Did the Transcontinental Railroad connect the nation or divide it? Learners demonstrate their knowledge of the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad in a written assessment. The assessment also uses an original photo as a prompt for...

The move West was greatly effected by the first transcontinental railroad. Present your class with well-organized information regarding major causes, players, and effects the railroad had on the face of an expanding America. Note: A...

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

It's time to hear about some adventures in travel! The Transcontinental Railroad changed life and travel in the United States during the 1800s. Practicing online research skills, pupils discover the features they would like to visit on...

Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...

Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...

The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first race-based restriction on immigration in American history. Why was the act passed after Chinese immigrants helped build the Transcontinental Railroad? A series of documents, including speeches and...

Students use the 50 States Quarter Reversal as a context of learning a curriculum concept based from the state of Utah. They research the concepts of cause and effect. Also, they use customary units of measurement to find length and...

Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...

As your young historians study Westward Expansion, practice in-depth primary source analysis with the documents and guidelines presented in this resource. They will examine a lithograph and excerpts from two letters written by a Nebraska...

Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson plan, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....

Students read Dragon's Gate as a shared literature book. This lesson provides excellent extension activities students can engage in while they are reading, and after they have finished the book.

Grab the popcorn and take a seat for a Hollywood premier! Eighth graders grasp the concepts behind Westward Expansion and create engaging videos by working through a set of 18 engaging tasks. They also hone their technology, social...

Eleventh graders examine a picture of John Gast's, American Progress to determine what they know about American growth between 1877- 1900. By working through thirteen center or folder activities, they study the economics,...

Students complete a unit of lessons to learn how products reach the market and study the history of the fur trade. In this history and trade lesson, students first learn about the technology that allowed products to reach market faster....

Students investigate the concept of conducting research to create a newspaper. They use tools of research to gather information. The information is interpreted while working in small groups. Then the groups write articles that can be put...

Young scholars will compare two primary accounts of overland travel in the 1860s,one by stagecoach, the other by railroad, to see how travel changed upon completion of the transcontinental railroad.

The critically acclaimed PBS series, "The West," provides the text of the actual Pacific Railway Act, designed to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean.

Homepage of the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Provides general information about the completion of the transcontinental railroad and contains links to other information.

Contains images of the original document and a transcript of the complete text of the Pacific Railway Act of 1862 in an easy to read format. Also contains a brief overview on the background behind this act.

Read about the luxurious rail car George Pullman introduced that made transcontinental rail travel so desirable.