Westward Movement Vocabulary

Boomtown 🌄

A town that develops either near a gold or silver strike or near the building of a railroad.

Vigilante 🕵️‍♂️

Self-appointed law keepers who hunted down criminals to exact their own forms of justice.

Subsidies 💰

Grants of land or money to assist in building the railroad.

Transcontinental 🚆

A railroad that stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Union Pacific 🚉

Railroad that stretched west from Omaha to Promontory Point, Utah.

Central Pacific 🌍

Railroad that built east from Sacramento to Promontory Point, Utah.

Reservation 🏞️

Land set aside for Native Americans to live on.

Little Bighorn ⚔️

Battle and Native victory over General Custer; last major Native victory over the U.S. government.

Ghost Dance 👻

Native tradition in which Natives prayed to their ancestors for help in returning to traditional ways.

Wounded Knee 💔

Native American massacre that marked the end of Native resistance.

Dawes Act 📜

Law that required Natives to give up their traditional ways and become farmers.

Cattle Drives 🐄

The movement and trade of cattle over long distances by cowboys.

Vaquero 🤠

The Spanish word for cowboy; Mexicans who taught cowboys how to rope and ride.

Homestead Act 🌱

1862 law that offered 160 acres of land to settlers who agreed to stay for 5 years.

Sod 🌾

Thick layer of earth in which the roots of grass tangle with dirt.

Sooners 🏃‍♂️

Settlers who rushed into Oklahoma to get land before the official opening of the territory.

Grange 🏡

Groups of farmers who met for lectures, sewing bees, and to demand economic reform for farmers.

Farm Cooperatives 🤝

Farmers who pooled their money to make large purchases of needed supplies.

Populism 🎤

Political movement that pushed for silver-backed currency, income taxes, and reform for farmers.

Inflation 📈

A rise in prices that helped farmers pay off their debts.