Opening the West. Essential Question What were the causes and effects of mining booms in the West? ...
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Transcript of Opening the West. Essential Question What were the causes and effects of mining booms in the West? ...
Opening the West
Essential Question
What were the causes and effects of mining booms in the West? Discovery of gold and silver in west led to mining
boom Effect: creation of new states Effect: Transcontinental Railroad Effect: new wave of settlers Effect: benefits to industry
Gold Silver and Boomtowns
Mid 1850s – California gold rush has endedMiners began prospecting in other parts of
the WestProspectors skimmed gold dust from streams
or scratched particles from the landMost gold is deep undergroundCompanies stand a better chance at getting
rich than individuals
Boomtowns
Boomtown
Boom and Bust
Gold strikes created boomtowns Towns develop almost overnight Lively, lawless places, violence and gambling Mostly men, but some women acted as laundresses,
cooks or entertainers Everyday people called, vigilantes, enforced the law
Once the gold was gone, people left and they became ghost towns
United States Expands West
As mining areas became more populated, they eventually became states 1876 – Colorado 1889 – North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington,
Montana 1890 – Wyoming, Idaho
Railroads Connect East and West
Gold and silver had little value unless they could reach factories, ports and markets
People living in boomtowns also needed shipments of food and supplies
Nation’s railroads expand rapidly between 1865 and 1890
Railroads
Government and the Railroad
Railroad construction was often supported by large government subsidies
Railroad executives argued that their companies should receive free public land because connecting East and West would benefit the entire nation
Federal government agrees, grants 130 million acres to railroads
Most land is obtained by treaties with Native Americans
Transcontinental Railroad
Enormous Challenge!Low wages/harsh conditions for workers
Irish Chinese African Americans Harsh terrain: forests, deserts, mountains Harsh weather: hot summers, icy winters
Transcontinental Railroad
Race between Union Pacific Company and Central Pacific Company
May 10, 1869 – construction is completedEast and West coast are connected
Effects of Railroads
Brought thousands of workers westBoost in steel industry with more needed for
tracksCoal producers, railroad car manufacturers,
construction companies benefitTowns spring up all along railwayBrings next wave of settlers west
Farmers Ranchers
UNITES THE COUNTRY
Making Connections
What was life like in boomtowns? Lively, lawless places More men than women Law kept by vigilantes
Why did the government provide subsidies to Railroad Companies? Building a Transcontinental Railroad was expensive
and the RR companies argued that the government should pay for it because RRs would bring benefits to the entire nation.
Ranchers and Farmers
Ranchers and Farmers When you hear the word “cowboy” what do you think?
How does this song portray the life of a cowboy? Be specific.
Romanticized: Deal with or describe in an idealized or unrealistic fashion
Essential Question
How did cattle ranchers and farmers adapt to life in the west?
Cattle on the Plains
When the Spanish settled Mexico and Texas, they brought a tough breed of cattle with them – Longhorns
Most of Texas is open range and ranchers added to their herds by rounding up wild cattle
They burned symbols into their hides to mark them as their own
Railroads and Cow Towns
Markets for beef were in the North and EastWhen railroads start expanding east, value of
Texas cattle shot upTexans drove their herds to the nearest rail
point in Missouri to be shipped EastIncrease in longhorn’s value set off what
became known as the Long Drive
Long Drive
Life on the Great Plains
Cowhands and ranchers lived difficult lives on the Plains Rode up to 15 hours a day in the saddle Violent lightning storms, dust storms, blazing sun,
freezing nights Lonely Stampedes
Vaqueros: Hispanic ranch hands who developed riding, roping and branding skills
The Cattle Kingdom Ends
Ranching replaced cattle drives because of hardier, plumper cattle
Ranchers became rich when cattle prices boomed
Too many cattle forced prices downCattle industry survives, but farming
becomes main economic activity.Is the life of cowboys romanticized? Why?
Farmers Settle the Plains
Free land and new farming methods brought many settlers to the Great Plains
1872 – A Nebraska farmer wrote “One year ago this was a vast, houseless, uninhabited
prairie…Today I can see more than thirty dwellings from my door.”
Farmers Settle the Plains
Several factors brought settlers to the Plains Railroads made journey west easier New laws offered free land Above average rainfall in the late 1870s made land
better suited for farming
The Homestead Act
This land gave up to 160 acres to settle for a $10 filing fee and who promised to live on the land for 5 years
Immigrants and women were eligibleAttracted thousands of new settler to the
plains
The Homestead Act
New Groups of Settlers
ImmigrantsAfrican Americans
End of Reconstruction mean end of protection in the South
Fearing for their safety, they moved West By 1881, more than 40,000 had migrated to Kansas
Women on the Frontier
Worked hard in the fields alongside menSewed clothing, made candles, cooked and
preserved foodKept farm running when men were awayChildren worked the farms as well
The Oklahoma Land Rush
Oklahoma Territory, designated by Congress as “Indian” Territory was the last region of the Plains to be settled
Government opens is up to settlers on April 22, 1889
1890 census reveals the frontier was no moreSettlement had greatly changed the Plains,
especially for Native Americans
Making Connections
Why do you think cow hands capture the imagination of many Americans?
Making Predictions How do you think the Oklahoma Land Rush affected
Native Americans?
