They drive people away and draw them to a better place.
True, Beijing was free after its 1928 liberation until the Second Sino-Japanese War, in which the city fell on July 29, 1937. It was made the seat of the Provisional Government of the Republic of China a puppet government of Japanese-occupied China.
The Boston Massarce and the Repeal of Taxes under the Townshend acts began huge protests across the colonies.
Land- Land was relatively cheap, and there was a lot to go around. People were hoping to escape slavery, and start a new life with a business of their own, and owning land was a big help.
Gold- Gold People wanted to start a better lives for themselves, and finding a fortune was one of the ways to do so.
(added bonus: Resources! There were many resources available and ready for use, making heading west a definite on a lot of people's to-do lists)
