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What were the major similarities and differences between the Oregon, Texas, and California frontiers?

User Ceyhun
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American settlement seemed to be unstoppable. By 1840, settlers had occupied all of the land

east of the Mississippi River and had organized most of the area into states. This rapid

expansion was caused by the market revolution and the extraordinary expansion of

transportation and commerce that accompanied the market revolution. The speed and success

of the expansion was a source of great pride for Americans and encouraged further

settlement. By 1848, the United States had become a continental nation.

a. The Fur Trade

From the 1670s to the 1840s, the fur trade was an important spur to North American

exploration. In 1824, William Henry Ashley instituted the rendezvous system, a yearly

trade fair (modeled on traditional Indian trade gatherings) to which trappers brought their

catch of furs. The event was a many-day affair characterized by trading, drinking, and

gambling, bringing together many nationalities and people of mixed race in a short-lived

community. By the 1840s the population of beaver in the West was virtually destroyed

and settlement would replace frontier trade.

User Caperneoignis
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