Native American Struggles
How did westward expansion affect Native Americans?
Following the Buffalo
Native Americans of the Great Plains depended on buffalo to survive, but railroads threatened this lifestyle
Great Plains Indians like the Comanche, Sioux and Blackfeet lived a nomadic life following their food source
Following the Buffalo
For most of their history the Plains Native Americans had millions of buffalo to supply their needs. After the Civil War however, American hunters hired by the railroads began slaughtering the animals to feel their building crews. Railroad companies also wanted to prevent the giant herds of buffalo from blocking the tracks. Starting in 1872, hunters targeted buffalo to sell their hides back east.
Following the Buffalo
Conflict
Conflict between Native Americans and whites grew as Native Americans were forced onto reservations
Army was given authority to deal with any groups who would not move
Reservation Life
Government agents often used trickery to persuade Native Americans to move to reservations Located on poor land Government often failed to deliver food and supplies
Some groups abandoned reservation lifeThe stage was set for conflict
Conflict Begins
Sioux Summer of 1862 – Red Cloud and Sioux warriors
burned and looted homes and killed hundreds before being stopped by the army
1866 – Crazy Horse and Sioux warriors tricked military leaders
Cheyenne and Arapaho killed hundreds of settlers as well
Sand Creek Massacre: Army killed hundreds of Cheyenne on their way to make peace in Colorado
Little Big Horn
1868 – Government signed treaty that promised “No white person or persons shall be permitted” to settle on the Black Hills
However, prospectors swarmed the area looking for gold
Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and their Sioux warriors gathered along Little Big Horn River to meet the US army
Within 30 minutes, Colonel George Custer and his 250 soldiers were dead
Little Big Horn
George Armstrong Custer
The Dawes Act
Passed in 1877 to remove what whites regarded as two weaknesses of Native American culture Lack of private property Nomadic tribal life
Each Native American received a plot of land to farm
Native Americans and Westward Expansion
The Westward Expansion of the late 1800s continued to create problems for the Native Americans who stood in its path. By the 1840s, only scattered groups of Native Americans still lived in the East. Most lived west of the Mississippi on lands that few whites wanted The California Gold Rush Transcontinental Railroad Discovery of rich farmland in the Great Plans
Native Americans and Westward Expansion
All of these factors changed the view of white people and they began to move onto Native Americans lands in the West
One way that Native Americans tried to “fit in” with the white settlers was to obey the law that was passed by Congress in 1887. The Dawes Act
Native Americans and Westward Expansion
The purpose of this act was to break up tribes of Native Americans and reservations. It offered Natives who gave up tribal ways the deed to their land and US citizenship after 25 years.
Questions to consider Was the Dawes Act fair to the Native Americans? Why
or why not? Did the Native Americans Support it? Did the economy of the West rely on the same kinds of
business as the economy of the North? If so, how?
The Dawes Act
Wounded Knee
Police shot and killed Sitting Bull for leading the ritual of the Ghost Dance
In response, several Lakota Sioux gathered at a creek called Wounded Knee
Army killed over 200 Native AmericansMarks the end of the conflict between the US
Government and Native Americans
Wounded Knee
Letters
You are a Native American living in the American West! Every year, westward expansion is taking its toll on you and your people. Write a letter to the United States government highlighting The struggles that you and your people face The effects that westward expansion has on your daily
life The effect you hope your letter has on the policies of
the United States government Be sure to include relevant facts and details Must be at least 10 sentences long!
Farmers in Protest
Essential Question Why did farmers organize and begin reform
movements in the late 1800s?
The Farmers Organize
After the Civil War, farming expanded in the West and the South
However, the supply of crops grew faster than the demand and prices fell
Farmers blamed their troubles on 3 groups
Farmers in Protest
Farmers blamed their troubles on 3 groups Railroad Companies
Charged high shipping rates Eastern manufacturers
Charged high prices for their products Bankers
Charged high interest rates for borrowing money for seed and equipment
Farmers began to organize in an effort to solve their problems
Form a mass political movement
Farmers Populists and Politics
For many years, farmers were ignored by the American public especially in Congress and government. During the latter half of the 19th century, farmers were gaining more influence through two organizations. The Grange and the Populist Party.
One of the main reasons that 3rd parties tend to develop in the United States is because of the major issues that are ignored by the two major parties.
Farmers Populists and Politics
The Populist Party – Party started by a group of farmers to give them a representative voice in government. This party had 3 major goals 1. Graduated Income Tax 2. Direct Election of Senators (Amendment 17) 3. Government ownership of railroads, telegraphs and
telephones
Farmers Populists and Politics
Another group designed to help farmers create a better life and lifestyle for themselves was The Grange
What was the goal of this organization? To develop strong social ties between farmers and
industrialists. They wanted to win back power from the railroads.
Was it successful? Fairly successful (Munn vs. Illinois)
Farmers Populists and Politics
The Election of 1896 Populist candidate William Jennings Bryan makes a
bid for the White House but falls short to Republican President William McKinley. One of the major issues during the campaign was the passage and coinage of free silver
What is free silver? Free coinage of silver would produce cheap money or
currency inflated in value that would make it easy for farmers to pay off debts
Why do you think William McKinley was opposed to free silver? He had the support of big business