Challenges of Farmers and Native Americans

What was the main purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?

• To provide land to Native Americans

• To encourage settlement of the western United States by offering free land to settlers

• To restrict westward expansion

• To fund the construction of railroads

Which law required the U.S. government to purchase a certain amount of silver and issue currency backed by it?

• Homestead Act

• Sherman Silver Purchase Act

• Dawes Act

• Morrill Land-Grant Act

Who delivered the famous "Cross of Gold" speech in 1896?

• Abraham Lincoln

• William Jennings Bryan

• Ulysses S. Grant

• Grover Cleveland

The completion of which major infrastructure project in 1869 connected the eastern and western United States?

• Erie Canal

• Transcontinental Railroad

• Panama Canal

• National Road

Which group was most negatively affected by the westward expansion and settlement encouraged by the Homestead Act?

• European immigrants

• Native Americans

• Railroad workers

• Factory owners

What economic problem did many farmers face in the late 1800s?

• High crop prices

• Falling crop prices and rising debt

• Abundant rainfall

• Lack of available land

How did the Homestead Act contribute to the settlement of the Great Plains?

• By providing free land to settlers willing to farm it for five years

• By selling land at high prices to wealthy investors

• By reserving land for Native American tribes

• By prohibiting farming in the region

Explain how the Sherman Silver Purchase Act was intended to help farmers and miners.

• By increasing the value of gold

• By increasing the money supply and raising crop prices

• By reducing the amount of silver in circulation

• By lowering tariffs on imported goods

What was the main argument of William Jennings Bryan in his "Cross of Gold" speech?

• The United States should remain on the gold standard

• The country should adopt bimetallism to help farmers and workers

• The government should stop building railroads

• The Homestead Act should be repealed

Describe one way the transcontinental railroad affected the Native American population.

• It provided new farming opportunities for Native Americans

• It led to the loss of Native American lands and disruption of their way of life

• It increased Native American political power

• It reduced westward migration