In this lesson students will explore the technological advances made during westward expansion of the. In his hand was a bottle of water from the atlantic ocean that he had brought from the east coast. The linda hall library transcontinental railroad website was created with generous support from the bnsf burlington northern santa fe foundation. The union pacific railroad only managed to lay 40 miles of track by the end of 1865, but with the civil war drawing to a close, they could finally build a workforce equal to the task at hand. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Excursionists on the union pacific railroad the car works and machine shops in omaha a glimpse of mormon immigrants.
The first transcontinental railroad primary source documents document 1. It was 1,776 miles long and served for the atlantic and pacific coasts of the united states to be connected by. The quiz has five multiplechoice questions about the transcontinental railroad. Access thousands of highquality, free k12 articles, and create online assignments with them for your students.
They could now travel faster, safer, and cheaper by train. Transcontinental railroad 1869 primary source worksheet by. The coming of the transcontinental railroad tcrr, the first communication revolution in the united states. January 1863 central pacific railroad breaks ground on its portion of the railroad at sacramento, california. Thepanamarailroad 93 sanitation 105 themanatthehelm 118 theorganization 3 theamericanworkers 145 thenegroworkers 154 thecommissary 164 lifeonthezone 178 pastisthmian,projects 194 thefrenchfailure. The transcontinental railroad history of railroads and. Along the way, people who were against slavery, called abolitionists, would. For chinese americans, all our reference points begin from here. Transcontinental railroad webquest route and timelinestudents will gain knowledge about the building of the transcontinental railroad by completing a map and timeline webquest on the central pacific and union pacific. Reading, money, fractions, sight words, multiplication. A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. The student will demonstrate research skills by using a variety of reference. I also tried to establish a foundation of earlier activities and assignments before getting to the dbq assessment. The animals were the main source of food for the plains indians.
All the questions on this quiz are based on information that can be found on the page at first transcontinental railroad. The transcontinental railroad for kids ulysses grant was the 18th american president who served in office from march 4, 1869 to march 4, 1877. The new railroad was much safer and faster and finally linked the east with the west. The possibility of railroads connecting the atlantic and pacific coasts was discussed in the congress even before the treaty with england which settled the question of the oregon boundary in 1846. Showing top 8 worksheets in the category transcontinental railroad. The route of the transcontinental railroad, between the two stars that mark omaha and. Displaying top 8 worksheets found for the transcontinental railroad. History westward expansion the first transcontinental railroad stretched from the east coast of the united states to the west coast.
The first transcontinental railroad 1869 lesson objective. Worksheet socratic seminar handout on the chinese exclusion act 1882 is a watershed. The transcontinental railroad crosscurricular focus. The trip across the overland trails followed by settlers could take four to six months, however, and were treacherous on foot or by wagon. No longer would people travel in long wagon trains that took months to reach california. Path to freedom the underground railroad was a secret organization of routes and safe places used by slaves to escape to freedom. All you have to do is print off the primary source from the following website for classroom use or direct students to the website to answer the worksheet questions. Students will log on to stanfords website chinese railroad workers in north america project. The decline continued after the completion of the railroad. The union pacific and the central pacific both won government contracts to work on the railroad. Youll need to know why the united states wanted to construct the railroad, how long. The central pacific would build east from california. The pacific railroad act of 1862 was signed by president abraham lincoln and licensed two railroad companies to build the first transcontinental railroad that would connect the eastern and the western parts of the united states see the fact file below for more information on the first transcontinental railroad or alternatively, you can download our 20page first continental railroad. Improve your students reading comprehension with readworks.
Describe why the meeting place of the two railroad tracks was so far west, even though the western part of the railroad was begun two years earlier. One of the important events during his presidency was the completion of the transcontinental railroad on march 10, 1869. Transcontinental railroad fact sheet prior to the opening of the transcontinental railroad, it took four to six months to travel 2000 miles from the missouri river to california by wagon. The impact of the transcontinental railroad on postcivil. Test your railroad knowledge the transcontinental railroad. This is a reading comprehension worksheet for teaching or revising food related vocabulary. Westward expansion during the 19th century required speedier ways to communicate and transport people and goods between the east and west coasts. It was here on may 10, 1869 that california governor stanford drove the golden spike or the last spike, that symbolized the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Chief promoter of a transcontinental railroad was asa whitney, a new york merchant active in the china trade who was obsessed with the idea of a railroad to the pacific. History buffs and railroad enthusiasts alike will enjoy learning about the transcontinental railroad with this wild west worksheet. The transcontinental railroad webquest uses an amazing website created by linda. The impact of the transcontinental railroad nehedsitement. The impact of the transcontinental railroad on postcivil war america neh lesson plan for tcrr july 20 submitted by thomas haim below is my curriculum project.
