Westward Expansion: Economic Development - AP U.S. History
- What was the economic purpose of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) in western labor markets?
- Restricted Chinese immigration to reduce labor competition and wages pressure. Protected white workers' jobs and wages from cheaper immigrant labor.
- Which option best identifies a major economic consequence of railroad expansion for farmers?
- Greater market access but vulnerability to high freight rates and debt. Railroads enabled farming but charged monopoly rates, creating dependency.
- What was the Desert Land Act (1877) intended to encourage economically in the arid West?
- Irrigated farming by allowing purchase of arid land after irrigation improvements. Made desert land productive through irrigation infrastructure development.
- What was the Dawes Act (1887) and its intended economic effect on Native landholding?
- Allotted tribal lands to individuals to promote private farming and land sales. Broke up communal lands to assimilate natives into market economy.
- What was the Comstock Lode (1859) and its broader economic impact on the West?
- Major Nevada silver strike that fueled mining investment and boomtown growth. Rich silver deposits attracted capital and thousands of fortune seekers.
- What economic problem did the Timber Culture Act (1873) attempt to address on the Great Plains?
- Lack of timber; offered land incentives for planting trees. Trees were needed for construction and windbreaks in treeless prairie regions.
- What was the primary economic purpose of the Morrill Land-Grant Act (1862)?
- Fund state colleges to expand practical education in agriculture and mechanics. Promoted economic development through technical education and research.
- What was the California Gold Rush (1848–1855), and what immediate economic effect did it have?
- Mass migration for gold; rapid boomtown growth and Pacific trade expansion. 300,000+ fortune seekers created instant cities and shipping demand.
- What is a company town in the context of western mining and its economic purpose?
- A town owned by an employer to control labor, housing, and local commerce. Companies monopolized services to maximize profits from isolated workers.
- What were railroad land grants, and how did they support western economic development?
- Federal land to railroads; sold to fund construction and spur settlement. Government gave alternating sections along rail routes to finance construction.
- What was the core economic purpose of the Louisiana Purchase (1803) for the United States?
- Secured Mississippi River and New Orleans trade routes for western commerce. Gave western farmers vital port access to export crops downstream.
- What was the economic significance of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869?
- Linked national markets, lowered shipping costs, and accelerated western growth. Created a unified national economy and opened western resources to eastern markets.
- What was the Interstate Commerce Act (1887) intended to regulate in the western economy?
- Railroad rates and discriminatory practices via the Interstate Commerce Commission. First federal attempt to control monopolistic railroad pricing practices.
- What is vertical integration, as practiced by western-connected industries like railroads and steel?
- Owning multiple stages of production and distribution within one company. Control from raw materials to retail maximized profits and efficiency.
- What was the American System, and which economic tools did it promote for growth?
- Tariff, national bank, and internal improvements to integrate the economy. Clay's plan unified regional economies through federal infrastructure spending.
- What is the term for the large-scale cattle industry that expanded after the Civil War using open range?
- The cattle frontier (open-range ranching). Texas longhorns driven to rail heads for eastern markets after Civil War.
- What was the Morrill Land-Grant Act (1862), and how did it support economic development?
- Granted land for colleges; expanded agricultural and mechanical education. Created agricultural colleges to teach scientific farming methods.
- What is the Homestead Act of 1862 and its key economic incentive for western settlement?
- Gave 160 acres of federal land to settlers after 5 years' improvement. Free land incentivized westward migration and agricultural development.
- What were internal improvements, and why were they important to western settlement?
- Roads, canals, and later railroads; connected farms to national markets. Government-funded infrastructure reduced isolation and shipping costs.
- What is a bonanza farm, and what western economic trend did it represent?
- Large-scale commercial wheat farm; mechanized, market-oriented agriculture. Industrial farming using machinery to maximize profits on vast acreage.
- What was the Comstock Lode (1859), and which industry did it most directly expand?
- Major Nevada silver strike; accelerated western mining and investment. Rich silver deposits drew capital and workers to Nevada Territory.
- Identify the main economic link between western mining booms and railroad expansion.
- Railroads moved ore and supplies; mining traffic made lines profitable. Mines needed rails for equipment; railroads profited from ore shipments.
- Identify the key economic reason barbed wire spread in the 1870s–1880s on the Great Plains.
- It enclosed land cheaply, ending open range and protecting crops and property. Cheap fencing allowed farmers to claim specific plots from open prairie.
- Identify the organization that emerged to challenge railroad rates and grain-elevator monopolies in the West.
- The Grange (Patrons of Husbandry). Farmers organized cooperatively to fight monopolistic business practices.
- What was the economic significance of the Erie Canal for western farmers and merchants?
- Lowered transport costs; linked Great Lakes trade to New York markets. Cut shipping time and costs from Midwest farms to Atlantic ports.
- What was the Market Revolution, and how did it shape the West's economic growth?
- Shift to national market economy via transport, cash crops, and industry. Replaced subsistence farming with commercial production for distant buyers.
- What was the Dawes Act (1887) intended to do economically to Native landholding?
- Allotted tribal lands to individuals; opened "surplus" land to settlers. Broke up reservations to promote farming and sell remaining acres.
- What was the economic role of the federal government in western internal improvements after 1865?
- Subsidized railroads and distributed land to integrate the West into national markets. Federal investment created infrastructure for private economic expansion.
- What innovation most directly ended the open-range cattle era by restricting grazing land?
- Barbed wire fencing. Cheap fencing allowed farmers to enclose land, ending free grazing.
- What was the Pacific Railway Act (1862), and what major project did it enable?
- Authorized subsidies and land grants for the first transcontinental railroad. Created Union Pacific and Central Pacific to build from both coasts.
- What was the primary economic effect of western mining booms on settlement patterns?
- Created boomtowns, drew migrants, and spurred rail and supply networks. Mining rushes created instant cities and economic infrastructure.
- What is the Homestead Act of 1862, and what economic incentive did it offer western settlers?
- Granted 160 acres for residence and improvement; promoted small farms. Encouraged westward migration by offering free land to those willing to farm it.
- Which option best describes how railroads changed the Plains economy: local barter or national markets?
- National markets. Rails connected isolated farmers to distant urban consumers.
- What event in 1869 symbolized completion of the first transcontinental railroad?
- Golden Spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah. Union Pacific met Central Pacific, linking East and West by rail.
- What was the Pacific Railway Act (1862) designed to promote in western economic development?
- Construction of a transcontinental railroad via subsidies and land grants. Federal support enabled private companies to build costly infrastructure.
- What was the open-range cattle industry, and what innovation enabled long-distance sales?
- Ranching on public land; railroads and cattle drives to railheads enabled sales. Texas longhorns driven to Kansas rail towns for eastern markets.
- What were federal land grants to railroad companies intended to accomplish economically?
- Finance rail construction by selling granted land along rail lines. Railroads sold land to recoup construction costs and attract settlers.
- What was the Gadsden Purchase (1854), and what economic goal did it support?
- Acquired land for a southern transcontinental railroad route. Bought strip from Mexico to build railroad avoiding mountainous terrain.
- What was the National Road (Cumberland Road), and what did it economically accomplish?
- Federal highway linking East to Ohio Valley; boosted migration and trade. First federally funded road enabled wagon traffic over Appalachians.
- What was the Great Plains wheat boom and its key economic driver in the late 1800s?
- Rapid expansion of wheat farming driven by rail access and mechanization. New technology and transportation made Plains farming profitable.