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You are here: Home / History / Who said “Go west, young man” and Where did the phrase come from?

Who said “Go west, young man” and Where did the phrase come from?

February 8, 2020 by Karen Hill

An Indiana journalist named John Soule (1815-1891) was the first to print the phrase, “Go west, young man” in 1851.

But New York newspaper editor Horace Greeley (1811-1872) popularized the expression until people came to think he invented it. The West, said Greeley, was the place to “build up a home and fortune.”

After the Civil War ended in 1865, many Anglo Americans heeded his call: farmers, ranchers, miners, railroad magnates, business people of every stripe.

Prosperity followed for most of them, but not for most of the region’s Mexican Americans.

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Filed Under: History

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « When did the California Gold Rush take place and What did it mean for Mexican Americans?
Next Post: What is the difference between a Colonia and a Barrio and What do the words mean in Spanish? »

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