USH.SS.15.A

Describe how the economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act contributed to the close of the frontier in the late 19th century.

United States History Studies Since 1877 · Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) · TEKS 2010

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Vocabulary
economic impactTranscontinental RailroadHomestead Actclose of the frontierlate 19th century
Skills
  • describe (how the economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad contributed to the close of the frontier) #dok2
  • describe (how the economic impact of the Homestead Act contributed to the close of the frontier) #dok2
  • analyze (connections between government policies, economic growth, and geographic expansion) #dok3
Learning Targets
  • I can identify the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act as important developments in the late 19th century. #dok1
  • I can define the 'close of the frontier' in the context of U.S. history. #dok1
  • I can describe how the Transcontinental Railroad affected the economic development of the late 19th-century United States. #dok2
  • I can describe how the Homestead Act influenced westward expansion and economic growth. #dok2
  • I can explain the connection between the economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad and the closing of the frontier. #dok2
  • I can analyze how government policies like the Homestead Act and major infrastructure projects led to changes in settlement patterns. #dok3
  • I can evaluate the broader social and economic consequences of expanding the railroad and offering land incentives on the closing of the American frontier. #dok3
Big Ideas
  • Government initiatives such as the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act played pivotal roles in shaping U.S. economic growth and geographic expansion, leading to the close of the frontier.
  • The expansion of infrastructure and development of land policies in the late 19th century transformed settlement patterns and the American landscape, impacting communities and the environment.
Essential Questions
  • How did the economic impact of the Transcontinental Railroad drive the settlement and development of the American West?
  • In what ways did the Homestead Act contribute to the closing of the American frontier?
  • What were the intended and unintended effects of government-driven expansion policies in the late 1800s?
  • How did the close of the frontier change America socially, economically, and geographically?
  • Why do historians view the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act as turning points in U.S. history?