Oregon Trail
Definition
The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile route from Missouri to Oregon used by pioneers during the mid-1800s for westward expansion.
Analogy
Think of the Oregon Trail as a long and challenging road trip without GPS or modern conveniences. It's like going on a cross-country drive in your car, but instead you're in a covered wagon and have to face various obstacles such as rivers, mountains, diseases, and harsh weather conditions along the way.
Related terms
Manifest Destiny: This is the belief that American settlers were destined by God to expand across North America. It was one of the driving ideologies behind westward expansion and trails like the Oregon Trail.
Pioneer: A pioneer is an early settler or explorer of a new region. In this context, pioneers are those who traveled along routes like the Oregon Trail to settle in unexplored territories.
Covered Wagon: This was a common form of transportation for pioneers traveling westward. It's essentially an old-school version of an RV – it carried people and their belongings across long distances.
"Oregon Trail" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (3)
- What was the primary purpose of Oregon Trail during westward expansion?
- What was one major effect of the Oregon Trail on westward expansion in the United States?
- Whose expeditions into California in the mid-19th century laid much of groundwork for future overland travel routes like Oregon Trail?
Resources
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