Why the early settlers went west and the challenges they faced - AQA GCSE History (America 1840-1895) Exam Questions

AQA GCSE History (America 1840-1895) Smart practice A mixed round aimed at your weak spots

Expansion: opportunities and challenges

The geography of North America

Why the early settlers went west and the challenges they faced

Dealing with a different culture

Conflict across America

Increasing conflict on the Plains

The background to the American Civil War

Coming to terms with the Mormons

Consolidation: forging the nation

The aftermath of the American Civil War

The continued settlement of the west

The resolution of 'the Indian problem' after 1865

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Practise 44 exam-style questions on Why the early settlers went west and the challenges they faced for AQA GCSE History (America 1840-1895). Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.

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Sample questions with model answers

Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.

Question 1

2 marks

What was the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, set up by the Mormons in 1849?

Model answer

It was a fund run by the Mormon Church which lent money to poor converts, many of them from Britain and Europe, so that they could travel to Utah. They repaid the loan after they arrived, so the money could be used again to help others.

Explanation

Brigham Young needed more people to build Zion in the Great Basin. The Perpetual Emigrating Fund paid for thousands of converts to make the journey; from 1856 it also paid for the cheaper handcart companies.

Mark scheme

1 mark
A fund run by the Mormon Church that lent money for the journey (paid for travel and supplies)
Accept a Church loan scheme / money to pay for emigrants' journeys.
1 mark
To bring poor converts, especially from Britain and Europe, to Utah; they repaid the loan after arriving so the money could be used again
Accept either detail: helped poor Mormons/converts (e.g. from Britain or Scandinavia) to emigrate to the Salt Lake Valley; loans were repaid (in money or work) so the fund kept going ('perpetual').

Question 2

4 marks

Describe two ways in which emigrants prepared and organised their wagon trains for the journey west in the 1840s.

Model answer

One way was in the supplies they took. Families bought a strong farm wagon with a canvas cover and a team of oxen, which were cheaper and stronger than horses, and packed enough flour, bacon, coffee and other food for five or six months, because there would be few places to buy supplies on the 2,000-mile journey. A second way was the organisation of the wagon train. Families met at towns on the Missouri such as Independence and joined together in companies. They elected a captain and drew up rules about guard duty, the order of travel and sharing work, so that the group would keep order and help one another, and they set off in April or May so that there would be grass for the animals and they could cross the mountains before winter.

Explanation

Careful preparation (wagon, oxen, about six months' food) and organisation (companies, elected captains, written rules, guides, timing the start for spring grass) were essential for survival. Level 2 needs two ways, each developed with detail explaining how it helped.

Mark scheme

4 marks
Levels of response (4 marks).
Level 2 (3-4 marks): Developed description: describes two ways, at least one developed with specific, accurate detail (4 marks for two developed points), e.g. emigrants joined together in companies and elected a captain and officers, agreeing written rules about guard duty and sharing work so the group could travel safely.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): Basic description: identifies one or two ways, simply stated, e.g. 'They bought oxen.'
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Equipment: a sturdy farm wagon with a canvas cover, pulled by oxen (cheaper, stronger and less likely to be stolen than horses) or mules; spare parts and tools. Supplies: enough food for about five or six months (flour, bacon, coffee, sugar, salt, dried fruit), costing several hundred dollars in all. Timing: gathering at 'jumping-off' towns on the Missouri River such as Independence and leaving in April or May, when there was grass for the animals, so as to cross the mountains before the winter snows. Organisation: families joined together in companies, elected a captain and officers and drew up rules (guard duty, order of travel, sharing work, punishments). Guides and information: hiring former fur trappers or mountain men as guides; using guidebooks such as Lansford Hastings' guide of 1845 or Frémont's reports. Daily routine: early starts, about 15 miles a day, circling the wagons at night as a corral for the animals and for safety.

Question 3

8 marks

In what ways did the relationship between the Mormons and the US government change between 1847 and 1858? Explain your answer.

