Pioneer Women
Moriah White, Mr. Christensen-6th Period
Why move west?
Most of these pioneer women were wives to their husbands and mothers to their children, but some were single women with motives of seeking homesteads, husbands, or other new opportunities.
Some husbands often made the hard decision to start life over in the west without ever asking whether their thoughtful wives thought this was a good decision, or how it might affect them in the future. To keep their family united they traveled with their husbands every step of the way. Some of the women influenced their husbands to be a part of the western expansion, so they can have more opportunities and to have a good future to look forward too.
Some wives did have say though, and in a few instances, women not only influenced their husbands to go, but a few traveled westward by themselves. Some pioneers only traveled to California to seek gold. Most people traveled across the west to start and new life and find new land in order to have a better future.
African women faced the danger of being captured, especially if they were fugitive slaves. When they moved west they received freedom. They moved west to escape slavery, and the hardship of being a slave in United State in the time period of 1800s. They also moved to restart their new lives as well. They could get married and start a family for their selves.
