Unit 2

Westward Expansion

Essential Question:
How did the settlements of
pioneers effect the
environment of the West?

Pioneers on the Plains

The Great Plains

Great Plains =
Great American Desert
1. A dry grassland in
the middle of the
country.
2. Few trees, harsh
weather, low
rainfall

The Great Plains

Government wanted
to encourage
pioneers, or new
settlers, to move to
the Great Plains.
Food and farm
goods could be
carried by rail back
to the growing cities
in the East.

Homestead Act
Law offered free land (160 acres) to
American citizens and immigrants who
were willing to start new farms in the
Great Plains.

A man over 21, or

woman who was head
of the house
Small fee $10.00
Farm and live on the
land for 5 years, then
the land was yours
Improve it by building a
12-by-14 dwelling and
growing crops

Homestead
Act

Homesteaders

Settlers who claimed land through the Homestead Act

Settling on the Plains

Farmers who had
to bust up the soil
that had grass
with thick roots
were called
sodbusters

Why was sod a useful building

material for homesteaders?

Sodbusters

The farmers would

then use the sod to
build their house.
They were cool in
the summer, warm
in the winter, and
fireproof
Walls were often full
of bugs, worms,
snakes, and mice.

Houses were called Soddies

American Fever
Families from
Germany, Sweden
Norway, Russia, and
other European
countries were
coming to the Great
Plains.
They brought
valuable farming
skills

American Fever
Russians brought a
type of wheat that
would survive the
weather of the Great
Plains.
Great Plains become
the World's most
productive wheat
growing region.

Exodusters

Nicodemus, Kansas

African Americans
who began moving
into the Great Plains
to escape unfair
treatment. (Exodus
from the Bible)
Started new towns
like Nicodemus,
Kansas

Nicodemus, Kansas
The town symbolizes
the pioneering spirit
of these ex-slaves
who fled the wartorn South in search
of real freedom
and a chance to
restart their lives.

Life of the Plains

1.
2.

3.
4.

New technology helped to make

farming easier.
Steel plows
Windmills
Barbed wire
Dry farming

New Technology
Steel plow
Windmills

Barbed wire

Dry farming, disking deep

Problems
1. Harsh weather: tornadoes, blizzards,

bitter cold, hail, and flooding

2. Summer: blazing heat and little rain
3. Grasshoppers ate fences and axe
handles after they ate crops

Problems

Growth in the
West
West shows growth
Japanese
immigrants settle in
California and are
successful farmers.
New railroad lines
bring settlers into
Washington,
Oregon, and
California

Review
Describe the purpose of the Homestead Act.
What challenges did the homesteaders face?
Why did the Exodusters come to the Plains?
How did technology help the farmers turn the
Great Plains into productive farmland?