Federal Government and the Opening up of the West

What if you got this question in an exam?

To what extent was Federal government involvement in communication developments the most important factor in westward expansion?

In the earlier section of the course we looked at the extent to which developments in communication – farming, railroads, telegraphs, trails and roads and steamboats – contributed to the opening up of the West. We will now look at the ways in which FEDERAL government encouraged and assisted developments in these areas.

THE CUMBERLAND ROAD
Look at the websites listed below:

http://www.swetland.net/cumberland.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Pike

Use the heading ‘Federal Government and the Cumberland Road’ to provide evidence for the two statements below:

· The Cumberland Road played a key role in the opening of the West.
· The involvement of the Federal Government was an important development.

THE US MAIL
Read the ‘History’ section of the website below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service

Use the heading ‘Federal Government and the US Mail’ to provide evidence for the two statements below:

· The US Mail has always been a part of the Federal Government (clue here – think back to what we said earlier in the course about the ‘executive’ branch of government.
· The development of the US Mail system has strong LINKS with the growth of the US railroad system.

THE RAILWAYS
Browse the websites listed below and make notes on the SCALE and SIGNIFICANCE of Federal involvement in developing the US railways. The main piece of legislation to focus on is - The First Pacific Railroad Act (1862)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/
http://law.jrank.org/pages/8984/Pacific-Railroad-Act.html

www.tcrr.com