Settling west of Appalachia

Definition

Refers to establishing permanent homes, towns, or communities beyond the Appalachian Mountains in areas further west during colonial times.

Related terms

Frontier: The edge or outer limit of settled territory.

Manifest Destiny: The belief that it was America's destiny to expand its territorial boundaries from coast-to-coast.

Homestead Act (1862): A law that provided free land to settlers willing to improve and farm the land in the western United States.