Mining and Railroads
Name the man who is buried locally who was the brains behind the Transcontinental Railroad.
Theodore "Crazy" Judah
What caused Texas ranchers to begin rounding up longhorns and driving them to rail lines?
An increased demand for beef from eastern cities and growing communities in the west.
What is a "Travois?"
A large sled used by Native Americans to haul large loads.
How did the Bessemer process alter the steel industry?
It enabled steelmakers to produce strong steel at a lower cost. This led to steel being used by many more applications, such as rails, nails and beams.
What did Alexander "Graham Cracker" Bell invent?
The telephone
What was the Comstock Lode and why was its discovery a surprise?
The Comstock Lode was one of the richest silver mines in the world. Discoverers originally thought the "blue stuff" mixed with gold was worthless when in fact it was silver.
What were "Cow Towns."
Cow towns were towns that sprang up along cattle line routes, offering goods and services to cattle hands, and allowing cattle to be held in large pens until they could be loaded onto trains.
How did horses change the lives of Plains Indians?
Hunters could now ride horses directly into herds of bison. Horses could also haul heavier loads, allowing entire villages to uproot and follow the migrating buffalo.
What is it called when a company controls all the steps used to change raw materials into finished products?
Vertical Integration
What is a patent?
A license for a new invention
In what way was the Great Northern Railroad different from other railroad lines?
The Great Northern was built without any financial assistance from the government. Instead, builders created a market for the railroad by offering assistance to any farmers who settled near the railroad.
What effect did the spread of farming on the Great Plains have on cattle ranching?
Farmers started using barbed wire fencing to keep cattle from trampling their crops and over time the open range was divided up into parcels of land.
What was the "Sand Creek Massacre?"
The Sand Creek Massacre occurred when John Chivington led militia forces against a group of Cheyenne who had come to the fort seeking protection. Chivington either ignored or did not see the white flag raised by the Indians, and massacred more than 150 men, women and children.
Who owns a corporation?
Investors
Explain Thomas Edison's approach to inventing.
Edison turned inventing into a system. He came up with ideas and had teams of experts refine those ideas and translate them into practical inventions.
What were rate wars and how did it affect railroads?
Rate wars provided rebates to large customers to attract their business but they cut into their own profits and many went bankrupt.
What was the Homestead Act and how did some people cheat it?
The Homestead Act promised 160 acres of free land to anyone who was head of a household, who had not fought for the Confederacy, and who paid a small filing fee and improved the land over five years. The problem was that setting up a farm cost money and many people still couldn't afford it. Big companies took large areas of land and resold it to farmers at a high price, while other people, particularly in Oklahoma, claimed land before they were supposed to. They were called "Sooners."
Which event marked the end of warfare between Plains Indians and the U.S. Army?
Wounded Knee
Lakota Indians were surrendering when a shot rang out and the army opened fire, killing nearly 300 men, women and children.
What is a sweatshop
A place where people, usually children, work long hours in poor conditions for low pay.
What was first use for airplanes?
Planes were used by the United States military to scout enemy positions on the battlefield.
What was pooling and how did it affect farmers?
Pooling was a method used by railroads to divide business in an area. Prices were set high and farmers had to decide to pay the high price or burn their crops for fuel. Farmers called for the government to regulate prices.
What was the significance of the Morrill Acts?
The Morrill Acts established publicly-funded agricultural and mechanical colleges, making higher education more affordable to people of lesser income. The second Morrill Act required states to either admit students of all races to their land-grant colleges or set up separate land-grant colleges for African Americans.
What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
Two thousand American Indian warriors defeated and killed 225 U.S. soldiers led by General George Custer, who had rashly decided to attack a Lakota encampment.
What tragic event focused attention on the unsafe workplace conditions in the garment industry?
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911.
Who introduced the "Moving Assembly Line" in 1913?
Henry "Harrison" Ford