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WorksheetsAmerican West - FULL OVERVIEW
Total questions: 77
Worksheet time: 40mins
Joe McCoy
Most people who came to California to mine for gold were successful and became rich.
TRUE
FALSE
Check all that apply: Why was mining for gold in California so difficult?
Finding and collecting the gold was not easy.
Frequent Native American attacks.
Lots of crime near the gold fields.
The gold was mostly found out in the wilderness.
Check all that apply about cowboy life
Life was difficult
Cowboys slept in open air
Cowboys spent only 1 hour in the saddle each day
One cattle trail might take 2 months to travel
What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?
To build a transcontinental railroad.
To limit immigration to the United States.
To encourage people to move to the west.
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the Homestead Act of 1862?
People would get 160 acres of land.
The land that the government gave to people was excellent for farming.
People would have to live on the land for 5 years and they would get to keep it.
Where did the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1874 take place?
In the middle of Native American lands.
In Florida.
In Texas.
After gold was found in the Black Hills, what did the United States government try to do?
Give all of the gold to the Native Americans.
Take the land away from the Native Americans.
Stop miners from going into Native American lands.
What began to happen to Native Americans living in the west after the Civil War?
The United States government began to move them off of their lands using the military.
The United States government left them alone to live in peace.
They moved back to the east to take back their ancestral lands.
What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876?
United States military forces defeated warriors from the Sioux tribe.
The Sioux tribe crushed the United States military after a treaty was broken.
The United States military fought against Mexico.
Which of the following had the greatest impact on the end of the open range form of cattle ranching?
railroad companies charged unfair shipping rates
the cowboy lifestyle was difficult and lonely
settlers used barbed wire to fence their land
harsh winters and disease killed many cattle
What is one way that the expansion of railroads helped the economy?
Railroads made the transport of goods cheaper and easier.
Railroads made the automobile obsolete.
Railroads took away land from farmers in the West.
Railroads led to increasing conflicts with Native Americans.
Which of the following was NOT an obstacle faced by settlers moving out west?
shortage of available timber
droughts and lack of water
harsh winters and prairie fires
massive rainfall and flooding
How did sharecropping keep African Americans in an inferior position?
Sharecropping restricted the voting rights of African Americans.
Sharecropping required African Americans purchase expensive property.
Sharecropping forced African Americans to move thousands of miles from their homeland.
Sharecropping kept African Americans in a cycle of debt and poverty.
After the Civil War, the federal government ________________
westward expansion.
encouraged
discouraged
The price that people in northeastern states were willing to pay for cattle during the mid-1800s created a price incentive for Texas ranchers to _______________.
(Choose 2)
herd cattle north on cattle trails
ship cattle west on railroads
ship cattle east on railroads
herd cattle south on cattle trails
Companies that constructed ___________________ to connect the eastern and western United States were given land by the government in the 1800s.
Highways
Railroads
Airplanes
Waterways
The supply of cattle in Texas in the 1800s was high, but the demand was low. This caused the price that cattle would sell for in Texas to be _________________.
low
high
California was part of a large area of land that the United States had taken from which country after a war?
Mexico.
France.
Great Britain.
What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?
To build a transcontinental railroad.
To limit immigration to the United States.
To encourage people to move to the west.
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the Homestead Act of 1862?
People would get 160 acres of land.
The land that the government gave to people was excellent for farming.
People would have to live on the land for 5 years and they would get to keep it.
Where did the Black Hills Gold Rush of 1874 take place?
In the middle of Native American lands.
In Florida.
In Texas.
After gold was found in the Black Hills, what did the United States government try to do?
Give all of the gold to the Native Americans.
Take the land away from the Native Americans.
Stop miners from going into Native American lands.
What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876?
United States military forces defeated warriors from the Sioux tribe.
The Sioux tribe crushed the United States military after a treaty was broken.
The United States military fought against Mexico.
Which of the following was not central to the life and culture of the Plains Indians in the 1800s?
the extended family
land ownership
the buffalo
the horse
What is the term for someone who moves into a country?
Immigrant
Emigrant
Native American
Pioneer
Many European Americans rushed to California in search of (a) .
