Trade was so much easier. Just look at a map. If it weren't for the Panama Canal, you would have to round ALL of South America to trade from east coast to west coast. Now, you just had to travel to the middle of America, reducing the likeliness of accidents as well as the time spent on travel for trading
The short-term effects of Jim Crow Laws in the south were: Legal codes of segregation, enacted literacy requirements, voter-registration laws, poll taxes.
The long-term effects were: Segregation until the late 20th century, allowed for racial injustices and prejudices to remain and thrive, despite the 14th amendment.
The sharecropping system was so hard to overcome because it was economically confined, controlled by landlords and kept in debt.
African Americans were worse off after civil war. They were still treated as inhuman and undeserving of basic rights, especially in the deep south, the 14th and 15th amendments were not upheld and the enforcement of Jim Crow laws worsened the situation. Even though the country was moving in the right direction, it was a long time before quality of life really improved for most African Americans.
Wyoming. Montana and Idaho where all once apart of the Oregon territory
Secondary Sources
Speech by Martin Luther King against the Vietnam War
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkatimetobreaksilence.htm
Website for Special Operations, Navy SEALS
http://www.specialoperations.com
Abbreviated Timeline
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/vietnam/timeline.htm