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WESTWARD EXPANSION

Created by Angela Zorn @kyteacher

Essential Standard

HS.UH.CO.1: Explain the impact of U.S. expansion at home and abroad between 1877-1929.

Learning Target

We will explain why 1000s of settlers began to move west after the Civil War, and we will describe the challenges they faced as a result.

Estándar esencial

Objetivo de aprendizaje

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MANIFEST DESTINY

Source: John Gast, American Progress, 1872

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Fuente: John Gast, progreso americano, 1872

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By the mid-1800s, only a few thousand settlers had ventured into the West.

Then in 1848, gold was discovered in California
The next year, tens of thousands of “Forty-Niners” swarmed the region in hopes of striking it rich
History repeated itself over & over in the following decades as more precious metals were discovered throughout the region

Led to the rise of boom towns that later became ghost towns when prospectors moved on
Added to the conflict with Native Americans

Convinced the government to build the Transcontinental Railroad

MINERS MOVE WEST

Directions: Use the text box to complete the following:

How did the growth of the mining industry impact life in the United States?

Learn more about the California Gold Rush.

Obtenga más información sobre la fiebre del oro de California.

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In 1862, the Union Pacific & Central Pacific Railroad Companies began work on the Transcontinental Railroad.

Union Pacific started in Nebraska & headed west

Hired Civil War veterans, former slaves, & Irish immigrants
Battled Native Americans along its route

Central Pacific started in California & headed east

Hired 1000s of low-paid Chinese workers
Fought extreme temperatures & mountainous terrain
100s died while trying to blast tunnels through the mountains

RAILROADS OPEN THE WEST

Learn more about the Transcontinental Railroad.

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

What groups were hired to build the railroads?

What challenges did they face?

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In spite of the obstacles, the two lines met at Promontory Point, UT on 10 May 1869.

Shrank travel time from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast from 6 months to 6 days
Expanded settlement in the west, leading to more conflicts with the Native Americans in that region

Connected markets in the east & west, allowing for more trade across the country

RAILROADS OPEN THE WEST

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following question:

How did the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad change life in the U.S.?

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In order to further encourage western settlement, Congress passed the Homestead Act in 1862.

Allowed anyone-including former slaves, women, & immigrants-to claim up to 160 acres on the Great Plains for a $10 filing fee
Many lived in small sod homes that offered little light or air & attracted snakes & insects
Other hardships included storms, droughts, & prairie fires in the summer & blizzards in the winter

SETTLING THE GREAT PLAINS

Learn more about the Homestead Act.

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

What was the Homestead Act?

How did it impact settlement in the west?

Obtenga más información sobre la Ley Homestead.

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Former slaves who moved west in this period became known as Exodusters.

Named for the Israelites’ Biblical escape from Egyptian slavery into the “Promised Land”
Migrants sought to escape Jim Crow Laws & the racial violence that was building in the South
More than 20,000 claimed land in areas such as Kansas & the Oklahoma Territory

Allowed for the development of several prominent all-black communities in these area

SETTLING THE GREAT PLAINS

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following question:

Who were the Exodusters?

Why did they move west?

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HOMESTEAD ACT

DEFINITION

DETAILS

CONNECTIONS

IMAGE

SETTLING THE GREAT PLAINS

DEFINICIÓN

DETALLES

CONEXIONES

IMAGEN

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It was also in this period that the demand for beef skyrocketed, partly due to the rapidly growing cities.

Led Texas ranchers to hire crews to drive their longhorn cattle north to the railroads in Kansas where they could be shipped to Chicago & sold
Cattle drives took about 3 months & covered about 10-15 miles per day
Required cowboys to be in the saddle from dawn to dusk, sleeping on the ground & bathing in river

Faced dangers from flooded rivers, lightning strikes, & stampedes
About ⅓ were Hispanic or African American

THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE

Learn more about the history of African American cowboys.

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following questions:

Why did ranchers move their cattle north from Texas across the Great Plains?

Obtenga más información sobre la historia de los vaqueros afroamericanos.

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As more farmers moved onto the Great Plains, conflicts arose as cowboys tried to move cattle across their fields.

Prompted violent Range Wars as each group fought to defend their livelihood
Led Joseph Glidden to invent barbed wire in 1874

Barbed wire, along with the expansion of the railroads & the invention of the refrigerated rail car led to the end of the open range by the end of the 1880s.

THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE

Directions: Use the text box to answer the following question:

What changes led to the end of the open range? Explain.

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CLAIM:

Westward Expansion had a positive impact on the United States.

TRUE OR FALSE?

Inspired by Amanda Sandoval @historysandoval

Inspirado por Amanda Sandoval @historysandoval

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MINERS MOVE WEST

SKETCH Draw a sketch that illustrates the following terms: 49ers, Boom Town, Ghost Town.	TELL Write 1-3 sentences using the following terms: 49ers, Boom Town, Ghost Town. Be sure that your answer helps to show the connections among the three terms.

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RAILROADS OPEN THE WEST

SKETCH Draw a sketch that illustrates the following terms: Transcontinental Railroad, Irish Immigrant, Chinese Immigrants	TELL Write 1-3 sentences using the following terms: Transcontinental Railroad, Irish Immigrant, Chinese Immigrants. Be sure that your answer helps to show the connections among the three terms.

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SETTLING THE GREAT PLAINS

SKETCH Draw a sketch that illustrates the following terms: Homesteders and Soddy.	TELL Write 1-3 sentences using the following terms: Homesteader, Soddy. Be sure that your answer helps to show the connections among the three terms.

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THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE

SKETCH Draw a sketch that illustrates the following terms: Cattle Drive, Cowboys, Barbed Wire.	TELL Write 1-3 sentences using the following terms: Cattle Drive, Cowboys, Barbed Wire. Be sure that your answer helps to show the connections among the three terms.

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