Westward Immigration

By

Cindy Gibbs, Rebecca Harris and JoAnne Sutton

During the last half of the 19th century, there was much immigration to the western United States.  People came for many different reasons.  Some were forced to immigrate.  For example, the Mormons came to the West to seek religious freedom.  Others immigrated to improve their lives.  The Gold Rush lured many people to California.  

• How do you think the journeys of the immigrants differed? 
• What were their experiences on the road and at their final destinations? 
• What caused them to move in the first place?  

In order to find out the answers to these questions, we will look at firsthand documents (diaries, journals, books) written by immigrants during the late 1800's.  

View a PowerPoint presentation on Westward immigration.