Unit 6 Lesson 4: Westward Expansion Flashcards
What bills did Congress pass to encougrage settlement in the west
the Homestead Act and the Pacific Railway Act.
What was the Homestead Act
The Homestead Act allowed settlers to take ownership of 160 acres of land after five years of working the land. Settlers were encouraged to clear the land and build a house, then raise livestock or farm.
What was the Pacific Railway Act
The Pacific Railway Act provided railroad companies with ownership of all public lands within 200 feet on either side of track that was laid, which eventually led to the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
Why did the government build forts in the West
The government also built forts to serve as protection from neighboring American Indian tribes in various places across the West. Some forts also served as trading posts or relief stations for farmers during times of hardship
What happened cecause of the Mainfest Destiny
As the idea of Manifest Destiny took hold, waves of Americans and recently arrived immigrants began to move west.
What was 1 changle of the Maifest Destiny
topography
What is topography?
topography, or physical features of the land.
How did the arrival of more settler in the south improve trials?
As more settlers ventured into the West, the development of trails such as the Oregon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the California Trails allowed for a challenging but somewhat easier trip.
What was the impact of the Oregon Trail
In the 1840s, The Oregon Trail brought over 400,000 settlers in wagon trains.
How did topography contribute to the development of the Overland Trails?
The trails usually developed along rivers courses, mountain passes, and avoided canyons and other dangers.
Besides providing a route for new settlers, in what ways were these trails used in future transportation routes?
These trails served as routes for stagecoaches, mail lines, and railroads.
On April 22, 1889, thousands of people gathered at the boundary of the Unassigned Lands, a region in Central Oklahoma. What were people doing there
The prize for winning the race: land.
who were Boomers
Soldiers guarded the borders until the official opening. At the appointed time, hopeful settlers, or Boomers, rushed forward.
Some Boomers were surprised to see other settlers already living in more remote areas.Who were Sooners
They were called Sooners. The Sooners had snuck into the territory early and started building on the land.
How did Boomers feel about Sonners
Boomers considered them thieves and disputed their claim at local land offices.
What mad eup the majortiy of settlers that went to the South
Of the hundreds of thousands of settlers who moved west, the vast majority were homesteaders.
Where did majortiy of the people who went to south settle in
Many settled in the areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
Who were sodbusters?
Many settled in the areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Popularly known as sodbusters for the mud houses they built, these men and women in the Midwest faced a difficult life on the frontier.
What strugles did Farmers face
. Farmers faced many challenges such as drought, insect swarms, dust storms, illness, and the cost of supplies. Items such as horses, wagons, seed, plows, and fertilizer were all necessary for survival as a farmer, but were challenging to afford.
How did the expasnion of railroad affect farmers in the West
As the railroad expanded and better farm equipment became available, larger commercial bonanza farms drew laborers to the West.
What were bonanza farms
The bonanza farms made large profits because they typically hired migrant workers for low wages.
What was the California Gold Rsuh
Brought on by the California Gold Rush in 1849, the prospect of gold attracted thousands of miners to the West looking to get rich quick.
What did miners hope to do in the Gold rush
Most miners hoped to move west for a short time, make a profit, and move back east.
How did miners affect the developement of towns
Towns developed along areas where gold was discovered, becoming home to people who established businesses near the newly rich. These rapidly growing communities filled with miners and service industries, such as hardware stores and restaurants.
What happened to bussines when miners lelft
Miners often abandoned these towns after depleting all of the resources from an area, causing many of the businesses to close.
How many longhorns were in Texas Frontier at the end of the cilvi War
At the end of the Civil War, as many as 5,000,000 longhorn steers were roaming along the Texas frontier, yet few settlers had taken on the opportunity to claim them.
What did ranchers hope to gain from the West
the meat from this livestock was highly sought after in eastern markets and businessmen saw ranching as an economic opportunity. Ranchers hoped to become rich off the cattle and then eventually move back east.
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Who did Ranchers hire to transport there longhorns
After the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad, many cattle ranchers hired men, known as cowboys, to drive the cattle to the railroad stations.
What did cowboys want
Cowboys were usually single men looking to get rich.
What interions did Cowboys and Racnhers have in common
Cowboys and ranchers stood to profit from the sale of beef.
Who were forty-niners
Forty-Niners, treasure seekers who poured into California during the gold rush of 1849.
Who was Bob LEmmons
Bob Lemmons, 1848 to 1947. He was a former slave turned cowboy and known as one of the best mustang wranglers in the West.
What race were majortiy of cowboys
About one-quarter of cowboys were African American men who left the South after the Civil War.
Who was Willa Carther
Willa Cather, 1873–1947. Cather drew on her own experience as a child of a homesteader to write several novels about life on the prairie. Notable works include O Pioneers!, Song of the Lark, and My Antonia.
‘what pulled fzrmers to the West
Free land and economic opportunity enticed farmers to move west.
What was the day of life as a typical farm wife homestead
. A typical farm wife could expect to spend most of her day completing chores such as cleaning, sewing, laundering, preparing food, and tending animals. Additional expectations of women were caring for children and providing their education.
What was hardships for females during the homestead
Women faced the same physical hardships as men such as harsh weather, illness, and prairie dangers. However, one of the most difficult situations for women was childbirth. Often, there was no doctor or midwife providing assistance, and many women died from treatable complications, as did their newborns.
Advantages for women in homestead act
While some women could find employment in the newly settled towns as teachers, cooks, or seamstresses, they originally did not enjoy many rights. They could not sell property, sue for divorce, serve on juries, or vote. Nevertheless, the challenges of farm life eventually empowered women to break through some legal and social barriers.
