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Westward Expansion Test Study Guide with Answers (USII.1i, 2a, 4a)
The Great Plains was difficult to farm. What made it so difficult? (FLED)
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Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west (F)
Low rainfall (L)
Land eroded by wind and water (E)
Frequent dust storms (D)
Technological advances (inventions/adaptations) that aided settlement in the Great Plains included:
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Barbed wire – used as a fence to protect the homestead
Steel plows – used to break up uncultivated land to make it easier to grow crops
Dry farming – seeds that were engineered to grow without much water; innovative technique that allowed for
wheat to grow on the Great Plains
Sod houses – houses made of grass and dirt; built because of the lack of trees and sod was the only building
material available
Beef cattle raising – ranchers would raise cattle on their land; when the cattle were ready to go to market,
cowboys would herd them to the railroad; most popular in Texas
Wheat farming – wheat was the best crop to grow on the Great Plains; does not require a great deal of water to
grow
Windmills – due to low rainfall on the Great Plains, water was pumped to crops using wind power
Railroads – helped bring people from the East to settle the land in the West and also shipped goods back East
for sale; as a result, the cattle ranching business experienced a period of growth in the Great Plains
Why did people go West? (LARGE)
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Opportunities for land ownership – was the main reason why people went west; in addition, the Homestead Act
gave everyone an opportunity to settle land for a small amount of money
Technological advances, including the Transcontinental Railroad – includes all the inventions/adaptations of the
Great Plains; the final spike in the railroad on May 10, 1869; the Transcontinental Railroad represented the
linking of the East and the West (linked eastern and western states); a major benefit of the Transcontinental
Railroad was supplies and mail moved more quickly and cheaply
Possibility of obtaining wealth, created by the discovery of gold and silver – minerals found all over the west,
particularly California, New Mexico, Alaska; miners would create boom towns as a place for them to live while
mining; once miners moved on, boom towns became ghost towns
Desire for adventure – buffalo hunters, miners; people in the East wanted a change of life
Desire for a new beginning for former enslaved African Americans – former slaves wanting to escape the Jim
Crow laws (segregation); called exodusters because of their journey to freedom
Impact of westward expansion on American Indians (did not benefit from westward expansion) included:
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Opposition by American Indians to westward expansion
o Battle of Little Bighorn – battle fought in the Black Hills of South Dakota; government wanted to protect
land where miners were searching for gold; Lt. Colonel George Custer led his soldiers against the Lakota
tribe, led by chief Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the number of Lakota Indians present at Little
Bighorn Valley; Lt. Colonel Custer and all his men died; huge victory for the American Indians
o Geronimo – prominent leader of the Apache Indians in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas; fought in the
Apache Wars, in which he tried to stop the US government from taking over Apache land; eventually
surrendered to the US
Forced relocation from traditional lands to reservations – US government wanted to free up more land for
settlers to farm; reservations (land where the US government forced American Indians to move and assimilate)
o Chief Joseph, Nez Percé tribe – famous quote: located in Pacific Northwest; Chief Joseph did not want to
lead his people to a reservation so he tried to move to Canada; eventually surrendered and said the
famous quote: “I am tired of fighting…From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more.”
Reduced population through warfare and disease
o Battle of Wounded Knee – took place in South Dakota; attack on the Sioux Indians; disheartened the
American Indians in their fight to save their native land
Assimilation attempts and lifestyle changes – assimilation (adapting or changing to the settlers’ way of life);
reduction of buffalo population by the railroad
Reduced their homelands through treaties that were broken – government agencies, in a quest for land
ownership, broke promises and treaties made with the American Indians
The famous painting, American Progress by John Gast, reflects the ideas and experiences of different groups on the
Great Plains.
Essay: When painting this picture, the painter was attempting to communicate many ideas about westward
expansion. Explain the impact of each of the following on the settling of the west: farmers (including inventions),
railroads (including the Transcontinental Railroad) and American Indians.