M1HARoadTrip.docx Module 1 Honors Assignment: A Journey on the Transcontinental Railroad Directions: Your task is to pretend that you are on an 1800s “roadtrip” on the new transcontinental railroad and you are keeping a journal of your experiences. You will create a digital journal presentation of your 1800s "roadtrip". Guidelines: · For each of the train stops below, you will write a one paragraph description of what you saw, your experiences, and your thoughts. · Please organize the events in chronological order of dates each occurred. · Your presentation should be created using PowerPoint or any other web 2.0 tool of your choice. · You should include one graphic illustration per stop. · Remember to provide sources for images and information. The following stops should be included in your digital journal: 1. The Gold Rush of 1849 in California 2. Mormons and the Mormon Trail in Utah 3. Settlers moving west because of the Homestead Act 4. An agricultural college created under the Morrill Land Grant Act 5. New inventions for farmers (such as Deere’s steel plow, Glidden’s barbed wire, etc.) 6. A stop at Farmer’s Alliance meeting in rural Dakota territory 7. The Populists party meeting in which the graduated income tax and direct election of U.S. Senators is discussed 8. A Populists party meeting in which bimetallism is debated 9. The Cattle Kingdom on the Great Plains 10. Battle of Little Big Horn 11. Ghost Dance Ritual 12. Battle of Wounded Knee 13. Sand Creek Massacre 14. Native Americans impacted by the Dawes Act 15. A public reading of “Century of Dishonor” by Helen Hunt Jackson 16. William Jennings Bryan’s public “Cross of Gold” speech in a town square 17. Oklahoma Land Rush 18. Sodbusters settling the Great Plains 19. Completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory Point 20. Comstock Lode AmHistM1PA.docx Which of the following allowed western farmers to ship their products to other parts of the country? Select one: a. canals b. steamboats c. railroads d. trucks Question 2 Not yet answered Marked out of 10 Flag question Question text Why were the Mormons moving out west to the area of Utah? Select one: a. To seek new land b. To take part in the Gold Rush c. To start a new government d. To escape religious persecution Question 3 Not yet answered Marked out of 10 Flag question Question text Why was the Homestead Act of 1862 so important? Select one: a. It encouraged settlement of the west. b. It supported the idea of religious freedom. c. It provided money to western settlers. d. It allowed for a new western government. Question 4 Not yet answered Marked out of 10 Flag question Question text Which immigrants were particularly important to the building of the transcontinental railroad? Select one: a. British and French b. African and Asian c. Canandians and Mexicans d. Irish and Chinese Question 5 Not yet answered Marked out of 10 Flag question Question text What was the primary reason for new settlers coming to California in 1 ...

1. M1HARoadTrip.docx
Module 1 Honors Assignment: A Journey on the
Transcontinental Railroad
Directions: Your task is to pretend that you are on an 1800s
“roadtrip” on the new transcontinental railroad and you are
keeping a journal of your experiences. You will create a digital
journal presentation of your 1800s "roadtrip".
Guidelines:
· For each of the train stops below, you will write a one
paragraph description of what you saw, your experiences, and
your thoughts.
· Please organize the events in chronological order of dates each
occurred.
· Your presentation should be created using PowerPoint or any
other web 2.0 tool of your choice.
· You should include one graphic illustration per stop.
· Remember to provide sources for images and information.
The following stops should be included in your digital journal:
1. The Gold Rush of 1849 in California
2. Mormons and the Mormon Trail in Utah
3. Settlers moving west because of the Homestead Act
4. An agricultural college created under the Morrill Land Grant
Act
5. New inventions for farmers (such as Deere’s steel plow,
Glidden’s barbed wire, etc.)
6. A stop at Farmer’s Alliance meeting in rural Dakota territory
7. The Populists party meeting in which the graduated income
tax and direct election of U.S. Senators is discussed
8. A Populists party meeting in which bimetallism is debated
9. The Cattle Kingdom on the Great Plains
10. Battle of Little Big Horn

2. 11. Ghost Dance Ritual
12. Battle of Wounded Knee
13. Sand Creek Massacre
14. Native Americans impacted by the Dawes Act
15. A public reading of “Century of Dishonor” by Helen Hunt
Jackson
16. William Jennings Bryan’s public “Cross of Gold” speech in
a town square
17. Oklahoma Land Rush
18. Sodbusters settling the Great Plains
19. Completion of the transcontinental railroad at Promontory
Point
20. Comstock Lode
AmHistM1PA.docx
Which of the following allowed western farmers to ship their
products to other parts of the country?
Select one:
a. canals
b. steamboats
c. railroads
d. trucks
Question 2
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
Why were the Mormons moving out west to the area of Utah?
Select one:
a. To seek new land
b. To take part in the Gold Rush
c. To start a new government
d. To escape religious persecution
Question 3
Not yet answered

3. Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
Why was the Homestead Act of 1862 so important?
Select one:
a. It encouraged settlement of the west.
b. It supported the idea of religious freedom.
c. It provided money to western settlers.
d. It allowed for a new western government.
Question 4
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
Which immigrants were particularly important to the building of
the transcontinental railroad?
Select one:
a. British and French
b. African and Asian
c. Canandians and Mexicans
d. Irish and Chinese
Question 5
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
What was the primary reason for new settlers coming to
California in 1849?
Select one:
a. the Comstock Lode
b. Promises of free land
c. the Gold Rush
d. Escape from the Indian Wars
Question 6
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10

4. Flag question
Question text
What is significant about the Sand Creek Massacre?
Select one:
a. Native Americans demanded and received reservation lands.
b. Almost 300 Native Americans were killed by US troops.
c. American settlers were killed by the US calvary.
d. This event started the Gold Rush to California.
Question 7
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
What was the main point of Helen Hunt Jackson's book, Century
of Dishonor?
Select one:
a. It showed how unfairly American settlers were treated by the
US government.
b. It proved that American government was not responsive to
the will of the people.
c. It made the point that free land was no longer available to
new settlers out west.
d. It outlined the poor treatment of the Native Americans by the
government.
Question 8
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
What organization allowed farmers to pool their resources in
order to buy goods and helped farmers to organize themselves
for better treatment?
Select one:
a. the political movement
b. the Homestead Act
c. the Grange

5. d. the Western Alliance
Question 9
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
What government agency was created in order to regulate
railroad rates and promote fair business practices?
Select one:
a. Interstate Commerce Commission
b. Fair Labor Standards Agency
c. Federal Trade Commission
d. Populist Supervisory Agency
Question 10
Not yet answered
Marked out of 10
Flag question
Question text
In what way did the Populist party have a lasting impact on
American society?
Select one:
a. They organized some of the first successful political
movements in American history.
b. They ensured that women were given the right to land
ownership.
c. They pushed for and gained the right to direct election of US
senators.
d. They worked to guarantee fair treatment of Native
Americans.
M1L3A2HelpingHurting.docx
Module 1 Lesson 3 Assignment 2: Helping or Hurting the
Farmers?
Directions: Create a presentation (PowerPoint, Prezi or other
Web 2.0 tool) in which you summarize each of the topics below

6. AND explain how it hurt or helped the regular farmer.
Guidelines:
· You must first summarize the topic.
· You must then explain how it hurt or helped the regular
farmer.
· You must use at least 14 slides--a minimum of 2 per topic.
· You must include at least one interesting photo or graphic per
topic. (Please cite your sources for photos/graphics.)
Topics:
1. Homestead Act
2. Transcontinental Railroad
3. High Railroad Shipping Costs
4. Farmers Alliances and Granges
5. The Populist Movement
6. Bimetalism
Interstate Commerce Commission
M1L3GangerismPopulism.docx
Goal 4
Grangerism and Populism
1. Explain 3 problems faced by the farmers?
·
·
·
2. How did the Grange plan to fix the problem of unjust railroad
rates?
3. What were the 6 planks (specific parts) of the Ocala
Platform?
a.
b.

7. c.
d.
e.
f.
4. Who formed the Populist Party?
5. Who was the party’s most fiery speaker?
6. Even though the Populists did not win the Election of 1892
what was its major impact?
7. What political party adopted the Populists demands?
8. What were the three major demands of the Populist Party in
the Election of 1896?
·
·
·
9. Even though the Populists demands were not achieved
immediately what three future reforms made their goals a
reality?
·
·
NOTES:
The Farmers, the Railroads, and the Populists
As settlers moved out west in increasing numbers, farming

8. became more and more popular. Our country was expanding
and our growing population needed to be fed! Homesteaders
out west began to grow crops and raise cattle in ever-increasing
numbers.
The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was a
cause for celebration in our country. To mark the occasion of
the meeting of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railways, a
gold spike was put into the ground to show where the railroads
met, completing the project. Now the east and the west were
linked together with the railroad. This development made it
easier to transport people out west and also made it more
efficient to transport crops, grains, and cattle from the west to
the eastern city markets.
Farming began to be a big business out west. As we’ve seen,
the new railroad provided a system of transport for people and
supplies to and from the west. However, several other new
inventions made it possible for the farming industry to continue
to grow in the west. John Deere’s invention of the steel plow
allowed farmers to plant crops by enabling them to cut through
the hard western soil. The lack of water in some areas required
the wells be dug into the ground. Windmills used the power of
the wind to pump much-needed water to the surface for
irrigating crops.
Finally, the development of barbed wire by Joseph Glidden
made it possible for farmers to fence in their land and livestock.
Even with these new technologies farmers faced may problems.
So many people became farmers that overproduction of crops
caused prices to drop dramatically. This led to smaller profits
for each of the farmers. To make matters worse, shipping costs
on the railroads increased as well. It was a double-whammy for
the farmers! As a result farmers were forced to borrow more
and more money and many eventually found themselves in huge