What did the pioneer women do
Pioneer women made priceless contributions to frontier living, serving as equal partners in the success of the homestead to help the farm prosper.
What did women do in the frontier
Many women also gained status as they began to organize churches, schools, civic clubs, and other community programs to promote family values and help maintain morale on the frontier.
What employment opportunities outside the home were generally reserved for women?
Women could find employment as teachers, cooks, or seamstresses.
How did Ameircan and NAtive Americans have conflict
As American settlers pushed westward, they came into conflict with American Indian tribes already living on the land. Settlers, with the support of local militias and the federal government, tried to push tribes to leave their homelands.
How did the NAtive American and White poeple conflcit start (first kinda peaceful)
The first approach was to encourage tribes to move out of the path of white settlers. Some American Indian tribes agreed to treaties that gave them specific territories.
How did the conflict between Native Americans and White poeple start
The government often ignored these agreements, which resulted in violence on both sides in battles such as the Dakota Wars and the Battle of Little Bighorn.
What did minsters and governeent cpnvinne Native AMreicans to do int th e1880s
In the 1880s, ministers and government workers tried to convince American Indians to do away with their own language, clothing, and social customs and adopt a more modern American lifestyle.
What did this conflict led to what was the fina result
Consequently, contact between settlers and American Indians led to the destruction of the American Indian way of life.
what efect did the Transcontinental Railroad have on the West
The arrival of a more extensive railroad network allowed people to travel much more quickly and easily from coast to coast. Many people took the train to hunt bison on the frontier. The railroad also aided farmers by bringing much-needed supplies, such as lumber for construction and new farm machinery.
What was the benfit of the telegraph
In 1861, Western Union completed the first transcontinental telegraph line which connected the East coast and West coast. Improved communication systems helped the development of business, economics, and politics by allowing for the spreading of news at high speeds across the country.
Benfits of barbed wire
In 1873, the new technology of barbed wire allowed ranchers to fence off their lands and cattle. With the invention of barbed wire, cattle ranchers were able to cheaply section off the land as they wanted.
How did barbed wire have a negative impact
Not only did it mean the end of the free range for settlers and cowboys, it also kept more land away from American Indian tribes.
How did the steel plow tranform the lives of homesteaders
This new plow was better equipped to cut through the shallow grass roots of the plains and withstand damage from rocks just below the surface.
What other tech helped farmers out
Other technology such as hay mowers, manure spreaders, and threshing machines, greatly improved farm production for those who could afford them.
Many early farmers used dry farming techniques in order to gain a satisfactory crop during drought periods. Where did the windmill come in
Some farmers began to employ windmill technology to draw water, although both the drilling and construction of windmills became an added expense that few farmers could afford.
The first gold prospectors in the 1850s and 1860s worked with easily portable tools but by the 1870s, mining companies began to use hydraulic mining
what was hydraulic mining used for
hydraulic mining and engineering in order to move soil and rocks more quickly to find precious metals.
What is hydralic ,mining
. A hydraulic system allowed high pressure jets of water to push soil and rock out of the way. Miners then sifted and filtered the loosened sediment using a sluice box.
What negative impact did Farmers have during the Manifest Destiny
Farmers over-cleared the grasslands to plant crops such as wheat and corn, opening the prairie up to the dust storms of the 1930s.
What negative impact did Ranchers have during the Manifest Destiny
Ranchers fenced off their land for cattle and reduced public grazing lands, which destroyed Native American hunting grounds.
What negative impact did settlers have during the Manifest Destiny
Settlers endangered the bison population as more people tried their hand at hunting. The over-hunting of the bison affected the Native American tribes that depended on it for food and clothing.
What negative impact did mining efforts like hydraulic mining have during the Manifest Destiny
Mining efforts, such as hydraulic mining, stripped the land of natural resources, which left many water sources to fill with sediment.
How did the interaction between the U.S. Army and American Indians change after 1865?
: The army began to treat them as wards of the state and could use full force in conflicts with American Indians.
What natural resource and its access is still an issue in the West?
Access to water is still a conflict in the West.
What effect did Manifest Destiny have on Americans’ westward migration?
Americans believed that God had given them the divine right to move west. Many Americans envisioned an opportunity that was a chance for a whole new life as a farmer, rancher, or cowboy. Some hoped to bring civilization and progress while others hoped to strike it rich. Moving west spelled wealth through development of new technology and ownership of free land. Settlers wanted to play a part in advancing the country by taking advantage of all the West had to offer.
In what ways did westward expansion provide new opportunities for women?
Women were able to take a strong role on the homestead by helping their husbands with the challenges of frontier life. Women assisted on the farms as equal partners to the daily tasks needed to make the farms successful. They also organized churches, schools, civic clubs, and other programs to build a community.
Describe the challenges experienced by farmers in their new frontier life.
Farmers faced many challenges such as drought, insect swarms, dust storms, illness, and the cost of expensive farming supplies.
How did mining and cattle ranching eventually influence more business opportunities in the West?
As larger companies began investing in mining operations, the establishment of permanent settlements led to more businesses moving into the area. Cattle ranching became a big business for eastern investors once barbed wire enabled them to divide the land and lay claim to specific areas that had once been public grazing lands.
In what ways did westward migration change the landscape of the West?
Farming cleared the plains of grasslands; ranchers eliminated the open range available for public grazing lands; settlers killed much of the bison population; and mining efforts stripped the land of natural resources.
