GPS STANDARDS

SS4H6 The student will explain

westward expansion of America
between 1801 and 1861.
a. Describe territorial expansion with emphasis on the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark
expedition, and the acquisitions of Texas (the Alamo and independence), Oregon (Oregon Trail),
and California (Gold Rush and the development of mining towns).
b. Describe the impact of the steamboat, the steam locomotive, and the telegraph on life in
America.
c. Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans.

SS5H3 The student will describe

how life changed in America at the
turn of the century.
a. Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of
Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm Trail.
b. Describe the impact on American life of the Wright brothers (flight), George Washington
Carver (science), Alexander Graham Bell (communication), and Thomas Edison (electricity).
c. Explain how William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt expanded Americas role in the world;

BIG IDEAS

Between 1801 and 1861, exploration was

encouraged as America underwent vast
territorial expansion and settlement.
Westward migration was influenced by
geography and economic opportunity.
African American, Chinese immigrants,
and Native Americans were important to
westward expansion.
Prior to the Civil War, most
industrialization in America was in the
North; however, the equipment produced
in the North had an impact on the farming
society in the South.

POST-REVOLUTIONARY
AMERICA

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE

New territories added to the United

States after 1801
Louisiana Purchase
Jefferson bought land from France (the
Louisiana Purchase), which doubled the size
of the United States.
In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark explored the
Louisiana Purchase from the Mississippi River
to the Pacific Ocean.

LOUSIANA PURCHASE

OTHER TERRITORIES

Florida

Texas

Texas was added after it became an independent republic.

Oregon

Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty.

The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and

Great Britain.

California

War with Mexico resulted in California and the southwest

territory becoming part of the United States.

FLORIDA, TEXAS, OREGON, CALIFORNIA

FACTORS AFFECTING WESTWARD EXPANSION

Geographic and economic factors that

influenced westward movement

Population growth in the eastern states

Availability of cheap, fertile land
Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush),
logging, farming, freedom (for runaway slaves)
Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and canals
(Erie Canal), steamboats
Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)
Belief in the right of Manifest DestinyThe idea that
expansion was for the good of the country and was the right
of the country

IMPORTANT INVENTIONS

The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney. It

increased the production of cotton and thus
increased the need for slave labor to
cultivate and pick the cotton.

IMPORTANT INVENTIONS

Jo Anderson (a slave) and Cyrus

McCormick worked to invent the reaper.
The reaper increased the productivity
of the American farmer.

FAMOUS INVENTIONS

The steamboat was improved by Robert Fulton. It

eventually provided faster river transportation that
connected Southern plantations and farms to
Northern industries and Western territories.
The steam locomotive provided faster land
transportation.

GOLD RUSH-1849 - 1870

Gold was discovered in

California in 1849.
The Comstock Lode, a
Bonanza, was later
discovered.
People who moved west to
mine are called miners.
Immigrants, such as
Mexicans, Chinese and the
Irish, went to work in the
mines.
Immigrants were treated
poorly with long hours, low
pay and very dangerous
work.

AFRICAN AMERICANS MOVED WEST.

AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE CALLED

EXODUSTERS.

Many African
Americans moved to
the West from the
1840s to late 1890s.
They were escaping
the difficult life in the
South where Whites
practiced Jim Crow
Laws and denied
African Americans
their new
Constitutional Rights.

EXODUSTERS WAITING FOR A STEAMSHIP.

THE HOMESTEAD ACT OF 1862.

AN APPLICATION FOR LAND.

People staked their

claim by finding a
section of land that
was marked.
Then they
registered the
piece of land with
the government.
After cultivating
the land for five
years, it was theirs
for free.

HOMESTEAD ACT STAMP.

HOMESTEADERS.

People moved West to stake their

claim.

THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD FINISHED IN

1869.

MANY IMMIGRANTS, SUCH AS IRISH, MEXICANS AND

CHINESE WERE BUILDING THE RAILROAD.

THE UNION PACIFIC MEETS THE CENTRAL PACIFIC IN

UTAH IN 1869.

IMPACT OF THE RAILROADS.

Railroads brought growth and new

settlement all across the West.
The railroads enabled people, supplies, and
mail to move quickly and cheaply and safer
across the plains and the mountains.
The largest cities and towns developed
where major railroad lines met.
Because of their rapid growth, western
territories began to apply for statehood.
Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Montana and Washington all became
states from 1864 1890.

THE RAILROAD SPURS THE GROWTH OF OTHER

INDUSTRIES.

The lumber industry grows, because

wood is needed to build the train
tracks.
The steel industry grows because steel
is needed to build the tracks.
The coal industry grows because coal is
needed to fuel the train.
The growth of these industries opens
thousands of new jobs for workers.

NATIVE AMERICAN LAND

Native Americans
lived here first.
Native Americans
and Whites came
into bloody
conflicts over the
land.
They tried to
protect their
lands, but finally,
the United States
government

BROKEN PROMISES!

The United States government made many

treaties with the Native Americans not to
fight and not to touch certain areas of their
land.
For example, The Fort Laramie Treaty was
a treaty made with the Cheyenne tribe,
where Americans said an area of land
belonged to the Cheyenne forever!
However, when gold was discovered there,
the Americans forced them to sign a new
treaty giving up the land.
The United States government broke many
treaties with the Native Americans.

