Westward Expansion Final Flashcards
define cattle drive
when people drove their cattle across the country
define cowtown
railroad towns that sprouted at the end of cattle trails
how did the expansion of railroads help to create a successful cattle industry
cattle could be sent to markets and lots of people payed very high prices for them
what contributed to the end of the cattle drives
people began fencing their property, railroads went to texas, and texas/cattle fever became a problem
define homestead
house on farmed land
define sodbusters
farmers that developed new farming methods and tools from the plains
define sooners
people who got to oklahoma before the land was opened
list at least 3 difficulties faced by kansas farmers in the late 1800s
there were droughts that made it hard to grow crops, there was harsh weather, grasshoppers infested the plains each year and destroyed the crops
what was the homestead act
act to encourage settlers to move to the great plains, cheap land to 21+ year old citizens, could keep land house and farm for cheap if they showed trust
what was the oklahoma land rush
there was a piece of unclaimed land in oklahoma and when the government decided to open it more than 10,000 people rushed to settle there- competition for free land
what was the national grange
group of farmers that made a political group so they could be stronger to solve their problems
define farm cooperative
when farmers got goods by sharing money for better supplies
define subsidy
money or goods given by a person or government to support a project that benefits the public
define transcontinental railroad
rail road that goes from each side of the country to the other
what was a boomtown
towns that popped up overnight near mining sites
how did the government encourage railroads to expand to the west
they gave them subsidies, grants, and financial help
who was president during the building of the first transcontinental railroad
abraham lincoln
how did mining and railroads draw people to the west
people wanted the gold and silver and copper, and wanted to travel to the new land
how did the expansion of railroads to the west change the united states
there was economic impact, made the steel industry bigger, changed the way people measured time, new technology
who was fred harvey
the man who decided to put in nice eating places in or near train stations so that people could have a nice place to go while traveling
