The American Vision: Modern Times © 2008

"Western Settlement"

Introduction
When the Civil War ended, many Americans were eager to expand their freedoms out onto the wide open plains of the West. Drawn to the vastness of the land, the promise of riches, and the opportunity to homestead, easterners and immigrants followed the transcontinental railroad into a new era in the West. This Web site from the PBS film The West documents the many people and events that changed the frontier forever. Here you will find images, profiles, and documents that give historical meaning to the settlement of the West.

Destination Title: New Perspectives on the West

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Directions
Start at the New Perspectives on the West Web site.

• On the left, click on The Grandest Enterprise Under God.
• Browse through "The West, Episode Five," taking notes as you go. To visit each page, click on the topics at the right of the page. Click on hyperlinks to access background information about specific topics.

After you have read through the information, answer the following questions.

1			Characterize the Western settlers.
2			Identify the ways in which the railroad encouraged Western settlement.
3			Who qualified to participate in the Homestead Act? How did the Homestead Act encourage settlement?
4			How did the cattle industry and the railroads support one another?
5			Perhaps no other profession is linked more closely with the development of the West than that of the cowhand. On a separate sheet of paper, create a job notice that advertises for a cowhand. List the skills and qualities needed, the pay offered, and working conditions. Then, post your job notices on a class bulletin board.