Unit 1: Expansion and Migration Assessment(Part 1)

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What was the primary significance of the Transcontinental Railroad in transforming the United States?

• It was just a transportation project
• It had minimal impact on American society
• It only improved mail delivery
• It permanently altered landscapes, demographics, and national identity

How did the Homestead Act of 1862 impact westward expansion?

• It granted 160 acres to settlers willing to improve land
• It only benefited Native American tribes
• It prevented settlers from moving west
• It restricted land ownership

What was the devastating impact of the Transcontinental Railroad on Native American populations?

• Improved Native American living conditions
• Reduced Native American territories from 138 million to 48 million acres
• No significant impact
• Increased Native American land holdings

Who were the Buffalo Soldiers, and what was their role in westward expansion?

• A Native American military unit
• A group of buffalo hunters
• All-Black regiments protecting railroad construction and telegraph lines
• European immigrant soldiers

What was the workforce composition during the Transcontinental Railroad construction?

• 12,000+ workers including Chinese laborers, Irish immigrants, Civil War veterans, and freed slaves
• Only white American workers
• Exclusively Native American laborers
• Primarily European immigrants

How did the railroad impact the buffalo population?

• Increased buffalo populations
• Nearly 30 million buffalo slaughtered by 1889
• No effect on buffalo
• Slightly reduced buffalo numbers

What demographic changes occurred between 1860 and 1890 due to the railroad?

• No significant population change
• U.S. population doubled from 31.4 million to 62.9 million
• Population decreased
• Population remained stable

How did the railroad transform economic transportation costs?

• Transportation remained unchanged
• Freight costs from New York to San Francisco dropped from $1,000 to $150 per ton
• Increased transportation expenses
• No change in transportation costs

What was the primary purpose of the Dawes Act of 1887?

• To create national parks
• To protect Native American lands
• To divide tribal lands into individual allotments and force assimilation
• To expand Native American territories