Westward Expansion

What was the main purpose of the reservation system?

• To make the new transcontinental railroad safer to operate

• To clear federal lands for settlement by railroads, ranchers, and farmers

• To provide employment for Union troops and veterans after the Civil War

• To make it easier for Indians to assimilate into mainstream American culture

How did completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 encourage settlement of the American West?

• The railroad led to new discoveries of precious minerals

• The railroad required immense quantities of iron and coal to build

• The railroad frightened Indian tribes, who retreated to reservations

• The railroad made it easier for ranchers and farmers to ship goods back east

What was a negative aspect of the “Americanization” policy of the late 1880s for American Indians?

• Indians attended reservation schools and learned a trade.

• Indians could own and farm 160 acres of their own land.

• Indians learned English and could gain the right to vote.

• Indians saw the survival  of their traditional cultures threatened.

How did the Dawes Act (1887) mark a departure from earlier federals Indian policy?

• It led to conflicts between new settlers and Indian tribes on the Great Plains

• It moved Indian tribes still on the Great Plains to reservations farther west

• It permitted Indians to withdraw private plots from the tribal reservation.

• It encouraged the shooting of buffalo herds from new railroad lines.

What did the passage of the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Pacific Railway Act demonstrate about the federal government?

• It was committed to settling the western territories.

• It was concerned about conserving natural resources.

• It was unwilling to move American Indian tribes to reservations.

• It was determined to break up business trusts harmful to free enterprise.

True or False: 1 out of 4 cherokees died of cold or disease on the Trail of Tears. 

• True
• False

Which President CREATED the Indian Removal Plan?

• James Monroe
• Andrew Jackson
• Martin Van Buren

The Cherokee were forced to relocate during the__________.

• Trail of Tears
• Path of Sobs

Credited with building a large portion of the Transcontinental Rail Road:

• Chinese immigrants

• Mexican Immigrants

• Freedmen

• Confederate Soldiers

Homestead Act is best described as:

• Give away free land if you live on it for 5 years

• Buying land to farm

• Reservation system

• Land distribution to Native Americans