1 / 14

Unit 2: Westward Expansion

Explore the positive and negative aspects of Westward Expansion in the 1860s, including the abundance of resources, fertile farmland, and opportunities for miners and settlers. Learn about the challenges of the journey and the importance of transportation, particularly the development of the transcontinental railroad.

bdemaio
Download Presentation

Unit 2: Westward Expansion

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Unit 2: Westward Expansion

  2. Standards

  3. Essential Question • When it comes to Westward Expansion, in what ways can change, progress, and growth be both positive and negative?

  4. The movement from East to West • In the 1860s the eastern part of the United States was crowded. • Families came to these cities to find a better life. • The west offered resources and plenty of space to live and work.

  5. The movement from East to West • There was fertile farmland for growing wheat and other crops. • The thick forests would provide lumber, while flat plains offered large grassy areas for grazing cattle.

  6. The movement from East to West • Miners could search for rich deposits if minerals, such as gold and silver.

  7. The movement from East to West • Getting to the west was not easy. Most went west by stagecoach or wagon, which were slow and dangerous.

  8. The movement from East to West • Pioneer- early settlers, including farmers, miners, ranchers, and immigrants such as Germans, Irish, and Jewish people from Eastern Europe. • They also included Mormon settlers moved to Salt Lake City, Utah.

  9. The movement from East to West • Manifest Destiny- the belief that the United States should keep expanding west, across the continent, to the Pacific Ocean.

  10. The movement from East to West • In the east, factories needed raw materials, such as lumber and minerals. At the same time growing cities needed to feed their workers. • The much-needed food, lumber, and other important resources came from the west. • The problem would be transportation of the good from one location to the next.

  11. A National Railroad System • Transcontinental Railroad- a railroad that stretched across the country. • Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act of 1862. This gave the job of building the railroad to two companies.

  12. A National Railroad System • The Union Pacific Railroad Company would build a railroad west from Omaha, Nebraska. • The Central Pacific Railroad Company would build a railroad eat from Sacramento, California.

More Related