Why Do People Go To The American West?

According to these two accounts, the conditions in the American West were very prosperous and exciting for most. Many moved West to lead new lives and get money, and many also believed that one day the West would run the country and have the most people compared to the East. According to the New York Morning Herald, the West was filled with sin, including people drinking and partaking in adultery, swearing, and other awful things. They thought that many people who travelled West only took with them the morals and religion they wanted, and left out what they didn’t want. The solution for them was that they wanted more bibles and more people to send out West to be missionaries and convert and essentially ‘save’ people. Despite how great the West …show more content…
According to Haun, most of the travellers were men (single and married), but women often accompanied their husbands and brought their families along. People went on the trip for various reasons, such as setting up a new life out in the West, or to perhaps get gold to pay off debts. As they travelled, it was not uncommon to lose people within the group, or to come across graves and abandoned wagons from past travellers. Some of the dangers of going West was that they had to be aware of possible Indian attacks, for they were unsure of their relationship with them at the time, and also animals such as snakes or buffalo. The roads were also bad most of the time, and weather played a big role in how successful they could be while they moved. They also had to learn how to survive as they went along, and they used resources they found, such as buffalo chips,to make the trip easier. Everyone had their individual responsibilities and jobs within the group, and despite the jobs they had they still found time to socialize and continue their lives the best they could. I don’t think I would have “gone West” during this