In the 1870s, Black Americans who settled the West were nicknamed "exodusters" a reference to the exodus of the ancient Israelites from Egypt. Which of the following statements most accurately describes who the "exodusters" really were?
A. small business owners who wanted to sell goods to Western settlers
B. laborers who helped build the transcontinental railroad
C. refugees from Southern violence who became small farmers in the West
D. former Union soldiers who wanted to become gold miners
