Westward Expansion
Unit Review Sheet
These facts and definitions should be mastered throughout this unit. This page can be used for periodic review and study as you are finishing the unit and in the future.
Facts and Definitions
Lesson 1: Lewis and Clark
- Westward Expansion describes the mass migration of people from the eastern part of the United States to the West during the 1800s.
- Manifest Destiny was a term that implied that the Christian God had ordained that America should expand across the North American continent.
- Lewis and Clark were appointed by President Jefferson to explore the new land in the West.
- The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France for a large section of land west of the Mississippi River.
- Sacajawea was a Native-American woman who aided Lewis and Clark on their expeditions.
Lesson 2: Reasons for Migrating West
- People traveled to California in search of gold.
- People of the Mormon religion settled Salt Lake City in Utah to escape religious persecution.
- The Homestead Act granted free land to pioneers who moved west.
Lesson 3: Transportation Routes
- Wagon trains were groups of wagons that traveled together in a line.
- The Transcontinental Railroad, completed in 1869, stretched from Omaha, Nebraska, to Sacramento, California. It was a safer, faster, and more efficient way to transport people and goods to the West.
- The first successful steamboat was invented by John Fulton, who is known as the "father of steam navigation."
- Steamboats were steam-powered boats that could travel quickly on a river. They revolutionized travel and trade during the late 1700s and early 1800s.
- The Erie Canal, completed in 1825, allowed for the transportation of people and goods from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
- The National Road was a federally funded highway 620 miles long that started in Maryland and went through parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
Lesson 4: Wagon Ride
- Most pioneers used wagons to carry their supplies and food across the country to Oregon or California.
- Mules and oxen pulled the covered wagons across the country.
Lesson 5: On the Oregon Trail
- Sickness, firearm accidents, crossing flooded rivers, contaminated water, and Native Americans all threatened the survival of the emigrants.
- The Oregon and California Trails were the most often traveled trails to the West Coast.
Lesson 6: Life in a New Land
- Most settlers bypassed the Great Plains in favor of California or Oregon because water and trees were scarce on the Great Plains.
- Railroad developers, settlers, and land speculators fought over land in the West.
Final Project: Westward Ho! Game
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