Question

how the American West was settled

Answer 1

The early 1800s became an era of vigorous settlement of the Midwest, signaled by the admission of Ohio into the Union in 1802. To maintain a life-line to the western lands, a succession of roads were built from the eastern states. Zanes Trace (1797) connected Pennsylvania, via the Northwest Territory, to the Mississippi River ports. In 1820, General Andrew Jackson supervised construction of a military road connecting New Orleans with Nashville, Tennessee, 516 miles to the north. The Maysville Turnpike in Kentucky was important since it was the first road built by a state. The states would now create independent corporations to build and maintain the roads. The first federal investment in road building was occasioned by the need for “inter-state” travel to and from the West. Between 1820 and 1840 the U.S. government financed and built the National Pike, which linked the eastern seaboard with the Midwest.
Hope this helped.

Answer 2

Jim Crow laws and how they affected Southern minorities

Answer 3

You should list this as a separate question. ^^

Answer 4

But answering your question.
Southern minorities were considered to be blacks.
They were not allowed to vote. They were not allowed to drink from the same fountains as whites, were not allowed to be served in restaurants and motels, and more that I can't think of at this minute. Jim Crowe laws were meant to keep blacks as second class citizens after slavery, so they still weren't really free. Only after the Civil Rights Movement were blacks permitted to do the things I listed above, after the abolishment of Jim Crowe laws. Blacks had a long fight to become equal in the south and there are still areas that are totally white and racist.
Hope this helped. (: