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What was a primary reason for the establishment of boomtowns in the West?
What factor contributed to the decline of the Cattle Kingdom?
Which method of communication was replaced by telegraph lines?
What was the primary role of cattle drives in the late 19th century?
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Who became the head of the Mormon Church and led the migration to Utah?
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What factor led to the growth of the cattle industry in the West?
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Which event indicated a major turning point in transportation across the country?
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What was one of the major dangers faced by miners during the mining boom?
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What major battle marked the Sioux's last significant victory against U.S. forces?
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What event was known as the Long Walk for the Navajo people?
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Which movement among Native Americans predicted the return of paradise?
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Which act was designed to bring about the assimilation of Native Americans into American society?
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What was one negative consequence of the Dawes General Allotment Act?
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Who was the leader of the Nez Percé group that resisted U.S. government demands for land?
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Which landmark legislation provided land to farmers to promote settlement in the West?
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Which term refers to Southern African Americans who migrated to the West after the Civil War?
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Which immigrant groups primarily worked on the railroads during their construction?
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What significant event occurred on May 10, 1869?
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What system was established by railroad companies to organize the country into different time zones?
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Which treaty recognized Native American claims to the Great Plains?
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What was the outcome for most southern Plains Indians after the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge?
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Which conflict was prompted by miners and settlers crossing Plains Indian hunting grounds?
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What did the Dawes General Allotment Act aim to achieve?
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What did the construction of the transcontinental railroad primarily facilitate?
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What was the primary purpose of the Lewis and Clark expedition?
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Which of the following best describes 'manifest destiny'?
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What role did Sacagawea play in the Lewis and Clark expedition?
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What was a major challenge faced by settlers traveling the Oregon Trail?
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Which of the following states was NOT formed as a result of westward expansion in the 1800s?
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Which route led from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico?
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How did the Louisiana Purchase impact the size of the United States?
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What motivated many settlers to travel west along the Oregon Trail?
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What nickname was given to farmers who broke up tough turf on the Plains?
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Which crop was primarily grown by farmers practicing dry farming on the Great Plains?
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What was one major reason for the creation of farmers' political groups in the late 19th century?
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Which organization was formed to provide social and educational support for farmers?
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What legislative act was passed in response to calls for regulation of railroad rates?
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What significant event took place in 1889 related to settling the Indian territory?
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William Jennings Bryan was supported by which political group in the election of 1896?
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By the early 1890s, what happened to the frontier in the United States?
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The Louisiana Purchase nearly tripled the size of the United States.
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Meriwether Lewis and William Clark began their expedition in St. Louis, Missouri.
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Sacagawea was a Spanish explorer who helped Lewis and Clark.
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The Oregon Trail was approximately 2,000 miles long.
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Manifest destiny was the belief that the United States should only expand to the East.
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The Santa Fe Trail connected Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
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Daniel Boone was a key figure in the Lewis and Clark expedition.
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Settlers on the Oregon Trail faced challenges such as food shortages and difficult weather.
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The Central Pacific Railroad started its construction in Omaha, Nebraska.
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The Treaty of Fort Laramie allowed the United States to traverse Native American lands.
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Most southern Plains Indians opposed going to reservations after the Treaty of Medicine Lodge.
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Geography and weather made building railroads in the West easier.
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The Ghost Dance movement among Native Americans predicted the arrival of a new paradise.
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The railroads were one of the smallest industries in the country during the 19th century.
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The Battle of Little Big Horn involved George Armstrong Custer and the Sioux led by Sitting Bull.
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Economic growth and population declined in the West due to the completion of the transcontinental railroad.
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The Mormon Trail was established by Brigham Young for Mormons to travel to Utah.
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Mining became less dangerous with the advent of new, safe equipment.
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The Comstock Lode was a significant discovery of gold and silver in Nevada.
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The Cattle Kingdom was limited only to the state of Texas.
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Boomtowns emerged quickly due to the opening of new mines.
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The Pony Express successfully eliminated the need for a transcontinental railroad.
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Cattle ranching created the Cattle Kingdom by driving herds to the East for transport.
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The Pacific Railway Acts aimed to provide assistance to railroad companies.
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Geronimo led the Apache in their fight until 1886.
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The Battle of Little BigHorn resulted in a major victory for U.S. troops.
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The Dawes General Allotment Act took about one-third of Native American land.
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The Ghost Dance movement faded after the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.
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The Morrill Act provided government land to farmers to promote settlement.
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Thousands of Exodusters migrated to Kansas and other areas in the West after the Civil War.
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Sarah Winnemucca was a prominent leader among the Sioux people.
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Navajo people were forced on a 300-mile march known as the Long Walk.
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Farmers in the Great Plains were often referred to as sodbusters.
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Annie Bidwell was known for her support of various social causes.
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The National Grange was a political organization focused solely on lobbying Congress.
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The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 effectively enforced national regulations for trade.
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By 1880, one-fourth of all farms in the United States were rented by tenant farmers.
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The Populist Party supported government ownership of railroads and communication systems.
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Oklahoma was settled by homesteaders before 1870.
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The Great Plains became known as the breadbasket of the world due to the abundance of crops.
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Study Notes
American Settlements in the West
- By the 1800s, thousands of Americans had settled between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
- Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio were admitted as states.
- Settlers depended on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to move products east.
- The United States was dependent on access to the port of New Orleans for trade.
Louisiana Purchase and Western Exploration
- French leader Napoleon needed money to finance his war with England and offered to sell all of Louisiana to the United States.
- The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled the size of the United States and cost $15 million.
- The United States then sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to lead an expedition to explore the newly acquired land.
- The Lewis and Clark expedition began in St. Louis, Missouri in May, 1804, and reached the Pacific Ocean in November, 1805.
- Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, served as a guide and interpreter for the expedition.
Manifest Destiny and Mountain Men
- The idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States should expand from coast to coast, was becoming a reality.
- Daniel Boone, a frontier guide, helped create the Wilderness Road through the Appalachian Mountains.
- Fur traders and trappers were some of the first Americans to explore the West.
Westward Trails
- The Oregon Trail, a 2,000-mile journey from Independence, Missouri to Oregon, was a challenging journey due to food shortages, bad weather, and difficult terrain.
- The Santa Fe Trail, a Native American trading route from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, allowed traders to exchange American goods for Mexican goods.
- The Mormon Trail led a group of Mormons under Brigham Young to Utah, where they established a community.
Mining Boom and Growth in the West
- California was added to the Union in 1850, extending the American frontier to the Pacific Ocean.
- Settlers built homes, ranches, and farms.
- Railroads expanded west to transport western goods to eastern markets.
- Mining companies shipped gold and silver east from their mines.
- Discoveries of large deposits of precious metals, like the Comstock Lode in Nevada, fueled growth in the mining industry.
- Boomtowns grew rapidly when mines opened and disappeared just as quickly when they closed.
- Mining was a dangerous occupation, with unsafe equipment, unhealthy working conditions, and frequent accidents.
Cattle Kingdom on the Great Plains
- Increased demand for beef drove the cattle industry to grow.
- Cattle ranchers drove herds from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, for shipping eastward.
- Cattle ranching expanded across the Great Plains, creating the Cattle Kingdom, stretching from Texas to Canada.
- Ranchers grazed large herds of cattle on public land known as the open range.
- Competition, the invention of barbed wire, and the loss of prairie grass brought an end to the Cattle Kingdom.
Transportation in the West
- The growth of the West led to a demand for communication across the country.
- The Pony Express carried messages along a 2,000-mile route.
- Telegraph lines quickly replaced the Pony Express.
- Congress passed the Pacific Railway Acts in 1862 and 1864, granting loans and land to railroad companies in exchange for lower costs for mail and troop transport.
- The Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California and worked eastward, while the Union Pacific started in Omaha, Nebraska and worked westward.
- The railroads were constructed by large numbers of Irish and Chinese immigrants, who faced challenging geographical and weather conditions.
- The transcontinental railroad was completed with the joining of the two lines with a golden spike at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869.
- Railroads contributed to economic growth and population increase in the West, provided better transportation for people and goods, and encouraged westward migration.
- The standard time system, organized by railroad companies, divided the country into four time zones.
Conflicts Between Native Americans and the U.S. Government
- As settlers began crossing the Great Plains in the mid-1800s, they pressured the federal government for access to western lands.
- Increased numbers of miners and settlers led to conflict with the Plains Indians.
Treaties and Conflicts Over Land
- The Treaty of Fort Laramie recognized Native American claims to the Great Plains, while allowing the U.S. to build forts and travel across their lands.
- The discovery of gold in Colorado led to negotiations for new treaties, sending Native Americans to live on reservations.
- The movement of pioneers and miners across the Great Plains and through Native American hunting grounds resulted in conflict with the Sioux, led by Crazy Horse.
- Most Southern Plains Indians agreed to go to reservations under the 1867 Treaty of Medicine Lodge, but the Comanche continued to fight until 1875.
- African American cavalry, known as Buffalo Soldiers, were employed to force resistant Native Americans onto reservations.
- By the 1880s, most Native Americans stopped fighting, except the Apache, led by Geronimo, who fought until 1886.
Northern Plains Conflicts
- The Sioux and U.S. troops were involved in battles throughout the 1800s.
- In 1876, George Armstrong Custer’s troops were defeated by Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Bighorn, marking the Sioux’s last major victory.
- In 1890, U.S. troops killed about 150 Sioux in the Massacre at Wounded Knee.
Southwest Conflicts
- The Navajo refused to settle on reservations, resulting in raids on their fields, homes, and livestock by U.S. troops.
- Deprived of food and shelter, the Navajo surrendered.
- The Navajo were forced to walk 300 miles to a reservation, known as the Long Walk, during which many died.
Far West Conflicts
- The Nez Perce initially secured a promise from the United States to allow them to keep their land in Oregon.
- The U.S. later demanded the land, leading to resistance from a group of Nez Perce led by Chief Joseph.
- U.S. troops forced Chief Joseph and his followers to a reservation in Oklahoma.
The End of a Way of Life
- Ghost Dance movement arose, predicting paradise for Native Americans.
- The Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890 marked the end of the Ghost Dance movement.
- Sarah Winnemucca, a Paiute, spoke out against the reservations system and called for reforms in the 1870s.
- The Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by assigning land ownership, but ultimately resulted in the loss of a significant portion of Native American land.
Farming and Populism on the Great Plains
- In 1862, two important land-grant acts helped open the West to settlers.
- The Homestead Act offered free government land to farmers.
- The Morrill Act provided federal land to states for sale, with funds designated for colleges teaching agriculture and engineering.
New Lives on the Plains
- Women, immigrants, and African Americans moved West.
- Thousands of African Americans from the South, known as Exodusters, migrated to Kansas and other western states.
- The challenging conditions of breaking up the tough turf on the Plains earned farmers the nickname "sodbusters."
- New inventions, such as threshing machines and windmills, helped Plains farmers.
- Farmers began dry farming, cultivating hardy crops like red wheat.
- The Great Plains became known as the breadbasket of the world as crops were shipped eastward by train and then overseas.
Building Communities
- Women played a crucial role in frontier settlement.
- Annie Bidwell, a founder of Chico, California, supported various social causes.
- Farmers formed close-knit communities, establishing churches and schools.
- Children helped with chores on the farm.
Farmers’ Political Groups and Challenges
- Increased farms and productivity led to overproduction and lower prices.
- Many farmers suffered financial losses and became tenant farmers.
- By 1880, one-fourth of all farms were rented by tenants.
- To protect their interests, farmers formed organizations such as the National Grange, a social and educational group that called for regulations on railroad rates.
- The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 attempted to regulate national trade, but lacked enforcement power.
