Westward Expansion And The Transcontinental Railroad
By Blase Richards
Table of Contents Section Title
Page Number
Chapter 1:All About Westward Expansion Louisiana Purchase Lewis & Clark Westward Expansion
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Chapter 2:All About The Transcontinental Railroad Supplies? How was it built? Workers?
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Chapter 3:The Impact Of The Transcontinental Railroad
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Glossary
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Bibliography
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Chapter 1:All About Westward Expansion If it wasn't for Thomas Jefferson and all the brave men,women,and children the United States would not look like it is today. Louisiana Purchase In 1803, a named Thomas Jefferson bought a lot of land land from France. It was 828,800 square miles and it cost $15 million.It was soon called The Louisiana Purchase and It doubled the country’s size overnight.It was unkown land that streched from the Mississppi River all the way to the Rocky Mountains.It’s amzing how small amount of mony can expand our country and make people go on a adventure the western part of the United States.
Lewis & Clark After Thomas Jefferson bought the Louisiana Purchase he sent out two men to discover the Louisiana Territory. Their names were Meriwether Lewis and william Clark. 40 more men came with Lewis & Clark to explore the unknown. Their journey started on May 14,1804 St.louis. On their journey they mostly traveled by boat up the Missouri River because Thomas Jefferson wanted to know if there was a water route to the Pacific Ocean. They met indian tribes while they were going up the Missouri River. The expedition made friends and traded with the tribes.There was one Native American woman who was nice,considerate, and helped a lot.Her name is Sacagawea.Sacagawea joined the expedition and she was a good interpreter . Lewis and Clark got to the Pacific Ocean on November 1805.They got back home to St.Louis on September 1806. Lewis and Clark were writing in their journals all the animals and plants that they saw then showed it to all the people.lewis and Clark made people have a destiny to move out in the west. 2
Westward Expansion In 1840, millions of pioneers looked towards “the land of golden promise that lay beyond the Rocky Mountains” and they knew it was their destiny to go move out west.There were lots of trails for everyone so if you were a mormon you would take the Mormon Trail and if you were looking for gold you would go on the California Trail and if you want a lot of land you would go on the Oregon Trail or if you wanted to trade you go on the Santa Fe Trail.On every one of those trails there were wagon trains up and down the trails.There were many challenges like there was disease,tough weather,and insects.The trip was long and hard and many didn't survive.It all ended in 1890 when everyone was setteled.Just one movement can change your life forever.
Chapter 2:All About The Transcontinental Railroad In 1862, thousands of workers were working on the Transcontinental Railroad and the government promised to help fund another railroad across the west region. Sense the civil war was over and soldiers didn’t have a job they would be begging for this job.Our Railroad stretched all the way across the north american continent and western settlements.The government pays me $16,000 per mile on flat land.I also can get $48,000 per mile through the mountains. Finding A Route For The Transcontinental Railroad Choo!Choo! Here comes the Transcontinental Railroad.The Transcontinental Railroad was said to stretch out to Omah all the way to Sacramento,California.It would be the fastest transportation to the but they needed to find a route if wanted to go to place to place so Jefferson Davis was trying to find the best route but they couldn't.So he sent out John C. Fremont and he did a private expedition to find a route but his men and him got frostbite and they all died.Then they found route and it was called the Central Route.This helped Civil war soldiers get to place to place.They also delivered supplies and even sent battle to the soldiers.They would have to build the Transcontinental Railroad first if they wanted all this to happen. 3
Building the Transcontinental Railroad It was hard work for the workers but they fought through it to the end.They started building the Transcontinental Railroad on January 8,1863.Building the railroad was tough and hard work.They mostly worked in groups and there were lots of religions working together like there was Irish workers, militiafrom the civil war,mormon workers and they did most of the work,Chinese workers,and more.There was about 20,000 workers and everyone had a job like the surveyors mapped out the route for the Transcontinental Railroad. There was another group of people called the Graders and they cleared out rocks and trees from the and leveled the over the hills and gaps. Another crew of people laid rails down and right behind them hammered.Finally another group was called the track liners and they made sure the track is straight. So this was 40 miles long so that means they would at least go threw a couple of mountains so they would use dynamite and pickaxes to go thru the mountains. their average length of going threw a mountain is one foot per day.The supplies they used were rocks,steel,wood,spikes,hammers,pickaxes,shovels,and dynamite.When they finished on May 10,1869 at Promontory Summit,Utah.When the golden spike happened it was the last spike and it was the only golden spike.This was a great idea that helped the all english pioneers in the U.S.A.
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Chapter 3:The Impact Of the Transcontinental Railroad
There was lots of reasons why the Transcontinental Railroad and what it did for them. When the Transcontinental Railroad wasn’t here it was hard to deliver goods and they needed to deliver goods faster.Also people had to go on trails and tackle dangers and some died.When the Transcontinental Railroad came by it shaved off months and even days to just go to coast to coast.The workers always worked as a team to build the Transcontinental Railroad.The Transcontinental Railroad also helped businesses sell products to people hundreds of miles away.When that started to happen new towns and factories began to appear next to the railroad tracks.Common goals will be achieved faster if the workers work as a team. Teamwork is always the key to achieving your goals.The workers for the could be strong and brave but they had the most teamwork. They built together in groups to finish a task.They helped each other out if they needed help.Yet did the Transcontinental Railroad do the distance and change the world forever. 5
Glossary Interpreter: a person who translates another language to help a person or help people Militia: a group of people who fight to protect the country when there is a war or emergency Pioneers: a person that is the first to settle in a country or area Surveyor: a person that measures areas of land to determine boundaries or direction of a railroad track Transcontinental: stretches across a continent Bibliography Ducksters.”Westward Expansion.”2016.Online.1/8/2016. www.ducksters.com . Porter,Lavinia Honeyman.It Was Like Tearing Our Heartstrings Asunder.Online.11116. www.ci.independence.mo.us . Uschan,Michael.The Transcontinental Railroad.Farmington Hills,2009.
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