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.

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