Exploring the Wild Wild West

Who argued that the West was responsible for key characteristics of American culture?

• Frederick Jackson Turner

• Henry David Thoreau

• John Green

• George Custer

What did the federal government do to support the railroads and western settlement?

• Provided free land to settlers

• Built the railroads themselves

• Passed laws to encourage homesteading

• Sponsored military expeditions against American Indians

What was the main reason for moving Native Americans off their land?

• To build schools

• Because of racial tensions

• White people wanted the land

• To protect wildlife

What did the Dawes Act of 1887 do?

• Ended the treaty system

• Established reservations

• Granted citizenship to Native Americans

• Allotted lands to individual Native American families

What was the Ghost Dance movement?

• A military strategy

• A religious revival movement

• A form of protest

• A dance competition

What ended the era of massive cattle drives?

• Industrial meat processing

• The end of the cowboy era

• The invention of the car

• Railroad stations

What was a major challenge for farming in the Great Plains?

• The soil was too rich

• Too many buffalo

• Lack of water

• Too cold temperatures

What did large-scale irrigation projects lead to?

• An increase in buffalo population

• Large, consolidated agricultural enterprises

• The end of agriculture

• Smaller family farms

Who were the workers on the giant commercial farms in California?

• Industrial workers

• Slaves

• Migrant farm laborers from Asia and Mexico

• Family members

What did Henry George criticize about late 19th century California?

• Its education system

• Its cities

• Its transportation system

• Its plantations and estates