The trail from Independence, Missouri, across the plains into the Oregon Territory is called the Oregon Trail. It was a major route for westward expansion in the mid-1800s, allowing thousands of settlers to travel to the fertile lands of the Pacific Northwest. The trail spanned over 2,000 miles and became instrumental in the migration movement during the era of Manifest Destiny.
The starting point for both the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail was Independence, Missouri. This town served as a key launching point for settlers heading west during the mid-19th century, facilitating migration and trade across the expanding frontier. Independence was vital in American history, connecting the eastern United States with the western territories.
Across the Wide Missouri was created in 1947.
The Transcontinental Railroad was a network of railroads completed in 1869 that connected the eastern United States to the western territories, facilitating faster and more efficient transportation of goods and people across the continent. In contrast, the Oregon Trail was a historic route used primarily by settlers and pioneers in the mid-1800s to travel by wagon from Missouri to the Oregon Territory, aiming for agricultural opportunities. While both played crucial roles in westward expansion, the railroad represented industrial advancement, whereas the Oregon Trail was a path of migration and settlement.
Check out this quote from Wikipedia on the Missouri Compromise (which, I'm assuming is what you need more information on): "Controversy over whether Missouri should be admitted as a slave state, resulted in the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which specified that Louisiana Purchase territory north of latitude 36° 30', which described Missouri's southern boundary, would be organized as free states and territory south of that line would be reserved for organization as slave states. As part of that compromise, the admission of Maine as a free state was secured to balance Missouri's admission as a slave state."
President James K. Polk acquired the Oregon Territory through a combination of diplomacy and the threat of military action. Initially, the U.S. and Britain shared the territory under the Oregon Treaty of 1818, but tensions grew over the boundary, with Polk advocating for the slogan "54°40' or Fight!" to assert U.S. claims to the northern latitude. Ultimately, in 1846, the Oregon Treaty was negotiated, peacefully establishing the boundary at the 49th parallel, thereby securing the territory for the United States to avoid conflict with Britain. This acquisition aligned with Polk's broader goal of Manifest Destiny, which sought to expand U.S. territory across North America.
The Missouri Compromise, enacted in 1820, established a line across the Louisiana Territory, allowing Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state to maintain the balance of power between slave and free states. It prohibited slavery in the remaining Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′ parallel, except for Missouri. This compromise aimed to address the growing sectional tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery.
led settlers across the Oregon trails
No it does not! Sorry!
no
Missouri is bordered by Iowa to the north; Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee across the Mississippi River to the east; Arkansas to the south; and Nebraska across the Missouri River, Oklahoma, and Kansas to the west.
In spring 1805, they continued to the headwaters of the Missouri River, struggled across the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, and headed west along the Salmon, Clearwater, Snake, and Columbia Rivers to the Pacific. They landed at the mouth of the Columbia River, Astoria, Oregon on November 5 1805.
Missouri is 240 miles across, about 1800 miles from Reno.