Westward Expansion (Traveling out west) Flashcards
manifest destiny
belief that the expansion of the US was both justified and inevitable
annex
a formal act where a country proclaims its sovereignty over a territory
Westward Expansion
I. Manifest Destiny
(lowkey sorry lowkey not)
- original border of the U.S. was the Mississippi River
- many believed the U.S. had the right to spread out to the Pacific - started with the Louisiana Purchase (from France)
- Lewis and Clark explored it with Sacagawea
- Eastern cities were overcrowded
- little known about the area and the residents
- gold rush brought many to the west to get rich
Transcontinental Railroad
a railroad that would cross the continent and connect the East to the West
Pony Express
a system of messengers on horseback
II. Communication to the West
Pony Express used teams of messengers to send mail (slowest method)
The telegraph was invented and was built along the railroad to make communication between the two coasts faster
III. Transcontinental Railroad
Lincoln and Congress wanted to build the railroad to the west, loaned money and gave a mile of land for every track built, hoped to settle into the west before slavery reached it
Union Pacific
started in Omaha heading west, had to deal with natives, Irish workers, were going to meet at Promontory Point, Utah
Central Pacific
started in Sacramento heading east, had to deal with mountains, Chinese workers, were going to meet at Promontory Point, Utah
Great Plains
A large semi dry grassland between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains
Tipis
A cone shape shelter made from animal skin used by Plains Indians
IV. Great Plains Native Americans
U.S. bought Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, plains indians were hunter-gatherers, following buffalo, settled in Canada and Texas, learned to ride horses, women played an important role in the tribe
dry farming
relying on farming crops that use less water like wheat
national grange
a social and educational organization for farmers
deflation
a decrease in money supply and overall lower prices
Sod Houses
homes made using sod & mud bricks
V. Farmers in the Plains
In 1862, Congress passed the Homestead Act, encouraging farmers to settle west and allowing poor people to own land, homesteaders planted wheat and corn (dry farming)
Homestead Act
gave 160 yards of land to anyone who farmed it for five years, 20% of the land went to small farmers, big land-owning companies illegally took land, selling it for higher prices, poor people couldn’t afford to move west and start a farm
Populist Party
a party which united the farmers and labor union through a common goal of the poor and regulating railroads
Populism
a popular support for the concerns of ordinary people
VI. Farmers’ Political Groups
farmers sold a lot of wheat but got less money (deflation), ended up borrowing money they couldn’t pay back
Populist Party: a third party that was created to help the farmers
demanded an 8-hour workday, limi immigration, an income tax (16th amendment), free silver: coin all mined silver
— organizations became more political making lasting changes, wanted to limit railroad shipping rates to help farmers
17th amendment
direct election of senators
