The Frontier 1800

The American frontier began with the thirteen original colonies. By 1800 the frontier had pushed westwards towards the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Territories, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Mississippi Territory and Indiana Territory. Land was sold to new settlers to help pay off the national debt. Many became farmers and began by housing themselves in log cabins and hunting game. Kentucky was the primary agricultural state and was popular with settlers because it had excellent access to the southern markets down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The expansion westwards was also the fulfilment of the dream of Manifest Destiny, a heartfelt belief that it was the settlers’ ‘God-given’ right to occupy the whole of America. Once the settlements reached a population of 60,000, they could apply to become a state of the USA. Kentucky rapidly reached this number, becoming the 15th state on 1 June 1792.