- The Farmers’ Alliances formed the Populist Party, advocating for government ownership of railroads and communication systems, free silver, and labor regulations.
- The Populist Party supported William Jennings Bryan in the 1896 election, but his defeat resulted in the decline of the Farmers’ Alliances and the Populist Party.
End of the Frontier
- By 1870, only small portions of the Great Plains remained unsettled.
- The U.S. government opened the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to homesteaders in 1889, leading to the Oklahoma land rush, where settlers claimed over 11 million acres of former Indian land.
- The frontier officially ceased to exist by the early 1890s.
A Growing Nation
- The United States expanded its territory in the early 1800s, with Americans settling between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
- The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 almost doubled the size of the U.S. after President Jefferson purchased it from Napoleon for $15 million.
- Jefferson commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the vast territories gained in the Louisiana Purchase.
- Led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, the expedition began in 1804 and reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
- Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman, served as an interpreter and guide for the expedition.
- The idea of Manifest Destiny, the belief that the United States was destined to expand from coast to coast, grew stronger as more Americans explored and settled westward.
- The Oregon Trail, a 2,000-mile path from Independence, Missouri to Oregon, lured settlers with promises of rich resources and mild climate.
- The Santa Fe Trail led from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico, facilitating trading routes and American expansion into the Southwest.
- The Mormon Trail, led by Brigham Young, took thousands of Mormons to Utah, establishing a large community there by 1860.
Boom Times in the West
- The California Gold Rush, beginning in 1848, led to a rapid economic growth in the West.
- Mining booms resulted in rapid growth of boomtowns, fueled by large deposits of gold and silver, like the Comstock Lode in Nevada.
- The expansion of railroads into the West facilitated the transportation of goods and people, further boosting economic growth.
- The cattle industry thrived with the growing demand for beef, leading to cattle drives from Texas to Kansas.
- The invention of barbed wire and competition for land brought the Cattle Kingdom to an end.
- In 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed, uniting the East and West coasts and revolutionizing transportation.
- The Pony Express, a short-lived communication system using horses, was overtaken by telegraph lines, marking the efficiency of new technologies.
- Railroad companies standardized time zones across the United States.
Wars for the West
- Conflicts arose between settlers and Native Americans over land claims and resources on the Western frontier.
- The Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1851 recognized Native American claims to the Great Plains, but tensions continued as settlers and miners encroached on their territories.
- The U.S. government forced many Native Americans onto reservations, resulting in conflict and resistance.
- Notable Native American leaders, like Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and Chief Joseph, fought for their land and way of life.
- The Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876 was a major defeat for U.S. troops against the Sioux, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
- The Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 resulted in the deaths of about 150 Sioux, signifying a tragedy and turning point in the conflict.
- The Navajo were forced on the "Long Walk" to a reservation, losing their land and suffering hardships.
- The Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society but resulted in the loss of two-thirds of their land.
Farming and Populism
- The Homestead Act and the Morrill Act provided land opportunities for settlers, encouraging them to build new communities in the West.
- The westward movement included diverse groups like women, immigrants, and African Americans, known as "Exodusters" who sought new opportunities.
- Farmers faced challenges on the Great Plains, including tough soil and harsh weather conditions, earning them the nickname "sodbusters."
- Dry farming techniques and new inventions helped farmers adapt to the climate and grow hardy crops like red wheat.
- The Great Plains became known as the "breadbasket of the world" due to large-scale grain production.
- Farmers formed organizations like the National Grange to protect their interests and advocate for fairer policies.
- The Populist Party developed to represent farmers and workers, advocating for government regulation of railroads, banks, and monopolies.
- The defeat of their candidate, William Jennings Bryan, in the 1896 election marked the decline of the Populist Party.
- By 1890, the frontier ceased to exist as most of the Great Plains were settled, marking the end of an era of westward expansion in the United States.
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Description
This quiz covers the American expansion westward in the 1800s, focusing on the establishment of states like Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. It also delves into the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark expedition, highlighting key figures such as Sacagawea.
