Transcript Westward Expansion After the Civil War Mrs. Maimone

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.
What encouraged people to move west?
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.)
Cause and effect
Who became wealthy from
mining?
MINE OWNERS AND BUSINESS
OWNERS WERE MOST LIKELY TO
BECOME WEALTHY FROM MINING.
VERY FEW MINERS FOUND MUCH
GOLD OR SILVER.
Who could claim land under the Homestead Act?
JUST ABOUT ANYONE.
FORMER SLAVES (NOW U.S. CITIZENS),
IMMIGRANTS, AND AMERICAN SETTLERS
COULD CLAIM LAND. NATIVE AMERICANS WERE
ANOTHER STORY, THOUGH. 
What kind of justice did
people encounter in the
mining camps?
THEY ENCOUNTERED VIGILANTE
JUSTICE BECAUSE THERE WERE NO
POLICEMEN, COURTS, OR JUDGES.
PEOPLE HAD TO TAKE CARE OF
THEMSELVES.
How did the railroads affect westward expansion?
THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD
TRAVELED FROM SACRAMENTO,
CALIFORNIA, TO OMAHA, NEBRASKA.
THIS HELPED PEOPLE TRAVEL AND SETTLE
OUT WEST.
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.
What did cowboys worry about the most?
STAMPEDES!
Why did the Age of the Cowboy come
to an end?
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.
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?
Why did people move onto the Great Plains?
1. THERE WAS A TEMPORARY CLIMATE CHANGE, WITH
INCREASED PRECIPITATION.
2. THE GOVERNMENT OFFERED THEM LAND THROUGH THE
HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862.
3. THE RAILROAD COMPANIES SOLD LAND CHEAP NEAR THE
RAILROAD TRACKS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO LIVE THERE.
Who could stake a claim to land under the
Homestead Act?
~FORMER SLAVES
~ IMMIGRANTS
~AMERICA SETTLERS
(BUT NOT NATIVE AMERICANS!)
What kind of homes did settlers build on the
Great Plains and why?
THEY BUILT SOD HOMES BECAUSE
THERE WERE VERY FEW TREES ON
THE GREAT PLAINS.
SO, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
LUMBER.
What were three inventions that helped people farm on
the Great Plains?
1. BARBED WIRE
2. THE STEEL PLOW
3. DRY FARMING
What caused terrible damage to crops
on the Great Plains?
GRASSHOPPERS!
“Go west, young man, and grow
up with the country.” Who said
that?
Newspaperman Horace Greeley
said it.
Why was Oklahoma (nicknamed the SOONER STATE) off limits to settlers
before the Oklahoma Land Rush and what changed?
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.
What is a census?
A CENSUS IS A GOVERNMENT
COUNT OF THE PEOPLE.
Who was Buffalo Bill Cody?
HE RAN TRAVELING WILD WEST
SHOWS.
Who were Jesse James & Billy the
Kid?
THEY WERE OUTLAWS.
Who was Annie Oakley?
SHE WAS A SHARP-SHOOTER WHO
TRAVELED WITH BUFFALO BILL
CODY’S TRAVELING SHOWS.
Who arranged the purchase of Alaska from Russia and why was it a good
deal for the united States?
SECRETARY OF STATE WILLIAM
SEWARD ARRANGED THE
PURCHASE OF ALASKA & IT WAS A
GOOD DEAL BECAUSE OF ITS
STRATEGIC LOCATION AND ITS
NATURAL RESOURCES.
How were the mining booms, building of the transcontinental railroads,
& the Homestead Act related to each other?
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE
DIFFICULTIES FACED BY RAILROAD
WORKERS AS THEY BUILT THE
RAILROADS?
How were the lives of real cowboys different from the stories in dime
store novels and movies?
WHERE DID THE UNION PACIFIC
AND CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROADS
MEET?