Present your class with wellorganized information regarding major causes, players, and effects the railroad had on the face of an expanding america. Who built the transcontinental railroad and why was it important. How central pacific laid ten miles of track in one day back. The union pacific relied mainly on irish workers, many of whom were famine immigrants and fresh off the battlefields of the war. Slaves left the southern states and went to the free northern states and canada, where they could be free. Facts, information and articles about transcontinental railroad, an event of westward expansion from the wild west. Your class can learn about the laying down of these tracks by reading a short passage. Learn transcontinental railroad history with free interactive flashcards. This transcontinental railroad worksheet is suitable for 4th 5th grade. The teacher will act as a guide and project the website on the screen. Students analyze archival material such as photos, documents, and posters, to understand the who was involved in constructing, and the lasting phenomenon of. The transcontinental railroad worksheets learny kids. Pupils then respond to five questions related to the text.
The first transcontinental railroad primary source documents. The transcontinental railroad completed in 1869, the transcontinental railroad connected the eastern united states to the west. However, there was a time in our nations history when the train was the biggest advancement in transportation technology. Readings, photos of chinese artifacts, worksheets, and activities. Study 41 terms transcontinental railroad questions. For webquest or practice, print a copy of this quiz at the first transcontinental railroad webquest print page. Reading comprehension worksheets, reading is a very big portion of our daytoday lives, and improving your comprehension shouldnt come at the price of depriving yourself of the pleas. Transcontinental railroad worksheet for 4th 5th grade. Thank you for choosing our westward by rail program. The first transcontinental railroad arizona geographic alliance. Chinese workers on the transcontinental railroad utah education. Choose from 500 different sets of transcontinental railroad history flashcards on quizlet. Transcontinental railroad westward expansion webquest with key this 6 page document contains a webquest and teachers key related to the basics of the transcontinental railroad in america.
In this american railroads worksheet, students respond to 22 fill in the blank questions about the building of the. I can describe reasons why railways were constructed across the great plains to the west. The move west was greatly effected by the first transcontinental railroad. Most important, it offers full text access to the linda hall librarys. To understand why the government decided to build a railroad railway linking the east and west coasts of america to assess what the consequences of this railroad would be. The transcontinental railroad on july 4, 1870, a boston trade official named alex h. From the chamber of commerce of newyork to the chamber of commerce of san francisco, on the completion of the pacific. At a signal from one of the other officials present on this historic day, rice poured the water into the. Transcontinental railroad as the main idea, and economics, physical features, and humans as subtopics for organization of details. Middlehigh school lesson plan the chinese exclusion.
The miles of rough terrain and wilderness that separated the east from the west might as well have been a giant fence dividing america into two. They may use the caamps document analysis worksheet or other primary document analyses strategies. There were many immigrants arriving in the united states. January 1863 central pacific railroad breaks ground on its portion of the railroad at. The transcontinental railroad was completed in six years. Start studying transcontinental railroad questions. Nea transcontinental telegraph and railroad, grades 68. To close, revisit the four opening statements and ask if there are any students who would like to change their dot placements and explain why. The first transcontinental railroad in north america was built in the 1860s, linking the well developed railway network of the east coast with rapidly growing california. Clipper ships and the pony express were a beginning.
This worksheet allows students to use a primary source document to learn about the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 this activity is very easy to use. The central pacific railroad and the union pacific railroad lines met at promontory summit, utah. Transcontinental railroad worksheets printable worksheets. The railroad took 7 years to complete and is a 1,907mile contiguous line. The railroad company hired sharpshooters to control the bison. Overview using a variety of maps, students assess the need for a transcontinental railroad in the 1860s. Teamwork and competition on the transcontinental railroad.
Explain how the east and west heard the last spike being pounded into the rail. Getting to the west was possible, yes, but it wasnt exactly easy. Westward expansion lesson plan 6 3 the city university of new. As a new yorker in the mid1800s, the west was like narnia. The first transcontinental railroad in the united states was built in the 1860s. Some of the worksheets for this concept are the first transcontinental railroad, transcontinental railroad fact, lesson plan for teaching american history westward, transcontinental railroads the west, grade 4 social studies instructional task the, full steam ahead the transcontinental. Some of the worksheets displayed are the first transcontinental railroad, transcontinental railroad fact, lesson plan for teaching american history westward, full steam ahead the transcontinental railroad, the transcontinental railroad how did it change american, grade 4 social studies.