American History ACP: Lap 5 Quiz

What three things accelerated Westward expansion in the US?

• homestead act

• transcontinental railroad: finished 1869

• gold and other resources

What worst problem for Great Plains Indians helped lead to their removal?

• destruction of the Buffalo herds

For some, what was the goal of reservations and schools?

• assimilate Native Americans into white civilization 

What was the Dawes Act and how did it negatively impact tribes?

• act: gave 160 acres of land to individual Native families

• negative: shrunk the already small reservations to give more land to white settlers 

What was the best victory by Natives against the army/most famous cavalry Fight?

• battle of Little Big Horn

How were the Ghost Dance (+ death of Bull) and the Battle of Wounded Knee related?

• ghost dance: spiritual movement promising return of the buffalo & end white expansion

• US army feared it as rebellion → sitting bull killed during arrest 

• his death escalated tensions (US army trigger happy)→ massacre at Wounded Knee

  • Hundreds of Natives were killed  

For Native Americans, what were three long term impacts of conflict and expansion?

• loss of land and relocation 

• decreased population 

• loss of culture 

How did the Homestead Act impact the West? (Define and explain)

• act: granted 160 acres of free land to settlers who farmed it for 5 years

• impact: encouraged migration west, but many struggled to survive

Where were most homesteads claimed?

• the Great Plains, from the stacked states: North Dakota to Texas

How do we know homesteading in the West was difficult (results/ numbers):

• 2/3 of homesteaders failed and abandoned land 

List other problems for Plains farmers:

• droughts and unpredictable weather conditions 

• grasshopper/locust plagues and cattle grazing destroyed crops 

• lack of wood for burning/fuel 

• lack of rain 

• tough sod

• debt from farm equipment and railroad shipping costs (could also be seen as a result)

What is the relationship/ problems between long drives and barbed wire?

• cowboys drove cattle long distances to railheads

• barbed wire fenced off land → ended open range grazing and long drives 

• led to conflicts between ranchers and farmers 

What were other solutions to farmers’ problems and results? (3+)

• dry farming techniques → adapted to low rainfall 

• windmills → pumped water for irrigation 

• steel plows → broke tough prairie sod 

• barbed wire → kept crops safe from grazing 

How did the Transcontinental Railroad change travel in the West?

• reduced coast-to-cast travel time from months to about a week

How did the Railroad change life in the US (benefits of the RRs)? *How did America respond to social/ economic changes after the Civil War?

• created a national market for goods and services

  • allowed settlers, goods, and mail to move quickly across the country

  • boosted industries

  • encouraged settlement in the West

• after Civil War: embraced industrialization, urbanization, and modernization, but also faced social tensions (immigration, labor, unrest, inequality)