Westward Expansion

Essential Questions What was the Transcontinental Railroad and its impact? Where did the immigrants who worked on the railroad come from? How did the immigrants contribute to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad? Standard 5.28 Map the sources of new immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, China, and Japan, and interpret narratives and excerpts from informational text describing the role that Chinese and Irish laborers played in the development of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Railroad History

The Transcontinental Railroad

I’ve Been Working on the Railroad I've been workin' on the railroad, All the live long day. Just to pass the time away. Don't you hear the whistle blowing? Rise up so early in the morn. Don't you hear the captain shouting "Dinah, blow your horn?” Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow your horn? Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah. Someone's in the kitchen, I know. Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah Strumming on the old banjo. Fee, fie, fiddle-e-i-o.Fee, fie, fiddle-e-i-o-o-o-o.Fee, fie, fiddle-e-i-o.

What was the Transcontinental Railroad? The goal of the Transcontinental Railroad was to span the nation from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The Union Pacific Railroad began in Omaha, Nebraska and built west. The Central Pacific Railroad started in Sacramento, California and built east.

Which company laid more tracks Which company laid more tracks? The Union Pacific Railroad Company put down more tracks than the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Why did the Central Pacific Railroad Company put down less tracks? The Central Pacific railroad had to tunnel through the Sierra Mountain Range first. The Union Pacific railroad laid tracks on the Plains first. Where did the railroads meet? Together, the presidents of both railroad companies drove a golden spike into the railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah, finally connecting the East and the West.

Immigrant Workers on the Railroad Many of the workers on the Transcontinental Railroad were immigrants . Immigrants are people who have moved from their home country to another country. Immigrants from Ireland were hired to build track for the Union Pacific and Chinese workers were hired to build track for the Central Pacific. These workers did all of the work - prepared the roadbeds, laid the rails and drove the spikes and did this backbreaking work in all types of weather. They used dynamite to blast through mountains and boulders. This was a very dangerous job and hundreds of worked died in accidents while building the railroad.

Chinese Immigrants and the Transcontinental Railroad

Immigrants and the Transcontinental Railroad

Immigration Map- Late 1800s

Essential Questions: What was Manifest Destiny? Why move west? What was life like for settlers? Standard: 5.31 Analyze the appeal of the Great Plains to settlers and immigrants, including geographical factors, railroads, homesteading rights, and the absence of American Indians.

Westward Expansion Analyze picture

The woman represents Manifest Destiny The woman represents Manifest Destiny. She is leading pioneers and railroads westward toward the frontier, away from what’s probably meant to be the Mississippi River. As she floats through the air she strings telegraph wires. Her flowing white robes, long hair, and the light radiating around her head give her the appearance of angel leading the country to its destiny. She’s holding a book; it’s most likely a schoolbook and probably is meant to represent the bringing of education to the frontier. What do you think the woman in this picture represents? What is she doing?

These men are plowing a field These men are plowing a field. Converting “unused” land to farmland symbolized progress for many Americans in the 19th century. As pioneers moved farther west, they continued to plow new land—even as it became more rugged, arid, and difficult to farm. The men in this picture do not look like they're having a difficult time with their plowing; it is an idealized image of what it was like to start a farm on the frontier. What are these people doing, and why do you think they are in the picture?

What does this part of the picture show? What is its significance? These are bison (commonly called buffalo), which inhabited the Great Plains in large numbers before the pioneers arrived. In this picture, they are being driven westward along with everyone else. Their inclusion in the painting may indicate that a part of Manifest Destiny involved driving wild creatures off the land so that it could be settled. It could also represent the hunting of the bison: the herd might be running away from men on horseback trying to kill it. What does this part of the picture show? What is its significance?

Who else is being forced westward? What is happening here? Similarly, this group of Native Americans moves westward. Along the way, they hunt buffalo, an important part of Native American culture on the Great Plains. This way of life is pushed out of the picture as the pioneers arrive. Who else is being forced westward? What is happening here?

Why do you think this bear was included in this part of the picture? The bear is also being driven westward and is moving ahead of the pioneers. Bears represented wild and untamed nature, which the pioneers are forcing out of the picture with their technology, farming implements, and spirit of Manifest Destiny. Why do you think this bear was included in this part of the picture?

Can you tell what is going on here? It’s hard to see the detail in this part of the picture, but it appears to show a long line of pioneers heading westward. This background activity reveals the large influx of people to the West.

Why do you think the artist painted this picture? This is a famous painting by John Gast from around 1873 titled “American Progress.” Gast painted a romanticized picture of the westward movement. He may have wanted to share with audiences his impression of westward expansion as a concrete sign that the promises of Manifest Destiny were being fulfilled. Why do you think the artist painted this picture? What is the larger message he was trying to convey about Manifest Destiny?

Westward Expansion

American Indians

Why move west? Rumors of gold! Thousands moved west to California to mine for gold. Gold Fever! California Gold Rush! 49ers!

Gold Rush Western mining towns brought a large number of people westward. These people hoped that they would get rich from the discoveries of gold, silver and other mineral resources. Prospectors, people searching for a mineral resource, settled in mining camps and mining towns in hopes to be a successful miner and to “strike it rich.” Some did have good luck and made money mining, but most were not so lucky. The gold and silver deposits would run out eventually and miners would have to move on to another place to prospect, or mine. Business people sold food like coffee and sugar for very high prices. They were trying to take advantage of the rush of people trying to find gold. Women cooked meals or washed shirts for miners. The miners would have to pay a large sum of money for the women's services.

