Migrant Journeys West

A journey of two thousand miles

From the 1840s, thousands of families set out to cross the whole continent, some 2,000 miles, to reach Oregon and California. ⭐ It was long and deadly, so why did they go? Push factors drove them from their homes, and pull factors drew them west. ⚠️ Weigh why they took the risk, and note the Mormons. One group, the Mormons, migrated for a reason all their own, which the strongest answers treat as a distinct case.

Pushed from home, and pulled west

Migrants were driven by two kinds of reason at once. Hold them together.

Order the journey west

Put the stages of a typical journey west into order.

• Families gather at a jumping-off town on the Missouri
• They set out west by wagon train in spring
• They cross plains, rivers and mountains, facing disease and hardship
• They race to cross the mountains before winter closes the passes
• Those who make it begin new lives in Oregon, California or Utah

Why the timing was so important

Why was the timing of the journey west so important?

• They had to cross the mountains before winter, or risk being trapped by the snow, as some parties were
• Because a tax was due at a certain date
• Because the gold ran out on a fixed day
• Timing did not matter at all

Words for the migration

Five words that let you explain the journeys, rather than just describe them.

Spot the reasons people migrated

Three of these were reasons people migrated west. Choose the three.

• Cheap, fertile land in Oregon
• Economic hardship in the East
• Religious persecution driving the Mormons
• An order from a foreign king
• Because the journey was easy and safe

Why they risked it, and how the Mormons differed

The sharpest answers weigh why people took such a risk, and treat the Mormons as a distinct case. Most migrants were pushed by hardship and pulled by the promise of land and opportunity. The journey was so dangerous that beating the winter could decide who lived. The Mormons were different. A religious group driven out by persecution, they migrated in a highly organised way under Brigham Young to build a refuge at the Great Salt Lake, far from their enemies, and made the dry land productive. And the migration brought growing pressure on the Native peoples whose lands the trails crossed, a cost later sections examine.

Match each part of the journey west to what it was

Find the balanced explanation

A student explains the migration. Select the ONE sentence that WEIGHS push and pull factors.

• People migrated because hardship pushed them from their homes and the promise of cheap land and opportunity pulled them west, a risk many judged worth taking.
• The journey west was quick, easy and completely safe.
• People migrated west for no reason at all.
• Everyone who went west did so purely for gold.

A worked example: leaving the struggling town

Imagine a family in a struggling town where work has dried up and the future looks bleak. Far away, a new region promises cheap land and a fresh start. Pushed by hard times at home and pulled by that hope, they decide the long, uncertain move is worth the risk, and they set out. Hold that idea. People rarely uproot their lives for one reason alone; usually something pushes them from where they are while something else pulls them towards somewhere new.

Complete the account of the migration

The movement of people to settle a new place is _____. For safety, families travelled west together in a _____. The main overland route to the northwest was the _____. The persecuted religious group who settled Utah were the _____, led to the Great Salt Lake by _____.

Judge why people went west

Which is the soundest judgement on why people migrated west despite the dangers?

• Pushed by hardship and, for the Mormons, persecution, and pulled by land, opportunity and the promise of a better life, they judged the risk worth it
• Because the journey was quick and easy
• Only ever for gold
• Because a foreign power forced them to go

The ordinary migrants, and the Mormons

The strongest answers treat the Mormon migration as a distinct case. Weigh the two.

Judge the migration like an examiner

You are marking three claims about the journeys west. For each, choose the soundest judgement.

• An essay says the journey west was quick and easy. Is that safe?
• An essay says everyone migrated for the same reason. Is that safe?
• An essay says the Mormons migrated to find gold. Is that safe?

Write: why people migrated west

Why did people migrate west, and how did the Mormon migration differ? Weigh the push and pull factors, explain the dangers, and reach a judgement. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.

• Explain the push factors driving people from home
• Explain the pull factors drawing them west
• Explain the dangers of the journey
• Explain how the Mormon migration differed
• Reach a supported judgement on why people took the risk