A. Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm.

SS5H3 THE STUDENT WILL DESCRIBE HOW LIFE CHANGED IN AMERICA AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

a. Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm Trail. b. Describe the impact on American life of the Wright brothers (flight), George Washington Carver (science), Alexander Graham Bell (communication), and Thomas Edison (electricity). c. Explain how William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt expanded America’s role in the world; include the Spanish-American War and the building of the Panama Canal. d. Describe the reasons people emigrated to the United States, from where they emigrated, and where they settled. e. Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans; include the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the relocation of Native Americans to reservations.

THE CHANGING NATION

When the Civil War came to an end, the nation was in need of repair. Slaves were now free, but parts of the country had been destroyed. The cost of the war was high and jobs were scarce. In Texas, though little fighting occurred there, areas were ruined, yet cattle were abundant. You could say that the longhorns rescued Texas.

What do you think happened to theprice of cattle in Texas since there were so many of them?

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As Northern cities grew, beef was in demand. With supply low and demand high, people were willing to pay $40 a head for cattle. The high price was an incentive for ranchers. The abundance of cattle in Texas and the increasing demand in the North helped shape the cattle trails of the 1800s. Cowboys began driving their longhorns to new railroad towns in Kansas, connecting the open range with Kansas and beyond.

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MAP OF CATTLE TRAILS

http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/burns/Unit_2_Westward/Unit2_Western_RRs_Cattle_Trails_300g80.GIF

CHISHOLM TRAIL

During the Civil War, while many Texans were fighting, the cattle multiplied. By the mid 1860s, cattle were worth $4 a head in Texas, but were worth $40 a head in both the North and the East. The Chisholm Trail, one of the largest in the country, was named for trader Jesse Chisholm. Herds as large as ten thousand were driven on this trail from Texas to Kansas, walking about ten miles a day. The Chisholm Trail had its advantages over other trails. It was further west and avoided farmers that did not want cattle passing through their land. Streams were also smaller and easier to cross, grass was better, and less skirmishes with Indians was a definite plus.

All photos this page: Library of Congress

GREAT WESTERN TRAIL

The Great Western Trail, less known than the famous Chisholm Trail, was actually longer in length and was in existence two years longer than the Chisholm Trail. Transport on the trail declined in 1885 with the introduction of barbed wire. Overgrazing, drought, and the expansion of railroads covering most of the country led to the eventual end of the cattle trails.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20087733@N00/421746829

LIFE ON THE TRAIL

Life on the trail was anything but easy. Driving about 1500-2500 cattle a day was difficult. Cowboys took turns guarding the herd, often singing them songs to calm the restless animals. The routine was often boring and tedious, unless a rattlesnake crossed their path. Working to exhaustion daily, coupled with bad weather, cowboys were suspect to illness. The threat of stampede was what cowboys feared the most. If cattle were frightened, a stampede was likely and destruction could be horrific. Wages were about $40 a month, paid only after the cattle were sold.

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ECONOMIC VALUE

Towns along the trails, such as Abilene, Kansas, flourished and grew. The economy of towns that were suitable for railroads improved. These towns soon became headquarters for buying and selling. Abilene, and other railheads, were where herds of cattle were shipped to the stockyards. Additionally, towns along the trails also prospered as riders needed to stop for rest and relaxation.

BLACK COWBOYS

Though we most often see white cowboys in the western movies, truth be told, one out of every four cowboys following the Civil War were African American. Between the years of 1865 to 1880, a cowboy was one of the few opportunities or professions a former slave could hold with dignity, encountering less discrimination along the trail than other professions. A typical crew on the trail consisted of a trail chief, a cook, and usually eight cowboys to take care of the horses. Between these years, an average crew often included two or three black cowboys.

Nat Love, born a slave in Tennessee, was the most

famous of all African American cowboys.

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NATIVE AMERICANS

At the same time that African Americans were enslaved and mistreated, the federal government, under President Andrew Jackson, supported the removal of Native American tribes in southeastern states to western territories. Just as slavery was a controversial issue, so was the Indian Removal Act of the 1830s. For some Americans, removal was welcomed as it permitted them to move onto Native American land, for others, this was cruel and wrong.

