Western Expansion Study Guide U.S. II 1i; 2a, b; 4a, b, d

Name ______Block _____

Date ______

  1. What were the reasons why people went west?

land opportunities, adventure and hope, railroads, gold and silver mining, freedom for former slaves (exodusters)

  1. Which groups did and did not benefit from western expansion?

groups who did benefit – African-Americans (freed slaves), miners, farmers, cowboys, ranchers

groups who did not benefit – Native-Americans

  1. Why did former slaves who moved west call themselves “exodusters”?

because they took an exodus, or journey to freedom, to the west

  1. What made the Great Plains difficult to farm, leading to many who FLED?

flatlands that rise gently from east to west; low rainfall; erosion from wind and water; dust storms

  1. What were the technological advances that aided settlement in the Great Plains?

barbed wire, steel plow, dry farming, wheat farming, sod houses, railroads, windmills, cattle raising

  1. What government law was the main reason why people settled on the Great Plains?

The Homestead Act

  1. Which crop grew best on the Great Plains?

wheat

  1. Why did settlers on the Great Plains build sod houses?

it was the only material available for building

  1. Which state on the Great Plains had the most cattle ranching?

Texas

  1. What had a big impact on the cattle drives in the Great Plains?

the Transcontinental Railroad

  1. What allowed for a period of growth for cattle ranching on the Great Plains?

the expansion of the railroads

  1. What was found in California?

gold

  1. What are boom towns and why were they created?

boom towns were towns that grew quickly; they supported the needs of the gold and silver miners

  1. Why was the Transcontinental Railroad built?

to connect the eastern and western states

  1. What was a major benefit of the Transcontinental Railroad?

supplies and mail could move more quickly and cheaply

  1. How did the Transcontinental Railroad impact the American Indians?

by almost killing all the buffalo, their food source

  1. What is the name of the government-owned lands to where American Indians were forced to move?

reservations

  1. Why did the United States government put the American Indians on reservations?

to free up more land for settlers to farm

  1. Who made the following statement: “…From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more”?

Chief Joseph

  1. What was the name of the battle where Colonel Custer led his soldiers against the Lakota tribe?

Battle of Little Bighorn