Table of Contents
How did the completion of the transcontinental railroad lead to the destruction of the Plains Native Americans way of life?
The Transcontinental Railroad dramatically altered ecosystems. For instance, it brought thousands of hunters who killed the bison Native people relied on. The Cheyenne experience was different. The railroad disrupted intertribal trade on the Plains, and thereby broke a core aspect of Cheyenne economic life.
What did the most to encourage westward expansion and settlement?
Signed into law by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, the Homestead Act encouraged westward migration and settlement by providing 160-acre tracts of land west of the Mississippi at little cost, in return for a promise to improve the land.
How did the Pacific Railway Act encourage settlement?
By 1872, under the Pacific Railroad Act, Congress awarded the railroads over 170 million acres in land grants. Desiring quick payment of loans, railroads encouraged these settlers to grow and sell cash crops.
What was the purpose of the Homestead Act of 1862?
The Homestead Act encouraged western migration by providing settlers with 160 acres of land in exchange for a nominal filing fee. Among its provisions was a five-year requirement of continuous residence before receiving the title to the land and the settlers had to be, or in the process of becoming, U.S. citizens.
What was one benefit of the transcontinental railroad?
It made commerce possible on a vast scale. In addition to transporting western food crops and raw materials to East Coast markets and manufactured goods from East Coast cities to the West Coast, the railroad also facilitated international trade.
What were the negative effects of the transcontinental railroad?
However, the Transcontinental Railroad had a negative impact on the Plains Indians. They were forced to move away from the railroad despite it running through Indian Territory. The workers often killed buffalo for meat, and the track itself disrupted the Plains Indians buffalo hunting.
How did the railroad benefit Western farmers most?
How did new railroads benefit western cattle ranchers? They provided a way to transport meat to eastern markets. They allowed cowboys to travel easily between cattle herds and their homes. They made it easier for ranchers to keep track of their herds.
What was the impact of the Railway Act?
The legislative efforts that resulted in the Pacific Railway Act led to the successful completion of the transcontinental railroad, which reduced the travel time across the continent from several months to one week and is considered one of the greatest technological achievements of the 19th century.
What was a major result of the Homestead Act of 1862?
The 1862 Homestead Act accelerated settlement of U.S. western territory by allowing any American, including freed slaves, to put in a claim for up to 160 free acres of federal land.
What were the terms of the Homestead Act?
The Homestead Act, enacted during the Civil War in 1862, provided that any adult citizen, or intended citizen, who had never borne arms against the U.S. government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land. Claimants were required to “improve” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land.
What was the biggest impact of the transcontinental railroad?
Just as it opened the markets of the west coast and Asia to the east, it brought products of eastern industry to the growing populace beyond the Mississippi. The railroad ensured a production boom, as industry mined the vast resources of the middle and western continent for use in production.