Question

In one paragraph, explain how the transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act led to changes in the political boundaries of the United States. Support your explanation with details about US boundaries both before and after the railroad and the Homestead Act. Use the information from the table, which illustrates the changing boundaries of the United States during this time period, and what you have learned from the lesson to answer your prompt. Access the table here.

State Admission Dates
State Statehood Date State Statehood Date
Delaware December 7, 1787 Michigan January 26, 1837
Pennsylvania December 12, 1787 Florida March 3, 1845
New Jersey December 18, 1787 Texas December 29, 1845
Georgia January 2, 1788 Iowa December 28, 1846
Connecticut January 9, 1788 Wisconsin May 29, 1848
Massachusetts February 6, 1788 California September 9, 1850
Maryland April 28, 1788 Minnesota May 11, 1858
South Carolina May 23, 1788 Oregon February 14, 1859
New Hampshire June 21, 1788 Kansas January 29, 1861
Virginia June 25, 1788 West Virginia June 20, 1863
New York July 26, 1788 Nevada October 31, 1864
North Carolina November 21, 1789 Nebraska March 1, 1867
Rhode Island May 29, 1790 Colorado August 1, 1876
Vermont March 4, 1791 North Dakota November 2, 1889
Kentucky June 1, 1792 South Dakota November 2, 1889
Tennessee June 1, 1796 Montana November 8, 1889
Ohio March 1, 1803 Washington November 11, 1889
Louisiana April 30, 1812 Idaho July 3, 1890
Indiana December 11, 1816 Wyoming July 10, 1890
Mississippi December 10, 1817 Utah January 4, 1896
Illinois December 3, 1818 Oklahoma November 16, 1907
Alabama December 14, 1819 New Mexico January 6, 1912
Maine March 15, 1820 Arizona February 14, 1912
Missouri August 10, 1821 Alaska January 3, 1959
Arkansas June 15, 1836 Hawaii August 21, 1959

How did the transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act impact the political boundaries of the United States?
A) They led to the expansion of the United States westward, resulting in the addition of new states.
B) They caused the United States to shrink in size, as territories were given back to Native American tribes.
C) They had no impact on the political boundaries of the United States.
D) They led to the division of the United States into two separate countries.

Answer 1

Option (A), The transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act expedited the westward expansion of the United States by providing efficient transportation and land incentives, which led to the inclusion of new states in the Union.

Step-by-step explanation:

The transcontinental railroad and the Homestead Act profoundly impacted the political boundaries of the United States by leading to vast Western expansion and the addition of new states. This expansion was facilitated by the creation of the transcontinental railroad which, upon its completion in 1869, made it easier for settlers to travel and for goods to be transported across the continent.

The Homestead Act of 1862 provided incentives for Northern free-labor farmers and others to relocate to the West by offering 160 acres of federal land to individuals who would reside on and improve the property for five years, thus promoting agricultural development and settlement.

These legislative actions not only encouraged the displacement and decimation of Native American tribes, who were forced onto reservations, but also resulted in the incorporation of newly established territories into the Union as states, demonstrating a tangible expansion of the United States westward, with states such as Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona joining the Union between 1867 and 1912.