Westward Expansion Review

Westward Expansion Review

by Ms.Rice

​Transcontinental Railroad

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During the Civil War the government decided to build a railroad connecting the East and the West.

One side was started in San Francisco, CA.

The railroad was completed in Promontory Point, UT.

Many Asian immigrants and African Americans worked on the railroad

​Before the Civil War....

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​Most Americans saw the Great Plains as a treeless wasteland. 

New inventions and adaptations helped to change people’s perceptions. They began to see the Great Plains as a vast area to be settled.

​Following the Civil War

​ Americans began moving West in large numbers for several reasons..

Opportunities for     land     ownership.  In an attempt to encourage people to move west the government passed the Homestead Act of     1862   , which offered 160 acres of land to settlers if they  stayed on the land for 5 years.

​Physical features of the Great Plains...

Flatlands       that rise

gradually from east to west.

Low      rainfall      – very dry.

 Frequent    dust    storms.

Land eroded by wind and water

Following the Civil War Americans began moving West in large numbers for several reasons.....

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Technological advances, such as the Transcontinental Railroad, made life easier on the Great Plains.

Poll

Do you think you could survive living on the Great Plains?

• Yes

• No Way!!!!!!!

Multiple Choice

What image is shown here?

• Barbed Wire

• Steel Plow

• Shovel

• Windmill

Multiple Choice

This allowed farmers to keep cattle from nearby ranches off their fields and away from their crops.

• steel plow

• barbed wire

• windmill

• sod house

Multiple Choice

These were used throughout the Great Plains to pump water from the ground and to provide power.

Multiple Choice

Which invention made it possible for people and goods to travel across the country in one week?

• Covered Wagon

• Transcontinental Railroad

• Cars

• Plane

Multiple Choice

What was promised in the Homestead Act?

• just enough land for a house

• 160 acres

• all the gold you can carry

• 10 cattle to start your farm

Multiple Choice

What was the settlers first impression of the Great Plains?

• crowded

• "treeless wasteland"

• only good for Native Americans

• a jungle 

Multiple Choice

The invention of the steel plow made it possible to farm the hand-picked earth of the Great Plains.

• True

• False

Open Ended

Sitting Bull or Crazy Horse? Which Native American Indian do you resonate with the most and why? 

Multiple Choice

The "Ghost Dance" can be defined as...

• a ritual where it is believed to make time go backwards

• Cha-Cha Slide

• A party where Native Americans worship their ancestors

Fill in the Blanks