Westward Expansion

What did the Homestead Act of 1862 do?

• It forced people to move out West

• It removed Indians from western lands

• It granted adult heads land in the West for free. In return they had to live on that land for at least 5 years.

• It gave people a free ride out to the West.

What pulled Americans to the West? (3 answers)

• Disease-free land

• Gold

• Vast forests and good farmland

• Access to the Pacific

Which below was not one of the main reasons people died on the Oregon Trail?

• Disease

• Drowning during river crossings

• Wagon accidents

• Animal attacks

What did the Transcontinental Railroad connect?

• The East and the West

• Mexico and Canada

• New York and Chicago

What does Manifest Destiny mean?

• The belief that America should stay in the East

• The desire to stay at home

• The belief that Americans were meant to go west

What was one of the negative effects of the Transcontinental Railroad?

• It was expensive

• It was slow

• It created pollution in the West

What was the primary job of the men on the Oregon Trail?

• Driving the wagon and protecting the family

• Cooking the food

• Caring for the children

What were the 2 modes of transportation on the Oregon Trail?

• Train

• Walking

• Wagons drawn by oxen

What were the people who went to California to look for gold called?

• gold rushers

• forty-niners

• adventurers

Which was not one of the effects of Westward Expansion?

• More land was acquired

• Slavery ended

• The economy grew