The land was there. Here was room for everybody. It seemed even for the Indians, thenatives who lived there as nomads who moved with the big herds of bisons.In Europa millions of poor and often hungry people heard about this new country. So more and more immigrants arrived, and the cities of the East were getting crowded.
People must go West.
The British reserved the land to the west for the Indians because they hoped to trade with them. But this was not possible if they were always fighting with them. The people settled in these areas, too. They cleared the forests, built wooden houses and started to grow corn - wheat, maize - fruit and vegetables, cultivated tobacco and cotton.Moving westwards became a mass movement in the 1830s and 1840s. People of every kind were on the move: The ranchers who kept huge herds of cattle on the plains - the bisons which were on the plains before, were killed by thousands. The people who hoped to find gold and get rich - these often were adventurers and criminals.But also railroad workers, business people, school teachers and many many others.All these people took occupy of the 'Indians land'.The Indians who were outside of society for these new people. They often were killed when they were economical hindering.With the movement of people across the continent, the pioneers could travel some of the way by riverboat - or by train. The railroad was being extended mile by mile. When it became possible to travel all the way by train, the West was already won.Slowly these pioneers pushed the 'frontier' further west. As an American reporter said in 1851, it was a time when young people could 'go west and grow up with the country'But it was the end for the Indians. The new inhabitants and the natives gave bloody battles, thousand of people were died. The rest of the Indians were pressed in big reservations, which were in the most inhospitable areas. They were robbed their dignity. Their children were took away to educate in the immigrants religion and to work for those people.Today there are only a few Indians. Many of these people are alcoholics.