IMPACT ON NATIVE AMERICANS

After the Civil War, the 14th amendment was ratified to ensure Civil Rights for Americans not presently receiving them. This amendment gave citizenship to all person regardless of race that were born or naturalized in the United States. It further ensured that no person would be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, and no person could be denied equal protection of the laws. Despite the wording this amendment - “No Person” – this still did not include Native Americans.

“ Equal Rights For

All?

Even Ulysses S. Grant acknowledged these inequalities in his inaugural address in 1869. Grant stated, “The proper treatment of the original occupants of this land--the Indians [is] one deserving of careful study. I will favor any course toward them which tends to their civilization and ultimate citizenship.”

Grant’s Inauguration March 4, 1869

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The inequality in treatment, the taking of Native American land, and the further destruction of their main source of food, adversely impacted the lives of Native Americans in this era.

Santanta, Chief of the Kiowas, was quoted as saying, “A long time ago this land belonged to our fathers; but when I go up to the river I see camps of soldiers here on its bank. These soldiers cut down my timber; they kill my buffalo; and when I see that, my heart feels like bursting; I feel sorry.”

Wikipedia Commons

Click on picture to view short video of Impact of the Indian Removal Act

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Map showing the landsAssigned to Emigrant

Indians

BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN

As westward expansion continued, additional territories were opened to settlers, which was in direct violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Angry Sioux and Cheyenne Indians left their reservations and prepared to fight for their land. Lt. Colonel George Custer and his Seventh Calvary ignored orders to wait and decided to attack. Not realizing the number of warriors, Custer and his men were eventually killed in what is considered the worst American military disaster ever. In spite of the victory, boundary lines were redrawn by the American government, placing the Black Hills outside of the reservation and open for settlement. “Custer’s last stand” turned out to be the last stand for the broken Sioux as well.

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MOVEMENT AND MIGRATION

As many were migrating to the move North and West, the population in America increased dramatically with immigrants flooding into the country. Waves of immigrants arrived in the U.S. and American cities swelled.

Immigrants came to America for different reasons. Many were fleeing economic or political deprivation in their country. Others escaped famine and/or religious persecution. The rise of industries and the growth of the railroad system created thousands of jobs that offered powerful incentives to prospective immigrants seeking a new life. By many, America was considered the Golden Land or the Land of Opportunity.

IMMIGRATION MAP

Click on map for interactive map of European emigrants.Captions include the country/countries they left and the reason/s for immigration.

ELLIS ISLAND

Immigrants entering The country from Europe usually came through Ellis Island. Not every immigrant entered through this immigration station.First class immigrants were examined on the ship, while steerage, or third-class faced the prospect of deportation at Ellis Island.

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ANGEL ISLAND

Port of Angel IslandImmigrants from Asia entered the country through the Immigration station off the coast of California, Angel Island.

LIFE WAS HARDThe “Golden Land” was not exactly golden for every

immigrant. Many immigrants lived in tenements. A tenement is a run-down and often overcrowded apartment in large cities. Many were still discriminated against and given the most difficult or dangerous jobs to perform. Hours were long, pay was low and conditions were unsafe.

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IMMIGRATION AND INVENTIONS

The 1800s was a Golden Age for America though in the terms of inventions and technology. Much of the economic growth of the United States can be contributed to immigrant inventors. This era brought many new inventions and improved technology immeasurably.

WRIGHT BROTHERS

Orville and Wilbur Wright, not only solved a long-studied technical problem in aviation, but opened a whole new world through travel. Their flight in Kitty Hawk, NC, may have only lasted 12 seconds, but it was significant as it was the first manned, powered, and flight-controlled aircraft ever. The basics of their science and engineering helped advance flight and literally put a man on the moon.

Click on photo to view short video on the first flight

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THOMAS EDISON

Thomas Edison is probably the most famous of all American inventors. He holds a world record of 1,093 patents, either singly or jointly. Before he died, he had invented the phonograph, the transmitter for the telephone speaker, an improved light bulb, and key elements of motion-picture apparatus, as well as other bright inventions. He also created the world's first industrial research laboratory. During World War I, Edison was approached by the U.S. government to head the Naval Consulting Board. Due to his beliefs on violence, he agreed, but only to work on defensive weapons.

