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Question

Difficulty: MediumWestward Expansion: Economic and Social Development

"We have a nice claim here in Dakota, but the life is hard. The wind blows constantly, and there is no timber. We must burn coal or twisted straw for fuel. Yet, we are independent, and the railroad has promised to reach us by autumn, which will allow us to ship our grain to the Chicago market instead of hauling it forty miles by wagon."

—Excerpt from a letter by a pioneer settler in Dakota Territory, 1881

Which of the following historical developments in the late nineteenth century is most directly reflected in the excerpt?

  1. A
    The immediate implementation of urban Progressive reforms to regulate western grain prices
  2. The integration of western agriculture into a national commercial marketAnswer
  3. C
    The federal government's strict adherence to laissez-faire principles in the development of western infrastructure
  4. D
    The complete economic self-sufficiency of homesteaders on the Great Plains

Answer

The integration of western agriculture into a national commercial market
The correct answer is correct because the letter highlights how the arrival of the railroad would enable the settler to ship grain to the Chicago market, illustrating how national transportation networks integrated distant western agriculture into the broader US market economy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context.
The source is a letter from a homesteader in Dakota Territory in 1881, highlighting both the hardships of plains farming and the anticipation of railroad arrival to connect their grain production to the Chicago market.
Understanding the source allows the identification of key economic linkages between remote western settlements and national industrial hubs.
2
Evaluate the choices against late nineteenth-century historical trends.
The expansion of the transcontinental and regional rail networks integrated isolated homesteads into the national market economy.
This step connects the specific historical details of the stimulus to the broader learning objective of Westward Expansion's economic developments.

Key Concept

Market integration of western agriculture through railroad networks
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Westward Expansion: Economic and Social Development

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