Westward Expansion After the Civil War Mrs. Maimone Mrs. Maimone

Why did settlers move west of the Mississippi River ? Notice that the trails all begin at the Mississippi River.

1. GOLD! ( WHEN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE FILLED A TOWN QUICKLY, IT BECAME A BOOM TOWN. WHEN THEY LEFT THE TOWN QUICKLY, IT BECAME A GHOST TOWN.) 2. OPPORTUNITY! (JOBS) 3. LAND! ( THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862 MADE THAT POSSIBLE. THE GOVERNMENT USED LOTS OF PROPAGANDA TO ENCOURAGE IT. ) What encouraged people to move west?

Cause and effect

MINE OWNERS AND BUSINESS OWNERS WERE MOST LIKELY TO BECOME WEALTHY FROM MINING. VERY FEW MINERS FOUND MUCH GOLD OR SILVER. Who became wealthy from mining?

JUST ABOUT ANYONE. FORMER SLAVES (NOW U.S. CITIZENS), IMMIGRANTS, AND AMERICAN SETTLERS COULD CLAIM LAND. NATIVE AMERICANS WERE ANOTHER STORY, THOUGH.  Who could claim land under the Homestead Act?

THEY ENCOUNTERED VIGILANTE JUSTICE BECAUSE THERE WERE NO POLICEMEN, COURTS, OR JUDGES. PEOPLE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES. What kind of justice did people encounter in the mining camps?

THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD TRAVELED FROM SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, TO OMAHA, NEBRASKA. THIS HELPED PEOPLE TRAVEL AND SETTLE OUT WEST. How did the railroads affect westward expansion?

From Sacramento, California, to Omaha, Nebraska! The Central Pacific Railroad Connected to the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory Point.

How did the railroads help western ranchers? Farmers had taken the shorter Shawnee Trail to Sedalia, but had to take a longer trail further west to avoid Indians, farms, trees, and homes.

STAMPEDES! What did cowboys worry about the most?

FARMERS BEGAN TO BUY UP THE GRAZING LAND. TWO VERY BAD YEARS OF WEATHER (HOT, DRY SUMMERS AND COLD WINTERS) LED TO A LOSS OF LIVESTOCK. RANCHERS DECIDED TO MOVE NORTH, CLOSER TO THE RAILROAD TRACKS, WHERE THEY COULD PEN IN THEIR CATTLE & BRING THEM TO THE RAILROAD’S CATTLE CARS THEMSELVES. Why did the Age of the Cowboy come to an end?

The Great Plains are located west of the Mississippi River. What is the greatest problem for farmers in this region? What happens as you get closer to the Mississippi?

The highlands (mountain regions) have less precipitation than the Interior Lowlands. Can you tell me why that is? Look at the elevation map. Brown is higher than green. What happens as the elevation goes down? Why is that?

What do the Interior Lowlands have that the Great Plains is lacking?

1. THERE WAS A TEMPORARY CLIMATE CHANGE, WITH INCREASED PRECIPITATION. 2. THE GOVERNMENT OFFERED THEM LAND THROUGH THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF THE RAILROAD COMPANIES SOLD LAND CHEAP NEAR THE RAILROAD TRACKS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LIVE THERE. Why did people move onto the Great Plains?

~FORMER SLAVES ~ IMMIGRANTS ~AMERICAN SETTLERS (BUT NOT NATIVE AMERICANS!) Who could stake a claim to land under the Homestead Act?

THEY BUILT SOD HOMES BECAUSE THERE WERE VERY FEW TREES ON THE GREAT PLAINS. SO, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE LUMBER. What kind of homes did settlers build on the Great Plains and why?

1. BARBED WIRE 2. THE STEEL PLOW 3. DRY FARMING What were three inventions that helped people farm on the Great Plains?

GRASSHOPPERS! What caused terrible damage to crops on the Great Plains?

“Go west, young man, and grow up with the country.” Who said that? Newspaperman Horace Greeley said it.

THE U.S. GOVERNMENT RESERVED OKLAHOMA FOR NATIVE AMERICANS. LATER, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT MADE THEM SELL BACK 2 MILLION ACRES FOR SETTLERS TO CLAIM. Why was Oklahoma (nicknamed the SOONER STATE) off limits to settlers before the Oklahoma Land Rush and what changed?

A CENSUS IS A GOVERNMENT COUNT OF THE PEOPLE. What is a census?

HE RAN TRAVELING WILD WEST SHOWS. Who was Buffalo Bill Cody?

THEY WERE OUTLAWS. Who were Jesse James & Billy the Kid?

SHE WAS A SHARP-SHOOTER WHO TRAVELED WITH BUFFALO BILL CODY’S TRAVELING SHOWS. Who was Annie Oakley?

SECRETARY OF STATE WILLIAM SEWARD ARRANGED THE PURCHASE OF ALASKA & IT WAS A GOOD DEAL BECAUSE OF ITS STRATEGIC LOCATION AND ITS NATURAL RESOURCES. Who arranged the purchase of Alaska from Russia and why was it a good deal for the united States?

WHAT WERE SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY RAILROAD WORKERS AS THEY BUILT THE RAILROADS? How were the mining booms, building of the transcontinental railroads, & the Homestead Act related to each other?

WHERE DID THE UNION PACIFIC AND CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROADS MEET? How were the lives of real cowboys different from the stories in dime store novels and movies?