Migration West During The 1800's

407 Words2 Pages
Many people migrated west for many reasons during the 1800's. Some of these reasons were government sponsored and others were not. Some examples of government sponsored reasons include the Homestead Acts, Mexican War, and the Gadsden Purchase. Some nongovernment sponsored reasons include the Gold Rush, and the Mormons. The Homestead Acts was one of the first reasons for westward expansion. The Homestead Acts gave 160 acres of government owned land to small farmers who were either U.S. citizens or planing to become one. In exchange these people would pay a small registration fee and had to promise to live on the land for at least five years. Many people thought this was a fair trade off so packed their bags and started heading west.