Name:______Date______
America: The Story of Us Episode 7: “Heartland”
In 1869, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of America, more than two thousand miles apart, are linked by continuous metal rails. The Transcontinental Railroad – the world’s first – is one of the most ambitious human enterprises since the Great Wall of China, and much of it is built by Chinese laborers who immigrate to the U.S. in search of work and the promises of prosperity.
The railroad doesn’t just change the lives of Americans, it alters the entire ecology of the continent – and there are enormous casualties that result from this massive and transformative project. The vast Plains, where buffalo and Native Americans roam, become home to farmers who build houses of grass, and cowboys who trail their cattle thousands of miles to the railheads. Steel roads and now steel wire fences parcel up the Plains.
In less than a quarter of a century, the West is won – by the railroad, the fence, and the plow
1. How long did it take to cross the continent?
2. What 2,000 mile ‘technology’ connected the nation?
3. Who was “Crazy Judah?” (Full name and what was he known for doing)
4. What two companies worked on the joining of the railroad? Where do they meet?
5. Over ______were brought over to America to work dangerous jobs on the railroad.
6. ______million hammer swings completed the railroad.
7. What were some of the benefits of the Transcontinental Railroad?
8. What were the human costs of its construction?
9. What one word telegraph message was sent at the completion of the railroad on May 10, 1869?
10. The ______month land journey was cut down to ______.
11. The Homestead Act gave away ______% of American land for a $10 filing fee.
12. In 1874 over 3 trillion ______destroyed ½ of the crops in the west.
13. In this episode, the bison is described as a “mobile general store” for Native Americans on the plains. What does this phrase mean? What were the consequences of the destruction of the bison population for Native Americans?
14. Horses were not native to America: Who brought horses to America?
15. 1 of every 3 cowboys is ______or______.
16. What inventions helped homesteaders to settle the West/Great Plains faster than any other invention?
17. What happened at the Battle of Little Big Horn? What was the outcome of conflicts between Native Americans and the U.S. military on the plains?
18. What happened at Wounded Knee Creek on December 29, 1890?
19. What was born on November 18, 1883? Why?
20. What company based in Chicago became the first ‘mail order’ company because of the railroad (and still exists today)? Why do you think this development was a significant event in U.S. history?