Social Studies Chapter 7 (4th Grade, Houghton Mifflin)

Why was it difficult to receive mail and transport goods to California quickly?

• People in California refused to receive mail and goods from other states.

• California was separated from the rest of the nation by mountains and deserts.

• No one wanted to send mail or goods to California.

• California was not allowed to receive mail since it was not an official state yet.

The use of stagecoaches and the creation of the Pony Express helped speed up the mail service to California.

• TRUE

• FALSE

The transcontinental railroad made transportation between California and the rest of the nation more difficult.

• TRUE

• FALSE

Chinese immigrants were given fair wages and working conditions compared to other laborers building the transcontinental railroad.

• TRUE

• FALSE

What made the building of the transcontinental railroad difficult?

• No one had built railroads before.

• Laborers had to build tunnels through mountains and bridges across valleys.

• Nobody wanted the transcontinental railroad to be built.

• The railroad companies refused to hire laborers from other countries.

Theodore Judah was an engineer who convinced "The Big Four" investors to finance and build California's first bridges.

• TRUE

• FALSE

What were THREE ways communication became faster after 1850?

• Stagecoaches

• Telegraph

• Telephone

• Pony Express

• Faster Ships

What were THREE ways that the railroad companies earned money?

• Customers paid to travel

• They invented the telegraph

• Businesses paid to transport goods

• People bought land owned by the companies

• They sold trains to other countries

Why did work on the railroad go so slowly the first two years?

• They ran out of materials and had to wait for more to be made.

• Bad weather caused many delays.

• People protested against the building of the tracks.

• There were only about 800 workers.

What major group was responsible for building the majority of the transcontinental railroad?

• Irish Immigrants

• Native Americans

• African Slaves

• Chinese Immigrants