a) Oklahoma Land Rush

The major event in 1889 that greatly accelerated America’s westward expansion was the Oklahoma Land Rush. This event occurred when the U.S. government opened up unassigned lands in Oklahoma Territory for settlement. Tens of thousands of settlers, known as “Sooners,” rushed to claim plots of land. The Oklahoma Land Rush symbolized the culmination of the American frontier era and highlighted the continued desire for westward expansion and land ownership in the United States.