Westward Expansion Retake Assignment

First Name Last Name Class Period Physical Features and Climate of the Great Plains Fill in the blanks. The Great Plains of the United States was a challenging place for people to settle. There are no mountains to create elevation, so the Great Plains are very flat. Although it is covered by grasses, you will not find very many trees on the Great Plains. The weather in the Great Plains can be very severe. Tornadoes often form from storms in the springtime and can lead to destruction of property and physical danger. The Great Plains also receives very little rainfall, which can lead to droughts, making farming difficult. Because the Great Plains is so wide-open, it is defenseless against constant wind and extreme temperatures. These conditions made it very difficult to settle on the Great Plains, and many people described the Great Plains as a "treeless wasteland". Adaptations and Inventions for Life on the Great Plains Help Jed and Delilah solve the problems that they experience in their life on the Great Plains. Match the invention to the problem it would solve. Jed and Delilah need to build their home, but there are no trees around for lumber. Sod Home Their digging tool to break up the soil bends and breaks. Steel Plow Jed and Delilah plant apples, and they do not grow well in the dry, hot summer. Wheat Farming Jed and Delilah plant their new crop, but they get very little rain, and the crop fails. Dry Farming Techniques Jed and Delilah need water, and there’s not a river or stream nearby. Windmill Jed and Delilah try to raise chickens, but they all die in the cold, harsh winter. Cattle Raising Jed and Delilah’s new livestock start to wander away from their land. Some of them are even stolen! Barbed Wire Fencing Jed and Delilah want to sell their crops and animals at markets back in the east, but the trip would take too long and be too dangerous. Railroads Reasons for Moving West Fill in the blanks. Despite the challenges of the Great Plains, many Americans saw opportunities to move there. In 1962, Congress passed the Homestead Act, which gave away 160 acre parcels to settlers. Once a settler claimed the land, they were required to live on it for five years and make "improvements" to it to show it was being used. Congress also worked to make sure that settlers could send their crops and livestock to markets back east. In 1869 the first transcontinental railroad was completed, linking the east and west coasts, and not long after that, a whole network of railroads were added to the west. Another reason that drew people out west was adventure, especially men who wanted to live an exciting life as a cowboy. People also headed out west to strike it rich when gold and silver was discovered. Storeowners and shops sprung up suddenly in these areas to support those miners, earning the nickname "boomtowns". African-Americans, eager to escape the violence and discrimination of the South, also took advantage of these opportunities. They became known as Exodusters. Expense of Expansion: Part I Match the term with its description. Buffalo Resource that provided food, clothing, and tools for Great Plains tribes. Was hunted by settlers to extinction. Disease Brought by settlers of European heritage and spread to Plains tribes. Responsible for killing off 90-95% of native people. Boarding Schools U.S. government-sponsored programs where children of native tribes were sent away to be assimilated into American culture, religion, and work. Assimilation Changing a person to fit in with a new culture or lifestyle. All of the following describe the Dawes Act EXCEPT: Divided up tribal land into individual parcels for native families. Took extra tribal land and sold it to American settlers. Attempted to assimilate native people into farming culture but was unsuccessful. Created protected lands for native people to hunt buffalo. Expense of Expansion: Part II Match the following people with their description. Sitting Bull Leader of the Lakota Sioux tribe. Encouraged his people to stand up to the U.S. government's policy of broken treaties. Battle of Little Bighorn Took place in 1876 where a group of Sioux defeated a regiment of the U.S. Army. It was the last victory of the Sioux. Chief Joseph Leader of the Nez Perce that led his people on an escape from U.S. military capture. Eventually was caught and surrendered, saying, "I will fight no more forever." Battle of Wounded Knee Took place in 1890. Massacre of unarmed Sioux people by the U.S. Army. Ended any future resistance by native peoples against U.S. control.