PD.2 5.4.2: Heading West

The term boomtown was used to describe what kind of western town?

• One that contained a lot of factories

• One that grew up quickly around gold-mining areas

• One that was hit by storms

What happened to most of the people who went west to mine for gold?

• They looked for other opportunities for success.

• They moved to Canada to find jobs.

• They went back east to farm.

Who made sure that a transcontinental railroad would be built?

• The cattle ranchers of Texas

• The U.S. government

• The farmers of the Midwest

From what country did most of the workers who built the Transcontinental Railroad come?

• Brazil

• Mexico

• China

After the Civil War, why did cattle ranching become a good job?

• Cattle-ranching families paid extra money to new workers.

• The demand for beef from cattle rose in the East.

• Freed slaves heard great stories about ranching.

How did the growth of the railroad help the cattle industry?

• Ranchers bought railroad stock.

• Refrigerated railroad cars

• Workers could get from one job to the next faster.

What sort of people took advantage of the Homestead Act?

• White Americans, freed slaves, and immigrants

• Only white people from the East

• Only people from the South

How did the Homestead Act of 1862 help settlers in the West?

• The Homestead Act offered free land for settlers.

• The Homestead Act set immigration limits in the West.

• The Homestead Act offered boomtowns money to build homes.

Most settlers looking to find gold traveled to:

• California

• New Mexico

• Montana

Many Americans migrating from large cities in the East were looking for:

• a chance to own land

• industrial jobs

• more populated areas