American pioneer

American pioneers were predominantly European American settlers who migrated westward from the British Thirteen Colonies and later the United States of America, to settle and develop areas of the nation within the continent of North America.

While the pioneer concept and ethos are commonly associated with the settlement of the Western United States, both originated with the settlement of places much further east. For example, Daniel Boone, a key figure in U.S. history, was considered a pioneer for settling in Kentucky, which was beyond the western border of the Thirteen Colonies at the time.

Pioneers settled on land that was previously inhabited by American Indians. The Homestead Acts provided formal legislation for settlers which regulated the settlement process with little to no concern for the existing inhabitants of the land.