Westward Movement

Which statement best explains why boomtowns became ghost towns in the American West?

• People discovered gold and other precious metals beneath the town

• People used up all the resources surrounding the town

• A transcontinental railroad was built alongside the town.

• A Native American reservation was opened to settlers near the town.

What was the Transcontinental Railroad?

• a train that ran from Chicago to San Francisco

• a trail American pioneers followed in covered wagons

• a train that ran from Florida to New York

• a chain of Native American reservations in the Northwest Territory

Why was the First Transcontinental Railroad important?

• It brought supplies and trade to Denver City.

• It ran along the entire length of the Mississippi River.

• It crossed the entire United States from east to west.

• It connected San Francisco to the Alaska Territory.

What effect did railroads have on the development of the Midwest region?

• They transformed farming communities into industrial cities.

• They increased immigration to the region.

• They allowed the region to establish the nation's largest railroad stations.

Which statement best explains how the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad affected the development of the United States?

• It demonstrated that national projects could be completed without government assistance.

• It integrated the nation’s different regions into a more unified national economy.

• It led to the formation of national unions that achieved wage increases for rail workers.

Which statement best explains how the construction of railroads affected cattle ranching in the United States?

• Lower shipping costs made it possible for small-scale ranchers to prosper.

• Transporting grain crops from the West reduced the demand for meat in the East

• New opportunities to ship meat to the East resulted in huge profits for ranchers in the West

Which statement best explains why railroads presented a problem for American farmers in the late 1800s?

• Unregulated railroads were able to charge high cargo rates to farmers.

• Rail cargo shippers preferred hauling industrial freight to agricultural products.

• Railroad service was not fast enough to bring perishable goods to market

• Construction of railway lines to agricultural regions was slow and expensive.

The earliest railroads in the United States

• drove steamboat lines into bankruptcy

• improved travel between cities in the East

• made possible travel to unsettled regions in the West

• allowed farmers to get their goods to market faster

The spread of railroads during the 1800's aided the U.S. economy by

• reducing the time workers spent commuting to and from work

• providing a large number of well-paying jobs to recent immigrants

• bringing consumers closer to the agricultural regions where their food was grown

• making it easier to move natural resources and finished goods around the country

In addition to working in mines, many Chinese immigrants to the West also

• attempted to assimilate with the Native Americans

• bought large tracts of land for cattle ranching

• opened small businesses catering to miners

• established immigration bureaus to assist other foreign settlers