Great Plains
What weather did winter bring to the Great Plains?
Bitter cold and blizzards.
This massacre was the first of many battles between the American Indians and the government.
Sand Creek
Why did cowhands lead difficult cattle drives in the 1860s?
To lead cattle to the railheads for shipping.
The amount of something that people want to sell at a certain price.
Supply
How did the telegraph help Americans communicate?
It sent messages over long distances quickly.
Why was it easier to buy land on the Great Plains than in the East and Europe?
The land was cheaper.
Land created by the government for the American Indians.
Reservations
What were conditions like for a cowhand on a cattle drive?
Cowhands spend long days on horseback, slept on the ground, and guarded the cattle against animals and thieves.
The amount of something that people want to buy at a certain price.
Demand
What is a "transcontinental" railroad?
A railroad that crosses the continent.
Settlers built their first home from this thick soil.
Sod.
This American Indian religious act was made illegal by the American government.
The Ghost Dance
What is a railhead?
A town where railroad tracks begin or end.
The price of milk was so low that the ________ fell.
Supply
Why did many pioneers head West?
To search for gold, to find a new place to settle.
African American settlers from the south, named after a book from the Bible.
Exodusters
American Indians used buffalo for these two things.
Food and clothing
What effect did barbed wire have on the cattle drives?
Barbed wire fences blocked cattle trails, helping to end the drives.
The _____ for cheap land was high.
Demand
What is prejudice?
An unfair, negative opinion that can lead to unjust treatment.
This act allowed settlers to buy 160 acres for little money as long as they farmed it for 5 years.
The Homestead Act.
Two ways the government tried to assimilate American Indians.
They made them cut their hair, forced them to go to American schools, did not allow them to speak their own language, did not allow their clothing.
Texas longhorns were originally brought to America by whom?
Spanish settlers
Why did cattle sell for a much higher price in the North and East than in Texas?
Demand was high and supply was low.
How did railroad companies finance the first transcontinental railroad?
They took a loan through the Pacific Railway Act.