Final answer:
White Americans, European immigrants, African Americans, and Chinese immigrants all headed west to find work and settle during the 19th century, driven by opportunities like the Homestead Act, the California Gold Rush, and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.
Step-by-step explanation:
Those who came over to find work and settle in the west during the course of the 19th century included a diverse group of people seeking a new life and opportunities. Most settlers in this initial wave were White Americans of means, followed by significant numbers of European immigrants, particularly from Northern Europe, who settled in ethnic enclaves. African Americans fleeing the South's racism and Asians, notably the Chinese immigrants, who arrived to work on the Transcontinental Railroad and in other labor-intensive jobs, also went west. This period was marked by the Homestead Act of 1862, which encouraged migration by offering free land, and by events like the California Gold Rush and the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. The westward migration was a complex tapestry of different cultures, traditions, and aspirations mingling and sometimes clashing, as America expanded its borders.