Westward Expansion

Great Plains

Vast grassland between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.

Sod

Thick soil with grass growing in it

Reservation

Area of land set aside for American Indians by the Federal Government

Erosion

The gradual wearing away of soil

Relocation

movement to a new place for a long time

Exodusters

African Americans that moved West after Reconstruction to escape Jim Crow Laws.

Traditional Lands

land where American Indians originally lived

Assimilation

process of taking on the habits of the larger group

Treaty

formal agreement between two leaders

Transcontinental Railroad

A railroad that connected the United States from east to west