9. debt.
Many farmers began to believe that they were being
overcharged by the railroads for shipping their farm products to
market. The farmers began to work together and create farmer’s
alliances. These granges, as they were called, allowed farmers
to pool their resources in order to purchase machinery and
supplies. The granges also allowed farmers to cooperatively
sell their farming products more cost-effectively.
Examples of these farmer’s alliances include the Southern
Farmers’ Alliance and the Colored Farmers’ Alliance. Both are
excellent examples of farmers working together to improve their
financial conditions by fighting the powerful railroads industry.
The growth of the Grange movement eventually helped lead the
way to a larger, political movement. Farmers who had long
been suffering from low crop prices, high transportation costs,
and high debt eventually organized the Populist movement. The
Populists favored the use of paper money, called greenbacks, to
increase the nation’s money supply and ease the burden of
farmers by raising prices.
The Populists also adopted a “free silver” policy by which they
supported basing the U.S. dollar on silver as well as gold. This
position became known as “bimetalism.” The Populists
believed that this would pump more money into the economy
and ease the farmers’ financial problems. Populists also wanted
more regulation of business…especially the railroads…in an
effort to fight high shipping costs! Essentially, they wanted the
government to regulate railroad freight charges.
A number of states passed laws that limited how much railroads
could charge. These laws were upheld by the U.S. Supreme
Court in cases such as Munn v. Illinois. In this case the Court
said that states had the right to regulate certain businesses

10. within the state. However, in the case, Wabash v. Illinois, the
Supreme Court asserted that railroad traffic that crossed state
lines could only be regulated by Congress.
In 1887 Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act that
provided for the creation of the Interstate Commerce
Commission to regulate railroad rates, among other things. The
act was eventually signed into law by President Grover
Cleveland.
A political party grew out of this movement, the Populist Party,
or the People’s Party because it represented the common man.
The Populist Party favored both the farmers and the working
classes of the northeast. In 1892 the Populist Party met in
Omaha, Nebraska to adopt a political platform. This statement
of party beliefs became known as the “Omaha Platform.” The
platform supported unlimited coinage of silver (“free silver”),
government regulation of industry (including the railroads!), a
graduated income tax, and direct election of U.S. Senators. At
this time U.S. Senators were elected by state legislators…not
the people of each state! Populists wanted the power of
government returned to the working people!
The Election of 1896 brought the Populist’s ideas to the
national spotlight. The nation was in one of the worst economic
depressions that it had experienced. The Democratic party
nominated William Jennings Bryan. Bryan supported bimetalism
to spur inflation, which would raise the prices of farm products
and ultimately benefit farmers.
In a speech to the Democratic Convention Bryan made his
famous “Cross of Gold speech.” In this speech he states his
support of bimetalism by saying, “You shall not press down
upon the brow of labor the crown of thorns, you shall not
crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!”

11. The Republican party had nominated William McKinley.
McKinley had the support of the northeastern states, larger
cities, and big business leaders. McKinley won the Election of
1896. Bryan’s loss marks the end of the influence of the
Populist Party.
Although the Populist party lost power, many of its political
reforms would be instituted during the coming period of
Industrialization in the United States. A new political group,
known as the Progressives, would take up the fight!
M1L3A3FarmersRailroadsPop.docx
Module 1 Lesson 3 Assignment 3: Farmers, Railroads, and
Populists!
Directions: You task is to assume the role of a farmer in the
1880s and write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper.
Guidelines:
· You must assume the role of a farmer in the 1800s
· Write a letter to the Editor of the local newspaper in which
you explain why you are appreciative for the following
advancements for farmers (listed below).
· Your letter must be at least 200 words in length.
· Be sure to give your opinion on each of the topics within the
body of your letter.
Advancements to be included in your letter:
1. Homestead Act
2. Transcontinental Railroad
3. New inventions such as the steel plow and mechanical reaper
4. The Grange
5. Supreme Court decision, Munn v Illinois
6. William Jennings Bryan
7. The Populist Movement