Which of the following is an example of a way the U.S. federal government encouraged westward migration? creating advertisements that made the West sound appealing hiring miners to pan for gold and silver to support the federal mint purchasing Native American lands at a fair price to redistribute to settlers allowing cattle ranchers to feed their herds off open range land

The U.S. federal government encouraged westward migration through various means, and among the options provided, the most relevant example is: **Creating advertisements that made the West sound appealing.** This method was part of a broader strategy to promote settlement in the West, highlighting the opportunities for land, resources, and a better life. The other options, while related to the West, do not directly represent government encouragement of migration in the same way. - Hiring miners to pan for gold and silver was more about resource extraction than migration encouragement. - Purchasing Native American lands was often done under duress and did not necessarily redistribute land to settlers in a way that encouraged migration. - Allowing cattle ranchers to feed their herds off open range land pertains more to agricultural practices than to direct encouragement of migration. Thus, the creation of appealing advertisements is the clearest example of government encouragement of westward migration.