Model answer

The relationship changed from independence, to cooperation, to conflict and finally to an uneasy compromise. In 1847 the Mormons settled in the Salt Lake Valley partly because it belonged to Mexico, so they were outside the control of the US government that had failed to protect them. This changed in 1848, when the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made the region American. The Mormons proposed their own State of Deseret, but in 1850 Congress created Utah Territory instead. At first there was cooperation: President Fillmore appointed Brigham Young as governor, so the Mormons kept a lot of control.

Relations then grew worse. From 1851 several federal judges and officials left Utah, complaining that the Church controlled the courts and ignored US authority. In 1852 the Church publicly announced plural marriage, which outraged many Americans, and in 1856 the Republicans called polygamy one of the 'twin relics of barbarism'. This growing hostility led to open conflict in 1857, when President Buchanan decided to replace Young as governor and sent about 2,500 troops. Young declared martial law and Mormon militia burned army supply wagons, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre of about 120 emigrants in September 1857 made the Mormons seem even more dangerous to outsiders.

Finally, in 1858 a compromise was reached. Young accepted a non-Mormon governor, Alfred Cumming, Buchanan pardoned the Mormons and the army was stationed at Camp Floyd. So by 1858 the federal government had established its authority in Utah, although Young remained the real leader of the Mormon people.

Explanation

This is a change question: Level 4 explains how the relationship developed over time (independence in Mexican territory, Utah Territory with Young as governor, tension over officials and polygamy, the Utah War, the 1858 settlement) and links the stages, rather than describing events in isolation.

Mark scheme

8 marks
Levels of response (8 marks).
Level 4 (7-8 marks): Complex explanation of the ways the relationship changed: several developed explanations supported by specific, accurate knowledge (e.g. from independence outside the USA in 1847, to Utah Territory with Young as governor in 1850, to growing tension over federal officials and polygamy, to the Utah War of 1857-58 and the compromise of 1858), showing how the changes were linked.
Level 3 (5-6 marks): Developed explanation of two or more changes, supported by relevant knowledge.
Level 2 (3-4 marks): Simple explanation of one change, or a description of several events with little explanation of change.
Level 1 (1-2 marks): Basic explanation: general statements with little specific knowledge.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): 1847: the Salt Lake Valley was in Mexican territory, outside the USA - the Mormons had chosen it partly to escape US control (though about 500 Mormons served in the US Army's Mormon Battalion in 1846-47). 1848: the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo made the region part of the USA. 1849: the Mormons proposed a large State of Deseret governed by themselves. 1850: as part of the Compromise of 1850, Congress created the smaller Utah Territory; President Fillmore appointed Young governor - a working compromise. From 1851: several non-Mormon federal judges and officials left Utah complaining of hostility and of Church control of courts and government ('runaway officials'). 1852: the Church publicly announced plural marriage, causing outrage in the East; in 1856 the new Republican Party condemned polygamy and slavery as the 'twin relics of barbarism'. 1857: President Buchanan decided to replace Young with a non-Mormon governor, Alfred Cumming, and sent about 2,500 troops - the Utah War; Young declared martial law and Mormon militia burned army supply wagons; the Mountain Meadows Massacre (September 1857) of about 120 emigrants by Mormon militia and some Paiutes deepened hostility. 1858: a peaceful settlement - Young accepted Cumming as governor, Buchanan pardoned the Mormons, and troops were stationed at Camp Floyd, outside Salt Lake City. Overall change: from independence, to cooperation, to open conflict, to a tense compromise that ended Young's official political power while he kept his religious authority.

Question 4

12 marks

Which of the following was the more important reason why pioneer farmers went west in the 1840s:
• economic problems in the eastern states
• the attraction of land in Oregon and California?

Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points.

