The Government, Transcontinental Railroad, and Native Americans 5.5 Dignitaries and railworkers gather to drive the "golden spike" and join the tracks of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point, Utah, on May 10, The Central Pacific's wood-burning locomotive, Jupiter, stands to the left, the Union Pacific's coal-burning No. 119 to the right.(National Archives [30-N ])

The United States Looks West! During the Civil War, the United States government passed laws to build the First Transcontinental Railroad. (Pacific Railway Act) The Government gave subsidies to railroad companies to build the railroads. The goal of the United States was to settle the west and expand our national markets.

In order to persuade citizens to move out west, the United States passed the Homestead Act in 1862 which granted Americans 160 acres of land in the West to farm on. With a railroad in place and Americans farming on the land, the national market was linked together. Farmers in the west could sell their goods to markets in the east easily with a railroad.

Impact on Native Americans Native Americans have been impacted by American policies before with the Trail of Tears. As the United States was moving further west, conflicts escalated with Native Americans. As the railroads were being built, Bison were being killed at a high rate which threatened the livelihood of the Native Americans.

The Indian Wars Similar to the Trail of Tears, the Native Americans were being forced to move onto reservations via “treaties” between the US and Natives. Native Americans that resisted were pursued by the United States Army and resulted in what is known as the Indian Wars. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library

The Dawes Act The United States passed the Dawes Severalty Act in 1887 in an effort to assimilate Native Americans into American society Native American culture differed greatly to the American culture and the Dawes Act created even more hostility between Native Americans and the United States. Native American children were taken from their families and placed in boarding schools where they were taught English and how to dress and act like white Americans. This severely damaged the Native American culture.

Native American Resistance Attempts to revive the Native American culture were shot down by the United States Army and resulted in a massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. As a result, Native Americans were left in poverty and their culture damaged, and they had no voice in America’s government. Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library