WESTWARD EXPANSION INDUSTRIALIZATION URBANIZATION 1870 1900
WESTWARD EXPANSION
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Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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It’s on the Pacific Coast
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The animals there had valuable fur
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The mountains were beautiful
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There was a lot of open space
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Detailed explanation-1: -It was fur traders who explored the region, developed relations with the resident Native nations, and inadvertently opened the floodgates of emigration on the Oregon Trail that enabled the United States to gain control of the Pacific Northwest south of the 49th parallel.
Detailed explanation-2: -When Europeans came to North America, beaver lived in almost every region that had streams and creeks. The newcomers trapped the beaver for its pelt. Its soft under-fur was highly valued for making men’s hats. As Europeans and then Americans moved westward, they trapped so much that beaver nearly disappeared.
Detailed explanation-3: -In the past, pelts were so important they were used as a trade medium in place of money. Between 1853 and 1877, the Hudson Bay Company sold almost three million beaver pelts to England. In Alaska today, trappers still harvest these furs. They are highly prized for cold weather coats and hats.
Detailed explanation-4: -Mammal winter pelts were prized for warmth, particularly animal pelts for beaver wool felt hats, which were an expensive status symbol in Europe. The demand for beaver wool felt hats was such that the beaver in Europe and European Russia had largely disappeared through exploitation.