Model answer

Economic problems in the East were an important reason why farmers went west. The financial panic of 1837 caused banks to fail and began a depression that lasted into the early 1840s. Prices for wheat and other farm produce fell, so many farmers in the Mississippi Valley could not pay their debts and some lost their land. Land in the East was crowded and expensive, and diseases such as malaria were common in the river valleys. For these families, staying where they were seemed as risky as leaving, so they were ready to consider a 2,000-mile journey.

The attraction of land in Oregon and California was also important. The Willamette Valley in Oregon was described as a paradise with fertile soil and a mild climate. Settlers could claim large farms: from 1843 Oregon's provisional government allowed claims of 640 acres, and later the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 granted 320 acres to a single man and 640 acres to a married couple. Missionaries such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman sent back glowing reports, and guidebooks, newspapers and Frémont's government reports spread 'Oregon fever'. This explains why about 1,000 people set out in the 'Great Migration' of 1843 and why many thousands more followed.

Overall, the attraction of land was the more important reason. Economic problems made families unhappy at home, but they did not explain why people chose to go to Oregon, 2,000 miles away, rather than to cheaper land nearer home. Also, the poorest families, who suffered most in the depression, could not afford the several hundred dollars needed for a wagon, oxen and supplies, so most emigrants were farmers with some savings who were choosing an opportunity. Emigration also kept growing after the depression had ended. Hard times pushed people to think about leaving, but it was the promise of free, fertile land that actually drew them west.

Explanation

Push factors (the panic of 1837, debt, low prices, disease) and pull factors (fertile, free land, glowing reports, guidebooks, government support) both mattered. Level 4 needs both explained with specific detail and a judgement that is supported throughout, for example using the cost of the journey or the timing of migration as evidence.

Mark scheme

12 marks
Levels of response (12 marks).
Level 4 (10-12 marks): Complex explanation of both bullet points, each supported by specific and accurate knowledge (e.g. the panic of 1837, bank failures, low crop prices, debt, overcrowding and disease; the fertile Willamette Valley, free land claims, missionary reports, guidebooks and government encouragement), leading to a sustained judgement about which was more important.
Level 3 (7-9 marks): Developed explanation of both bullet points, with relevant knowledge; any judgement is not sustained.
Level 2 (4-6 marks): Simple explanation of one or both bullet points (an answer that explains only one bullet point cannot go above Level 2).
Level 1 (1-3 marks): Basic explanation of one or both bullet points, with general or descriptive knowledge.
0 marks: nothing worthy of credit.
Indicative content (not a checklist; credit other valid points): Economic problems: the financial panic of 1837 caused bank failures and a depression lasting into the early 1840s; prices for farm produce fell, so farmers in the Mississippi Valley could not pay debts and some lost their land; unemployment rose in eastern cities; land in the East was crowded and expensive; disease such as malaria and cholera in the river valleys added to the wish to leave. Attraction of land: Oregon's Willamette Valley had fertile soil and a mild climate; settlers could claim large farms (Oregon's provisional government allowed claims of 640 acres from 1843; the Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 granted 320 acres to a single man and 640 to a married couple); the Preemption Act of 1841 let settlers on public land buy 160 acres cheaply; missionaries such as Marcus and Narcissa Whitman (who went to Oregon in 1836) sent glowing reports; guidebooks such as Lansford Hastings' guide (1845) and Frémont's government reports described the route and the land; 'Oregon fever' spread through newspapers; California's climate attracted the first wagon train in 1841; Manifest Destiny and the Oregon Treaty of 1846 added patriotism. The 'Great Migration' of 1843 took about 1,000 people to Oregon. Links: hard times made families willing to take the risk; the promise of land decided where they went. The journey cost several hundred dollars, so most emigrants were farmers with some savings rather than the very poor - which can support either side. Possible judgements: economic problems were more important because they made people willing to leave home on a dangerous 2,000-mile journey; or the attraction of land was more important because emigration kept growing after the depression ended, and the poorest, worst hit by hard times, could not afford to go.

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