A New Life

Why do you think people wanted to move westward into new territory, when they could have lived in the settled towns and villages of the East? Not all of them went because they wanted adventure. Many of them wanted good farmland, and the good farmland in the East was already taken.

Life was not easy on the American frontier. It took a huge amount of work to establish farms west of the Appalachians. This land was full of trees that had to be cleared to open up areas for planting. Families had to build their own homes and do nearly everything for themselves. Children often didn't go to school because there was so much work to do at home. People could go weeks without seeing anyone other than their family, so it was a big event when a wagon or a traveler came by.