Westward Expansion – Flashcards
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What is Manifest Destiny?
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The belief that it was God's will for the United States to stretch from Atlantic coast to Pacific coast, by any means necessary
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Why was the Transcontinental Railroad important to westward expansion?
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The Transcontinental Railroad made it faster to travel east and west and to move goods and food from coast to coast.
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Why did thousands of people rush to California in 1849?
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To mine for gold.
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How long did it take for cowboys to move cattle from the plains of Texas to markets near the railroad?
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Two to three months of 18 hour days.
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What are two key details of the Homestead Act of 1862?
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People got up to 160 acres of land.
They had to stay on the land for 5 years.
They had to make improvements to the land.
Anyone could apply.
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What were four causes of Westward Expansion?
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1 - Transcontinental Railroad
2 - Silver and Gold Mining
3 - Cattle Ranching
4 - Homestead Act or farming
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Why did the railroads hire hunters to kill the buffalo?
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Because the buffalo would wander onto the tracks and cause delays and accidents.
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Why is Promontory, Utah an important place in Westward Expansion?
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It was the place where Transcontinental Railroad was completed and the Golden Spike was placed in 1869.
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Who were the people who physically built the railroad tracks?
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Chinese, Irish and German immigrants who were paid low wages and suffered dangerous conditions.
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What happened when gold was discovered on Native American reservations?
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The Native Americans were forced to move to new reservations.
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Name two things that people still wear that came out of Westward Expansion?
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Denim jeans and cowboy hats.
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True or False - All cowboys in Westward Expansion were immigrants from Ireland.
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False. 30-40% of cowboys were black/freedmen. 20% were Mexican. The rest were a mix of white immigrants and citizens.
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How did the Transcontinental Railroad help create the Cattle Kingdom?
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The Transcontinental Railroad made it faster and cheaper to transport beef to cities and towns.
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What were two factors in the collapse of the Cattle Kingdom?
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1 - Two years of severe drought killed the grass the cattle needed to eat.
2 - People could not afford beef because of national economic problems.
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What were cow towns?
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Towns in Kansas that popped up for cattle ranchers on their way to market. These were places like Dodge City, Kansas.
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The forced march of thousands of Cherokee Indians from Georgia to Oklahoma was called what?
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The TRAIL OF TEARS. Between 2000 and 4000 Cherokee died as they marched to their reservation in Oklahoma.
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Which Native American chief said, "I will fight no more forever." What was his tribe?
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Chief Joseph said, "I will fight no more forever." He was the leader of the NEZ PERCE who were kicked off their reservation when gold was found.
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Who invented the Sodbuster and what did it do?
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John Deere invented it in 1877. It was a metal plow that was stronger and lighter than plows made of wood or stone. It helped homesteaders dig into the hard soil.
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African-Americans who left the South and went west to become farmers were called what?
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EXODUSTERS. They believed they were making an "exodus" or "exit" from the South and sharecropping/slavery.
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The Populist Party was a political party that tried to do what for farmers?
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Tried to get better prices for crops.
Tried to get lower costs for railroad shipping.
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Northern Republicans were afraid that slavery would spread west and opposed the entrance of which state into the Union? (hint: It's a big state)
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Texas was an independent republic for 10 years before becoming a state in 1845. It was known as the Lone Star Republic.
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Before the Transcontinental Railroad, which river was used to move goods around the United States?
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The Mississippi River.
The US gained full control of the Mississippi after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
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Which group of people moved from NY to Utah to escape religious persecution?
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The Mormons. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was founded in upstate NY but the group was not accepted and moved west.
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Why did Thomas Jefferson hesitate to purchase the Louisiana Territory from France?
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The Constitution does not allow for land purchases. Jefferson used the power of the president to MAKE TREATIES.
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How did the Dawes Act (1887) try to change the lives of Native Americans?
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The Dawes Act was about ASSIMILATION.
The government wanted them to be farmers, to accept Christianity and to change the way they dressed.
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How did Kansas earn the nickname "Bleeding Kansas" in the 1850's?
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Abolitionists and pro-slavery people fought over admitting Kansas as a FREE state or SLAVE state. It was admitted as a free state just before the Civil War began.
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Why was Buffalo Bill Cody important to the image of the Wild West?
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His Wild West Shows created the image of the heroic, independent cowboy living in the West. People believed the show was true because he was actually a hunter and cowboy himself.
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Why was it so difficult to complete the Transcontinental Railroad?
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1- The Rocky Mountains
2 - It took thousands of workers to lay the track
3 - It was very expensive
4 - Getting supplies to remote locations
5 - Attacks from Native American tribes
