Authoring, Researching, Reporting and Other Work

A Learning On-Line Learning Activity Page by Howard Taylor

. . .A New Start!  Westward Bound

For this section of the web quest, the student can read from the resource links to find out why 19th Century Americans would want to move from the "civilized" eastern cities and areas to the primitive and wild "west."  There could be multiple reasons that describe these early Americans as individualized, independent, and wanting adventure in their lives.  As time went by closer to the mid 19th Century there was a motivating factor called free land and GOLD.
The students can read the link resource information and come up with a list of reasons why Americans would want to go east on the trail.

Lastly, the students will be able to find out the various destinations that early pioneers would desire to go to.  What was so inviting about those destinations, what did they have to offer that was better than where they were living in the East?

These questions and comments should help you to guide your students into coming up with some good persuasive and narrative writings about "Why the West is so Good!"