Student responses will vary. Students should mention both opportunities and challenges of farmers discussed in the lectures. Farmers were drawn to the availability of cheap land. The railroad also made it easier for farmers to transport needed supplies such as farming equipment, and it made it easier and faster for them to get their goods to market. With the rapid increase in the number of new settlements, there was plenty of business to be had. On the other hand, there were some drawbacks. First, the land was very dry, and many farmers, like one from Tennessee, had little experience working this type of soil. They were quick to adapt, however. They rerouted various water supplies and used dry farming techniques that proved successful. A second challenge facing everyone on the frontier, not just farmers, was the anger and hostility of some Native American tribes who threatened and raided settlements.
Student responses will vary. Students should mention both opportunities and challenges of farmers discussed in the lectures. Farmers were drawn to the availability of cheap land. The railroad also made it easier for farmers to transport needed supplies such as farming equipment, and it made it easier and faster for them to get their goods to market. With the rapid increase in the number of new settlements, there was plenty of business to be had. On the other hand, there were some drawbacks. First, the land was very dry, and many farmers, like one from Tennessee, had little experience working this type of soil. They were quick to adapt, however. They rerouted various water supplies and used dry farming techniques that proved successful. A second challenge facing everyone on the frontier, not just farmers, was the anger and hostility of some Native American tribes who threatened and raided settlements.
Julius Caesar did indeed commit treason by crossing the Rubicon because it was legally proscribed that if any army-leading general crossed the boundary it would start a coup d'etat which was strictly forbidden. Because of the crossing, it started the Roman Civil War.
