Westward Expansion

Transcontinental Railroad The goal of the Transcontinental R.R. was to connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts Two companies were commissioned to build the railroad: Union Pacific Work began in Omaha, Nebraska and headed west Many were Irish immigrants and former soldiers from the Civil War Central Pacific Work began in Sacramento, California and headed east 10,000 Chinese immigrants were hired to work After 7 years, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific finally met in Promontory Utah in 1869

Impact of Railroads Before the railroads, each community determined its own time based on the sun travel’s in the sky This was called “solar time” Solar time caused confusion about railroad departures and arrivals Railroad companies developed “standard time” The U.S. was divided into 4 time zones: Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific

Railroads also linked nation economically The railroads brought settlers to the frontier : parts of the West occupied mainly by Native Americans Trains were a lifeline for settlers, bringing lumber, food, and other necessities Railroads also linked nation economically From the West, trains carried raw materials from to eastern cities for processing From the east, came manufactured goods to be sold to westerners

Reasons to Go West Gold & silver strikes drew settlers west Example: In 1859, 100,000 miners raced to Colorado – a mining camp grew to become Denver, CO Boomtowns came as a result of the mining rush Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota grew rapidly and gained statehood

Free land was given away Passed in 1862, The Homestead Act offered 160 acres of free land in the West to anyone who agreed to live on and improve the land for five years Many headed west after the Civil War to start a new life

Plains Indians Native Americans of the Great Plains fought to maintain their way of life as settlers poured into their lands

Geronimo Chief Joseph Sitting Bull

Manifest Destiny Many Americans believed that the U.S. was meant to expand from coast to coast A newspaper editor named John O’Sullivan gave a name to that belief: Manifest Destiny