When you think of the American pioneers who moved west, what characteristics do you picture them having?

Question

Discuss five typical characteristics of an American man or woman on the frontier

Answer 1

poor and sickly- they moved because lack of land
most were also not very inteligent because the land that was being given away was almost worthless
They had a lot of children because the life expectancy of pioneers was not that great
2 in 3 children died by the age of 5 and 1 in 3 women died due to complications of childbirth
many men died from seemingly minor injuries because of very few doctors- a cut from barbed wire could mean amputation

Answer 2

I think of them as very courageous gamblers. They left all they knew and ventured into a great unknown, drawn by the promises of cheap available land. Many were European immigrants fleeing near starvation in their native lands. They were as disparate as the land was immense. They were visionaries, hoping to bring their religions as well as their cultures to the new frontiers. They knew the meaning of hard work. Yes, they suffered many deprivations and losses but somehow they knew if they persevered they would be rewarded. And for the most part the land yielded it's bounty to them. They were neighborly in that they built towns and cities everywhere they went and brought civilization to what was essentially a wild but beautiful frontier. And they were racist. Sorry folks, but there were already people living here and considered the country theirs. And from the arrival of the first Europeans to the new world to the settlement of the west, from sea to shining sea, genocide was committed against the indigenous people already living here. The early pioneers were not too fond of black people either. All of the lynchings of blacks didn't just occur in the South. So the first settlers embodied all that is best and worst in us. But in spite of it all there was a nobility about them that will keep us fascinated, thrilled and sometimes appalled until the end of time.

Answer 3

Hardworking, courageous and usually desperate. The 'Wild West' phenomenon didn't really emerge until the end of the civil war when near anarchy took over in many places.

Answer 4

They had to be comfortable with themselves, able to be self sufficient in the area that they settled, they were definitely courageous, and had to be a good marksperson with a gun (women used guns too)

Answer 5

Their resolve was rooted in some kind of despair: either financial or affective.

Answer 6

hardworking, true american, explorer, courageous, tolerant, determined

Answer 7

1. poor
2. nothing to lose
3. ignorant
4. bold
5. adventurous

Answer 8

the donner party first, then lewis and clark.