MANY WARS. MANY HEROES.

Many Heroes

Many Wars

Sioux War of 1876

The Apache Wars
Battle of Little
Bighorn
Nez Perces

Sitting Bull and

Crazy Horse

Geronimo
Lakotas & Cheyenne

Chief Joseph

INDIANS DEFEND THEIR LANDS, BUT ARE DEFEATED

IN THE END.

NATIVE AMERICANS ARE FORCED ONTO

RESERVATIONS.

THE DAWES ACT DIVIDED INDIAN LAND AND GAVE

SOME TO THE INDIANS IN HOPES THEY WOULD
BECOME FARMERS. BUT THEY SOLD IT TO WHITES
FOR LOW PRICES.

DEERSKIN, BIRD FEATHERS AND CLOTH WERE ALSO

USED IN NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE.

LAWS TODAY PROTECT NATIVE

AMERICAN RESERVATIONS.

NATIVE AMERICANS TODAY

Today, many Native Americans are a

part of our society.
However, many still live on
reservations and try to maintain their
cultures.

New laws returned some Native American

lands back to the rightful owners.

How would you feel about your history

if you were a Native American?

NATIVE AMERICANS TODAY.

JOHN GAST - "AMERICAN PROGRESS" (1872)

MANIFEST DESTINY: GO WEST YOUNG MAN

The west was viewed as the great untapped

Frontier
Manifest Destiny The belief that it was
Americas mission to expand from ocean to
ocean, spreading democracy and freedom
Americans believed it was their God-given
duty to conquer the Western territories and
unify the Nation
Video Clip

TERRITORIAL EXPANSION OF U.S.

1803 Louisiana Purchase

1845 Texas
1848 Mexican-American War: Colorado,
Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming,
California, Nevada, and Utah
By 1850, America gains the Oregon
Territory

1848-49 GOLD RUSH

1848 Gold Discovered in California

Thousands of Americans head West
lured by the idea of becoming instant
millionaires
West becomes the land of opportunity
Americans were on the move

HOMESTEAD ACT OF
1862

The U.S. Government encouraged the

settlement of the West
1862 Homestead Act Millions of acres
were given away free in the West to
anyone that would claim land and live
on it for 5 years
First come first serve basis
Other Public land was sold for $2.50 an
acre

THE OREGON TRAIL

The only way West by land was via the

Oregon Trail
2,170 Mile route
Dangerous and Difficult/Donner Party

THE RAILROAD BOOM

In 1865, America had 50,000 miles of

railroad, primarily in the Northern
states
No railroads went West
America experienced a tremendous
railroad boom after the Civil War
Over 150,000 miles of track was built
between 1865-1895

MAN OF STEEL: HENRY BESSEMER

Before 1850,
railroads and trains
were made of iron
Iron is brittle, and
railroads were
unreliable and
under constant
repair
1850 Henry
Bessemer (England)
invents a way to
turn iron ore into
steel

BESSEMER PROCESS

Converted Iron ore into steel

Steel is lighter, stronger, and more malleable
(flexible) than iron
Steel could now be mass produced
Steel was inexpensive
Bessemer opens the door to an Industrial
revolution in America
A new age of building began: skyscrapers,
bridges, and railroads
Video clip

TRANSCONTINENTAL
RAILROAD

The 1st Transcontinental Railroad was started

in 1869
Gov. granted over 200 million acres of land
for the project and offered low interest rate
loans
It ran from Sacramento, California to Omaha,
Nebraska
Union Pacific RR began laying track
Westward out of Omaha
Central Pacific RR began laying track
Eastward out a Sacramento
Video clip

THE GOLDEN SPIKE

On May 10th, 1869, at Promontory Point,

Utah, the Golden Spike was driven into the
ground uniting both the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific Railroads
1st railroad line connecting the East to the
West
Travel time about 4-5 days from NY to
California
Considered one of the greatest architectural
achievements in American History
Nothing could stop Manifest Destiny
Video Clip

TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS

RR track was standardized width of steel

rail, and width from rail to rail
National signals are established
George Westinghouse developed air brakes
1883, A National time and Time Zones are
established

For scheduling, everyone was on the same time

Railroad Workers: Video Clip

THE RAILROADS IMPACT

Transportation of people and goods was

quicker and cheaper
New era of interstate trade and commerce

1865 it cost $3.45 to ship a barrel of flour from

NY to Chicago
1890 it costs .68 cents

New jobs Irish/Chinese

Westward Expansion Safer/Quicker/Cheaper
Native American wars and removal

EMINENT DOMAIN

What happened to the land or property people

if a railroad was designed to ge through it?
Eminent Domain 5th Amendment

Gov. can take any land as long as it is for the

public good

What is the Public Good?

Indian territory decimated

Eminent Domain still a part of our lives today
Private property vs. Public Use airport
runways, parks, highways, shopping centers
etc.
The Government federal, state, and local can
take what it wants
New buildings and structures create increased tax