Westward Expansion
What law offered free land to settlers willing to live on it for five years?
Homestead Act (1862)
Gave 160 acres to settlers who farmed it for 5 years.
What law helped railroads connect the East and West coasts?
Pacific Railway Act (1862) – helped fund the building of railroads.
What treaty promised land to Native tribes but was broken after gold was found in the Black Hills?
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) – promised the Black Hills to the Lakota but was broken when gold was found.
What were “Boomtowns,” and what caused them to appear so quickly?
Boomtowns grew quickly near mines when gold or silver was discovered.
What 1887 law divided Native American land into family plots?
Dawes Severalty Act (1887) – divided tribal land into family-owned plots.
Name one major reason people wanted to move west in the 1800s.
People moved west for land, gold, and new opportunities.
What year was the first Transcontinental Railroad completed?
The first Transcontinental Railroad was finished in 1869.
What was the “Long Walk,” and which tribe was forced to take it?
The Long Walk forced the Navajo to march to Bosque Redondo.
What types of jobs brought settlers to Western railroad towns?
Jobs included railroad workers, miners, shopkeepers, and farmers.
What did the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act do?
The 1924 Indian Citizenship Act made all Native Americans U.S. citizens.
What natural barrier made farming on the Great Plains difficult for settlers?
Dry climate and tough prairie soil made farming hard.
Why did railroad companies receive millions of acres of land from the government?
The government gave land to railroads to encourage settlement and fund construction.
What event in 1864 resulted in the deaths of over 230 Native Americans in Colorado?
Sand Creek Massacre (1864): U.S. soldiers killed over 230 Cheyenne in Colorado.
What was one danger cowboys faced during cattle drives?
Cowboys faced storms, stampedes, and attacks.
What was the goal of off-reservation boarding schools for Native American children?
Boarding schools aimed to assimilate Native American children into white culture.
How did barbed wire change life on the open range?
Barbed wire ended the open range and caused range wars between ranchers.
What effect did mining have on the land and environment?
Mining caused pollution, deforestation, and erosion.
Why did Red Cloud lead a war against the U.S. Army?
Red Cloud fought because U.S. forts and roads were built on Lakota land.
Who were the Buffalo Soldiers, and what did they do?
Buffalo Soldiers were Black Army regiments who protected settlers and fought in the West.
How did the Dawes Act hurt Native American communities in the long term?
The Dawes Act weakened tribes and took away millions of acres of land.
Why did many homesteaders fail to keep their land for five years?
Many homesteaders left due to bad weather, drought, and isolation.
What was the Comstock Lode and why was it important to the U.S. economy?
The Comstock Lode was a huge silver and gold find in Nevada that boosted the U.S. economy.
What happened at Wounded Knee, and why was it historically significant?
Wounded Knee Massacre (1890): U.S. troops killed 300 Lakota; it ended the Indian Wars.
How did the lives of women and families differ from men’s lives on the Western frontier?
Women worked the land and kept homes running while men often worked away from home.
What does the phrase “the West was declared settled in 1890” mean?
By 1890, there was no more frontier left to settle — the West was fully occupied.