Free land! Homestead Act: To those who were eligible, the U.S. gave 160 acres of land. 21 year old heads of households who agreed to build on and care for the land. There are many ways to improve a piece of land and give it more value. One is to build a house. Another way is to plant crops.

Adventure and escape! Many moved simply to experience adventure and/or to escape from situations that they didn’t care for

Give students approximately one minute to view the photo, then proceed to the following slides. Frontier Life

This picture shows a typical pioneer house on the Great Plains. The house has a simple architecture, shaped more or less like a square. If you look closely, you can see the sod bricks. Unlike some other sod houses shown in photographs from this period, this house is neatly constructed and appears to be in pretty good shape. What does the house appear to be made of? Does it seem to be in good shape?

By modern standards, this family of eight would have been quite crowded in the house, but this was a typical arrangement on the frontier. The house has a small addition with a windmill on top. This addition may have been used to store farm equipment. Do you think this family would have been comfortable living in this house?

What does the landscape in this picture look like? This landscape is typical of the western Great Plains. It is virtually treeless, with rolling hills. Although the land might look fertile, this part of the country was very dry and was therefore difficult to farm. It was not uncommon for heavy winds to pick up the dry topsoil and blow it away in dust storms, eroding the soil and making farming even more challenging. What does the landscape in this picture look like? What do you think it might have been like to farm here?

What do you see in the foreground? In the foreground, you can see furrows caused by plowing. The furrows are very close to the house, indicating that the pioneers lived right on the edge of, or in the middle of, their farm. This proximity to the farm implies that they tried to make the best possible use of their land, rather than reserving any land for a front or back yard. The fact that the furrows are clearly visible indicates that the soil was very dry; wet soil would have blended together and been less visible in the photograph. What does this tell you about the distance between the house and the farm? What does it tell you about the conditions of the soil?

Why do you think it might have been located here? Located on top of the house, this windmill would have been able to capture more wind than if it were based on the ground. This is not a particularly tall windmill, so its functioning would have benefited from the added height that the addition to the house provided. The family probably used the windmill to generate power to operate farm or other equipment located in the addition. What is this? Why do you think it might have been located here?

Look at the family’s attire. Do you think they dressed this way every day? How formal do their clothes look considering their occupation? The family members are not dressed up by “high society” standards, but they’re not wearing their everyday farm clothes either. Everyone appears to be dressed neatly, and no one looks like they’ve just ended a long day of farm work.

Who do you think might have taken this photograph, and why? This photograph may have been taken by a traveling photographer at the request of the family. Perhaps the family wanted to send a picture to their family back east or to have a photograph of the house they had built. The picture might also been taken by a journalist or another individual who traveled throughout the frontier documenting pioneer life. Who do you think might have taken this photograph, and why?

What was life like on the prairie? Many arrived to find huge empty areas of land Built homes (log or sod houses) Many pioneers in the West lived on land that had few if any trees. This made farming easier, but it made it hard to find materials to build a home. It cost a lot of money to have lumber sent by train or wagon from another place. The cheapest building material was the earth itself so they built their houses from sod. Found sources of water and food…some lived near creeks or rivers while others had to make windmills to pump water out of the ground Many were miles from their nearest neighbors or trading posts…lonely Harsh weather that they weren’t used to Different soil for raising crops and animals

A sad part of history… Many Native Americans were unfairly driven from the lands that they’d lived on for many, many years because the U.S. government claimed it. They were forced to move to reservations. Herds of wild bison became nearly extinct as settlers began to use them as sources of food and shelter

Eventually… So many pioneers traveled west that… Small cities and towns popped up in the west Many families grew as they lived in the west Immigrants moved into the west These westward areas were eventually added as states which are much more populated today

Essential Questions: Who were the Buffalo Soldiers? Who was George Jordan? Standard: 5.32 Describe the role of Buffalo Soldiers in settling the West, including Tennessee native George Jordan.

Who were the Buffalo Soldiers? A special group called the Buffalo Soldiers patrolled the American West after the Civil War. This group was made of all African American soldiers, and they were the first unit of their kind to be chartered during peacetime. They served as guards for wagon trains and helped develop western towns.

Who was George Jordan? George Jordan was a Buffalo Soldier in the United States Army and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Indian Wars of the western United States.

5.33 Write a short piece with concrete words, phrases, and sensory details of the life on the Great Plains from the viewpoint of a particular immigrant or migrant group. If you are an odd number: Write a short story about your life as an immigrant in the West. Remember, your occupation could be miner or working on the railroad. Be sure to include details. If you are an even number: Write a short story about your life as a settler in the West. Remember, your have land from the Homestead Act and have to take care of your land. Be sure to include details.

5.30 Write an argumentative piece from the viewpoint of American Indians and the viewpoint of American settlers about their rights to the land west of the Mississippi River. Imagine you are an American Indian in the West, write a paragraph stating why you have the right to the land to the west of the Mississippi River. Imagine you are an American Settler in the West, write a paragraph stating why you have the right to the land to the west of the Mississippi River.