King Cotton & RRs

Which development most increased cotton profits in Texas during the 1820s and 1800s?

• Creation of the cotton gin technology

• Opening of new cattle drive trails

• Discovery of gold in the Hill Country

• Construction of transcontinental railroads

Before the Civil War, which group most often performed the physically difficult tasks of planting and watering cotton?

• Independent ranch cowhands

• Sharecropping immigrants

• Enslaved African Americans

• Union Army soldiers

How did windmills change farming in West Texas?

• Pumped deep groundwater for crops

• Harvested cotton seeds for oil

• Protected fields from harsh winds

• Powered gins that cleaned fiber

Which sequence best describes the boom and bust cycle affecting Texas cotton by the late 1800s?

• High demand then overproduction lowers prices

• Low demand then drought increases prices

• Steady demand and stable prices for decades

• Overproduction then demand rises sharply

What combination of challenges most hurt Texas cotton farms in the 1880s?

• End of textile factories in the North

• Boll weevils destroying buds

• Severe drought killing crops

• Loss of windmill water access

Why did some Texas farmers become dependent on cotton alone after the Civil War?

• Cotton was so valuable as a cash crop

• Banks only financed ranching and cattle

• Laws banned growing other staple crops

• Cotton grew without fertilizer or labor

Railroads provided a network that moved people and ​ (a)   products faster and farther than ever before.

• delivered
• destroyed
• created
• Amazon Prime

The hard work of these immigrant groups helped build the transcontinental railroad system ​ ​ ​ (a)   and ​ ​ (b)  

• Chinese
• Irish
• Turkish
• Australian
• Nigerian
• Chilean
• Greek
• Canadian

How did the development of the railroad impact the bison (buffalo) population?

• the amount of bison did not change

• the amount of bison decreased

• the amount of bison increased

• bison migrated east

What caused Native Americans to attack the railroad and its workers?

• The railroad was built in the middle of their land and was destroying it.

• The workers started fighting with them.

• The railroad kept them from migrating.

• Native Americans didn't like trains.