One way to travel to the West was to sail around the tip of South America, the other way was to travel to the end of the railroad line and take a rough trail on land in wagons pulled by horses, mule, or oxen
All of this done with horses, oxen or mules pulling all of their earthly belongings and suppliesin a covered wagon. The Native Americans were also a threat. They were angry these new settlers were moving onto tribal lands. In the 1840's, the most famous trail that was used by the pioneers was the Oregon Trail.
Beginning with the presidential elections of 2000, the term "blue state" has been used to describe a state in the U.S. whose citizens primarily vote for the Democratic Party.
Overpopulation in China began after World War II in 1949, when Chinese families were encouraged to have as many children as possible in hopes of bringing more money to the country, building a better army, and producing more food.