Wild West & The Rise of Industry

Many people came to California in the mid-1800s in search of

• Oil

• Diamonds

• Gold

What was a major challenge that architects of the first transcontinental railroad faced?

• A rough terrain

• Attacks from Indigenous people

• Shortage of Workers

• All of the above

Identify opportunities African Americans had in the West

• They could own land and farms

• They formed new all Black communities

• They assimilated with indigenous culture

Which of the following were opportunities people sought as they traveled West?

• They believed that moving West would guarantee a life of luxury

• Those who traveled West wanted a fresh start

• People wanted to become rich mining gold

What challenges did indigenous people face out West?

• Settlers pushed them off their land and killed buffalo.

• They were forced onto reservations

• Many died from disease and poverty

• All of the above

Black settlers who moved west through the Homestead Act became known as Exodusters.

• True

• False

Through the Homestead Act, settlers were offered public land in the American West for $100.

• True

• False

How did business owners reduce competition during the expansion of industry in the late 1800s?

• by buying out or bankrupting competitors

• by increasing their factors of production

• by forming trusts

Laissez-faire is a policy based upon heavy government regulation on business.

• True

• False

What was the reasoning behind the name "The Gilded Age"?

• The gold industry in the United States was booming during this time period.

• All Americans prospered during this time period.

• Big business owners were prospering and living lavishly amid corruption and social unrest.