Click on photo to learn more about Edison

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GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER

George Washington Carver was born a slave. Free after the Civil War, the search for knowledge became a driving force in his life. Since many schools would not accept blacks, George was taught by his mom, but eventually graduated high school and college. He began working as a teacher at the African-American Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. Carver conducted research on methods of crop rotation and alternative cash crops using the peanut. His work in this area helped struggling sharecroppers in the South. He devised over 100 products using the peanut—including dyes, plastics and gasoline, and became one of the most famous agricultural scientists ever.

Carver is buried on the grounds of the Tuskegee Institute. His epitaph reads: “He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world.”

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ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL

Alexander Graham Bell, born in Scotland, was another immigrant inventor that changed America and the world. Bell took up his father’s cause of teaching speech to the deaf. It was this cause and many years working on the transmission of sound by electricity, that the invention of the telephone came about. He established Bell Telephone, the first telephone company, continued to experiment in communication and in techniques for teaching speech to the deaf.

Early drawings by Bell Kept in a folder titled, “The Telephone” , found at the Library of Congress.

WILLIAM MCKINLEY

Though William McKinley’s presidency was cut short with his assassination in 1901, McKinley will be remembered for moving the United States onto the world stage. At the time of McKinley’s presidency, the U.S. was being blamed for imperialism. Imperialism is defined as “the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.”

McKinley did much to expand the nation and promote industrialization. His presidency was one that witnessed rapid economic growth in the country. Initially against war with Spain, when compromise was impossible, the U.S. declared war on Spain and the Spanish-American War began.

The short-lived war resulted in a U.S. gain of the Spanish colonies of Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, and Cuba gained independence. During his administration, McKinley also annexed Hawaii as a U.S. territory, further expanding the country.

Hawaii

Guam

Philippines

Puerto Rico

William McKinley’s reelection poster in 1900, and U.S. territories gained during his presidency.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND THE ROUGH RIDERS

Teddy Roosevelt had pushed for war against Spain. When this occurred, he quickly called for volunteers to be part of a regiment he called “The Rough Riders”. This group consisted of about 1,250 men; mostly cowboys, Indians, and Ivy League athletes. The common thread between these men were they could ride, shoot and would be in shape without the need for extensive training. Click on the picture to watch a short video about Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. Unfortunately, about 37 percent of the men were casualties, but most lost their lives because of tropical diseases, such as malaria, not battle.

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/Rough_Riders.htm

PANAMA CANAL

After his success in Cuba, McKinley asked Theodore Roosevelt to be his running mate for his second term. When McKinley was assassinated, Roosevelt began his presidency. As president, he saw the need for a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and a way to unite the territories the U.S. now held.

Roosevelt worked hard to ensure the construction of the Panama Canal, but first he had to gain control of the land where the canal would be built. At the time, Colombia owned Panama, and when they would not agree to the canal, a revolution, though brief, was engineered. The U.S. gained control, and the building of the canal was underway.

SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

There were many factors which brought about the Spanish American War, primarily, the U.S. had been disturbed by the relationship between Spain and Cuba. Hoping to maintain good relations with Cuba for economic reasons, President McKinley sent the warship, the U.S.S. Maine, to Havana Harbor to protect U.S. interests there. When the Maine exploded suddenly, Spain was believed to be at fault. “Yellow journalism”, an exaggeration of facts or events, led many Americans to believe Spain was responsible. A Republican Senator was quoted as saying, “Outside Havana all is changed. It is not peace, nor is it war. It is desolation and distress, misery and starvation.” Within days, Congress declared War on Spain. Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, the war lasted approximately 100 days.

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The destroyed U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor, Cuba

CONSTRUCTION OF THE PANAMA CANAL

Lock construction on the canal

Click on map to watch a live cam of the Panama Canal

Construction of the canal

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_phongrph_1.html

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres33.html

http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-carver-9240299?page=3

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179233/Thomas-Alva-Edison

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/C/CH045.html

http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/8/unit/act3.1.html

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/custer.htm

Fasttrack Teaching Materials. Springfield, VA. Copyright 1999. Used by Permission.

http://greatwesterncattletrail.com/along_gwct_a/along_gwct.html

http://history1800s.about.com/od/immigration/Immigration.htm

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/William_McKinley

http://paspanishamericanwar.com/war.html

Santella, Andrew. The Chisholm Trail. Children’s Press. New York, 1997.

http://www.smithsoniansource.org/content/dbqs/westwardexpansion/impact_westward_expansion.pdf

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/Rough_Riders.htm

http://tribstar.com/history/