AM History Ch. 1-2 Questions
Thirteenth Amendment
Abolished slavery.
Fifteenth Amendment
Allowed every male citizen of the U.S. to vote no matter their race.
Homestead Act
Gives any American up to 160 acres of land in the west.
Pacific Railway Act
Grants the Union Pacific companies 6,000 acres to build the transcontinental railroad.
They allowed for faster transportation, more money to be made, news travels faster, and resources are connected.
How did the railroads benefit the economy?
The federal government.
How was the Transcontinental Railroad funded?
Fourteenth Amendment
Made anyone born in the U.S. a citizen.
The Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains.
What area did the Great Plains cover?
They learned how to round up, rope, brand cattle, and ride horses.
What did cowboys learn from vaqueros?
They made them become boomtowns.
What effect did gold and silver strikes have on small towns?
The cattle industry declined because of barbed wire, cattle spreading disease to other cattle, and the price of beef dropping. The mining industry declined because it was dangerous, expensive, and there was little gold.
What led to the decline of the mining and cattle industries?
Miners helped in the discovery of gold which led to a lot of boomtowns and an increase in population.
What role did miners play in the settlement of the West?
Calculations of the sun's passage across the sky.
What was solar time based on?
To get the cattle to the nearest railway station so they could be sold in the East.
What was the purpose of the long drive?
The frontier.
What were the parts of the West mainly occupied by Native Americans known as?
Sacramento, California
Where did the Central Pacific begin work?
Omaha, Nebraska
Where did the Union Pacific begin work?
Across the Great Plains.
Where did the Union Pacific lay most the train tracks?
Promontory Point, Utah
Where did the Union and Central Pacific meet to complete the railroad?
Solar time caused problems and confused people who traveled long distances because the time changed.
Why did the country need a standard time?
There was no law enforcement so they took matters into their own hands to protect themselves from the out of control outlaws.
Why did vigilante groups arise in some areas?