Westward Expansion

What geographical obstacles did pioneers face while moving west?

• Mountain ranges, rivers, and deserts  
• Sickness or disease 
• Fighting with Native Americans 
• Bad weather or storms

How did most people travel to the west?

• Boat
• Horseback
• Car
• Covered Wagon

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

What technology revolutionized farming in the west? 

• Steel plows, mechanical reapers, and windmills
• Morse code
• Internet
• Hydroelectricity

What major river systems had to be crossed in order to move west? 

• Snake River, Mississippi River, Columbia River, Missouri River
• Nile River
• Amazon River
• Rio Grande

What types of weather hazards did pioneers face? 

• Mountain ranges, rivers, and deserts 
• Sickness or disease
• Fights with Native Americans
• Spring floods, winter snows, and tornadoes

What did the Homestead Act of 1861 allow settlers to do?

• Go to war with Native Americans
• Own the land that they settled on after 5 years
• Establish the sharecropping system
• Make peace with the Native Americans

What animal impacted the building of the railroads, and was also essential to the Native Americans way of life?

• Snakes
• Mountain lions
• Bison
• Locusts

Tags

CCSS.RI.1.4

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1

Where did railroad companies advertise to attract new settlers to the region?

• Europe
• The south
• Asia
• The west

How did the transcontinental railroad change the economy of the United States?

• It transported agricultural products to processing centers and helped major industries such as flour milling and meat processing develop in cities like Chicago. 
• It transported people to the cities to work in factories. 
• It transported Native Americans to the west. 
•  It transported raw materials to build factories in the west. 

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.5.3

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.RI.8.3

What were Boom Towns?

• Towns that were developed when gold and silver was found in a particular place. 
• Towns that were abandoned after the gold and silver mines were depleted.
• Towns where dynamite was found
• Towns where loud sounds were often heard.