
Mormons took the Mormon Trail. They traveled
to an area near the Great Salt Lake in what is
now Utah. Brigham Young, their leader, chose
that site. By 1860 there were about 40,000
Mormons living in Utah.

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Lesson 1, continued

CHALLENGE ACTIVITY
Critical Thinking: Draw Inferences Some
members of the Lewis and Clark expedition kept
journals or diaries. Write a brief diary entry as if
you were a member of the expedition.

DIRECTIONS Match the terms in the first list with their correct
definitions from the second list by placing the letter of the correct
definition in the space provided before each term.
f
1. John Jacob Astor a. led an expedition to the Rocky
e
2. Brigham Young Mountains in 1842 and wrote a report
of his journey that became a guide for

d 3. Daniel Boone
future travelers to the West
c
4. Santa Fe Trail
b. payment to France of $15 million, which
j
5. Zebulon Pike roughly doubled the size of the United
b
6. Louisiana Purchase States
i
7. Lewis and Clark c. the route from Independence, Missouri,
expedition to Santa Fe, New Mexico
h
8. Oregon Trail d. guide who was first to lead settlers
g
9. Sacagawea beyond the Appalachians; cut a road
A west

e. Mormon leader who chose Utah as the
group’s new home
f. owner of the American Fur Company
who founded the first important
settlement in Oregon Country in 1811
g. Shoshone woman who helped the Lewis
and Clark expedition by gathering edible
fruits and vegetables for the group
h. the main route from the Mississippi
River to the West Coast in the early
1800s
i. a long journey to explore the Louisiana
Purchase
j. an explorer of the West who reached the
summit of the mountain now known as
Pike’s Peak

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