USH Module 3 Section #6 Bellwork

What was the primary purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?

• To create national parks in the Midwest

• To promote settlement of the Great Plains by offering cheap land

• To restrict migration to the Western territories

• To encourage urbanization in Eastern cities

Why did the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 pass?

• To encourage the construction of a transcontinental railroad

• To build a canal connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic

• To protect Native American lands from settlement

• To limit Chinese immigration to the U.S.

What was the primary motivation for Exodusters migrating to the West?

• To find gold and silver mines in the Rocky Mountains

• To establish trade routes with Mexico in the Western territories

• To escape institutionalized racism and discrimination in the South

• To support the Confederacy during Reconstruction

Why did many Chinese immigrants come to the U.S. during the late 19th century?

• To establish agricultural colonies in the Midwest

• To work on the transcontinental railroad and in mining

• To participate in political campaigns in the East

• To expand their businesses in urban areas

What was the impact of barbed wire on the American West?

• It created new farming opportunities on open land

• It allowed farmers to fence off land, ending free-range cattle grazing

• It promoted large-scale mining in the Rocky Mountains

• It helped in building the transcontinental railroad

How did the Transcontinental Railroad impact the U.S. economy?

• It connected Eastern markets with Western resources, boosting trade

• It reduced the need for agricultural workers in the West

• It increased the cost of moving goods across the country

• It limited the growth of new cities in the Midwest

What does this map suggest about the Federal Government?

• They restricted the construction of railroads in the Midwest

• They opposed migration to the Western territories

• They prevented land sales to settlers

• They promoted transcontinental railroad construction

Match each event or policy to its purpose or impact:

• Homestead Act

• To promote settlement of the Great Plains

• Land Grants

• To end the practice of free-range cattle grazing

• Pacific Railway Act

• To facilitate railroad construction and alter Western development

• Barbed Wire

• To encourage the construction of a transcontinental railroad

Arrange these events in the correct order:

• Closing of the Frontier

• Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

• Homestead Act

• Pacific Railway Act

Match each term to its correct description:

• Exodusters

• African Americans who migrated to escape discrimination in the South

• Pacific Railway Act

• Ended free-range cattle grazing by allowing farmers to fence off land

• Barbed Wire

• Authorized the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad

• Homestead Act

• Encouraged settlement of the Great Plains by offering cheap land