The belief that the United States should keep expanding west, across the continent, to the Pacific Ocean
100
What is the transcontinental railroad?
It is a railroad that stretched across the country.
It connected the West to the East so that raw materials and finished goods could easily be transported back and forth.
People could also travel to the West or the East by using this railroad.
100
What is the gold rush?
The quick movement of people to a place where gold has been discovered
200
Where did the pioneers in the West come from? What did they do in the West?
They came from Germany, Ireland, and there were Jewish people from eastern Europe
They were farmers, ranchers, and miners
200
Where was most crowded? The West or the East?
the East
200
What did the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 do?
It was a law that created the transcontinental railroad
It gave the job of building it to two companies
200
Name at least one negative impact that mining had on the environment.
1. Rock dust - Drilling created rock dust which polluted the water and ruined towns and farms
2. Certain types of mining destroyed the soil
3. Mining released poisonous gases into the air
4. Miners used a metal called mercury to remove gold. Too much mercury poisoned streams and rivers.
300
Was getting to the West easy or difficult? Why?
Getting to the West was difficult because many people traveled to the West using stagecoaches or wagons.
These vehicles were slow and dangerous.
300
What type of transportation connects both the East and the West?
Railroads
300
What are the names of the two companies that created the transcontinental railroad?
1. Central Pacific Railroad Company
2. Union Pacific Railroad Company
300
Name at least one impact the railroads had in the country.
The transportation of materials was faster and easier from the use of railroads
People could travel using trains and start new lives in the West or the East
It was safer and less dangerous than traveling by stagecoach or wagon
400
Name at least 3 resources that the West had
The West also had many resources:
1. Fertile farmland for growing wheat and other crops
2. Thick forests provided lumber
3. Flat plains offered large grassy areas for grazing cattle
4. Miners could search for rich deposits of minerals, such as gold and silver
400
Why did the East need additional resources such as food and raw materials?
The population of people living in the eastern part of the U.S. was growing at a very high rate.
The East needed additional food to feed all of its people and provided additional finished goods (ex. furniture, wagons) to all of its people.
400
Where did the two railroads connect at?
Promontory Point, Utah
400
How did railroads help grow the West?
1. Cities and towns were distributed along railroad tracks
2. More and more people started to live in the West
3. People came to the West to start new lives in the West
4. Industries started to grow - mining, agriculture, lumber, cattle
500
Why did people want to move from the East to the West?
Eastern cities were crowded and western cities offered people plenty of space to live and work
There was an abundant supply of resources in the West that could cause people to become rich and wealthy
500
How did the East and the West depend on each other?
The East depended on raw materials from the West (agricultural products, lumber, gold, milk, beef, etc.)
The West depended on finished goods from the East
500
Why was the transcontinental railroad important? How did the East and the West benefit from this railroad?
It was important because it could quickly and effectively transport raw materials and finished products back and forth to the East and to the West.
The East obtained raw materials that it could use in its factories to produce finished goods. The West made money off the sale of raw materials. It also received finished goods from the East.
500
How did the West provide beef to eastern cities?
1. They herded the cattle to Kansas
2. They transported them from Kansas to Chicago and other eastern cities by using the Kansas Pacific Railroad
3. Cattle was processed into beef and delivered to stores in the East