1. The Transcontinental Railroad was a major engineering feat that required unprecedented cooperation between banks, business leaders, and the federal government. Discuss this collaboration.
2. How did the expansion of the railroad into the American West impact the Native Americans living there? Discuss the military aspect as well as the decimation of the buffalo detailed in the text and documentary.
3. The history of the American West is peppered with stories of gunslingers, outlaws, and lawmen. While many of these stories are highly romanticized they are often based in fact. The West was often a lawless place. What contributed to this lawlessness and how was it deterred?
4. Cattle ranchers, farmers, and sheep herders came into conflict over access to grass lands and water from the 1870s-1890s. The Johnson County War is representative of this conflict. Discuss this event and how it was resolved.