Westward Expansion Test Study Guide
1. What are the major features of the Great Plains?
High winds, little rainfall, few trees, frequent dust storms, rocky soil, and land eroded by wind and water.
2. List 5 reasons people moved WEST:
New Inventions –people could live and thrive in more challenging environments
Opportunity to own land (much cheaper than in the East)
Desire for adventure
Treasure – discovery of gold and silver tempted settlers with dreams of instant wealth
New beginning for freedmen trying to escape sharecropping and segregation
3. What did the Homestead Act promise if settlers met all of the requirements?
160 acres of free land to those who settled for 5 years
4. Who helped build the Transcontinental Railroad? (Hint: 3 groups)
Irish Immigrants, Chinese Immigrants, and African Americans
5. What did settlers in the west use the Transcontinental Railroad for?
To move west, get finished goods from the east, and send raw materials to the east
6. What did businesses in the east use the Transcontinental Railroad for?
Send finished goods to the west and get raw materials from the west
7. What impact did settlement in the Great Plains have on the U.S. economy?
Beef Cattle Raising Based on what we have learned so far, answer this question in own words.
8. Identify the technological advancement that solved the problem that is described. Then explain how that
advancement solved the problem.
Problem
Technological Advancement
How It Solved the Problem
People in the East had an appetite
for beef.
Beef Cattle Raising
This created jobs for men in the west.
Some areas were good for raising
cattle (Texas). Cattle were shipped on
the railroad to the East.
Hard and rocky soil kept breaking
all the farmers’ tools.
Steel Plow
Wood plows were not strong enough
- steel was a stronger material for
plowing farmland.
Harvesting wheat with a sickle or
scythe was difficult and timeconsuming.
Mechanical Reaper
Reduced farm labor needed and
increased production.
Transporting goods and crops
across the country was expensive
and took a long time.
Transcontinental Railroad
Made transportation faster and
cheaper. Created a national market.
There was very little rainfall in the
Great Plains – not enough for the
vegetables that were grown in the
East.
Dry Farming
This is a type of farming that allows
farmers to farm without much water.
Farmers would plant the seeds deeper
to get more water.
Problem
Technological Advancement
How It Solved the Problem
Settlers in the plains needed food
that could be stored for
consumption during long winters.
Wheat Farming
Wheat doesn’t need much water to
grow. Wheat can be made into flour
which is non-perishable and can be
used to make bread and cereal
Cows and other livestock were
constantly escaping or being killed
by coyotes.
Barbed wire
Barbed wire was used for fencing
large ranches and farms. It was built
quickly and was cheap. Wood fences
were expensive and hard to get (few
trees for wood).
People living in the Plains needed a
reliable source of drinking water.
Windmill
This provided water for people and
animals due to little rainfall. The
windmill would use the wind to
pump water from the ground.
Plains settlers needed houses to live
in and there were very few trees
with which to build them.
Sod Houses
Houses were made out of sod (dirt).
Communication between East and
West was costly and unreliable.
Telegraph
Sod was used on the walls and roof
(placed over wood beams).
Allowed people to communicate
across long distances. Messages
could travel across the country in a
matter of minutes.
9. Label the political region settlers traveled to during
Westward Expansion
The Mid West
10. Explain the reason Native Americans lost land during the westward expansion era?
Native Americans were forced to move to reservations because of government treaties
11. What is a reservation?
A small piece of government land set aside for Native Americans
12. How did Americans force Native Americans to assimilate?
Deliberate reduction of buffalo herds to force them to move off their hunting grounds to reservations
Efforts to get Native Americans to become settled farmers – settlers wanted the land to be used more
“productively”
13. Complete the chart below. What actions did each leader take as a result of forced relocation?
Leader:
Sitting Bull
Action taken (did he run or fight? What happened?)
Fought against Col. Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn after fleeing his
reservation to Montana
Chief Joseph
After being forced onto a reservation in Idaho (1/10 of the size of their
original land) Chief Joseph led a group of 750 Native Americans out of
Idaho, escaping the reservation. General Oliver Howard was then ordered to
bring them back to the reservation. Chief Joseph and others were caught and
surrendered at Bear’s Paw Mountain.
Geronimo
As Americans moved further west, Geronimo led several attacks on U.S.
The Apache believed Geronimo had special powers - for example, believed
he could walk without leaving tracks. After many battles, Apache were
forced to surrender to the U.S. in 1886 in Arizona
14. Summarize what happened at each event.
Battle of Little Bighorn:
Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and their tribe fled their reservation to Montana. Col. George Custer and
troops were sent in to drive the Native Americans back to their reservation. They met 2,000 warriors
(largest Indian force ever gathered in the Plains). Custer was killed during the fighting.
Massacre at Wounded Knee:
After Col. Custer was killed at Little Bighorn, U.S. Army was sent in to capture Sitting Bull. He was
killed along with 120 men, 230 women and children at a creek call Wounded Knee. The Massacre at
Wounded Knee was the last major episode of violence in Native American wars.
“Hear me my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more
forever.” ~Chief Joseph
15. Explain what this quotation above means and why he said it.
Due to all of the fighting, the fleeing, and constant mistreatment of his people, Chief Joseph is
saying he cannot fight anymore. He is upset at the ordeal his people had to go through.
16. In the chart below, provide three ways Westward Expansion helped (the US government and
businesses) and hurt (Native Americans).
How did Westward Expansion help?
How did Westward Expansion hurt?
1. Railroad helped transport goods across
the country
1.
Forced Native Americans onto
reservations
2. Settlers grew crops or raised cattle,
which could be sold in the East
2. Deliberate reduction of buffalo
3. Factories in the east produced products
to be sold in the West
3. Assimilation of Native Americans