The West and the Transcontinental Railroad

The West and the Transcontinental Railroad

Where is this?What are they doing?Why are they doing it?

A. The Great Frontier

1. The “West” constituted the Great Plains to CA.2. Virtually no whites in this area before 1865.3. Floods of people to this area after 1865.4. Inhabited by natives that have already been pushed westward.

a. Sioux & Comanche (Plains)b. Apache & Navajo (SW)c. Nez Perce & Shoshoni (NW)

5. Expansion spurred by Homestead Act (1862)

B. Homestead Act (1862)

1. Settler could acquire as much as 160 acres of land by living on it 5 yrs and making improvements on it.

2. Land given away by gov’t to encourage settlement of West

3. Caused problems with native tribes.

C. Native American clashes1. By 1860, 10,000s buffalo hunting

natives roamed western Plains.2. Organized into tribes and broken

down further by “bands” of 500.3. Western tribes never

successfully united politically or militarily.

4. Many treaties with US gov’t from before 1860, but pressure by white settlers to gain greater access to land made treaty-breaking, corruption and fraud prevalent.

5. Natives often gave up ancestral lands in exchange for food, supplies and the promise of being LEFT ALONE.

6. Warfarea. 1868-1890 – constant warfare

between whites and natives.b. US wants land for gold/mining vs.

natives avenging broken promises and treaties

i. Sioux Wars (1876-1877)• warriors led by Sitting Bull• US troops led by George A. Custer• Started in Black Hills, SD and ended in

Montana at Battle of Little Big Horn where Custer and his troops wiped out by Crazy Horse and Sioux Warriors.

ii. Nez Perce (Idaho) led by Chief Joseph • forced into Canada in 1877• Relocated to OK but only after 1/3 died

from disease

iii. Apache (AZ and NM) led by Cochise and Geronimo• Forced into Mexico• Relocated to OK and become successful

cattle farmers.

iv. Wounded Knee (1890)• Last major clash between US troops and

natives• US army sent to stop “Ghost Dance” – 300

killed

7. Result of the Indian Warsa. By 1890, all No. American tribes

on reservationsb. Natives ravaged by white

diseases and alcohol.c. Railroads

i. Cut through ancestral landsii. Brought endless supplies of US

troops and settlers.d. Killing of buffalo ended native

resistance to white westward movement.

i. 15 mil buffalo in 1868 – 1000 by 1885.

ii. Food supply destroyed, had to farm to eat.

e. Helen Hunt Jackson writes “A Century of Dishonor”

i. chronicling US deceit toward natives.

ii. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” of its timeiii. Inspired reform efforts to

“assimilate” natives.

8. Dawes Severalty Act (1887)a. Attempt to “assimilate”

natives into white cultureb. Gave native families 160

acres to farm.c. Accelerated already decaying

native culture.d. Remained federal policy

towards natives until FDR’s New Deal.

e. Natives become US citizens in 1924.

f. Currently 2 million Native Americans in US

D. Transcontinental Railroad1. Pacific Railway Act

(1862) –passed by Republican Congress during Civil War.

2. Work started in 1863a. Union Pacific built West

from Omaha using mostly Irish “paddies”.

b. Central Pacific Railway built east from Sacramento using mostly Chinese laborers.

c. Completed in 1869 at Promontory Point, UTi. UP built 1086

mi.ii. CP built 689 mi.

d. Hundreds lost

their lives in explosions and Indian raids

E. Impact of Transcontinental RR1. Linked entire continent by rail and

telegraph2. Paved the way for incredible growth of

West3. Seen as the most monumental

achievement.4. Travel time cut from 6 mo. to 1 week.5. Created huge domestic market for raw

materials and manufactured goods.6. Led to great exodus to cities from rural

areas in late 19th c.7. Large influx of immigrants due to RR

advertising in Europe and free land offers.8. Standardized time zones created 9. Makers of millionaires10. Natives marginalized and put on

reservations.11. Established 3 western frontiers – MINING,

CATTLE and FARMING

a. Miningi. Copper, lead, tin,

quartz and zinc more bountiful and profitable than gold and silver.

ii. Gold discovered at Pike’s Peak in CO (1859) – 100,000 ppl settle there.

iii. Comstock Lode (gold and silver) discovered in NV in 1859 – big population influx

b. Cattle raisingi. RR (and refrigerated cars)

made meat transport to cities faster

ii. Created the “long drive”• Cowboys drove herds thru

Plains until they reached a RR terminal.

• Cowboys mostly Mexican and black.

• Difficult living– Barbed wire invented by

homesteaders made driving cattle difficult

– Weather, lightning could be fatal for herd and themselves

– Overgrazing and water supplies limited.

c. Farmingi. Motivated by Homestead Actii. “free land” giveaways last until

1934.iii. Not all 160 acre plot created

equal • Many couldn’t make a go of it.• Many use RR to come back to

urban centers for jobs.

iv. Railroads and corporations controlled much land- farmers upset about this.

v. Improved irrigation techniques helped

vi. Glidden’s barbed wire helped protect crops from grazing cattle.

F. End of the Frontier1. Incredible growth from 1870-1890

a. states admitted from 1888-89.b. Feeling that “western frontier” no longer

existed now that all area had some settlement.

2. Economic Problems for Farmersc. Crop lien system – poor farmers

borrowed money at high rates and could not get out of debt.

d. Deflated currencye. Natural disastersf. High property taxesg. Charged high freight rates by RRs.h. Not represented and poorly organizedi. form Populist (or “People’s”) Party

G. Populism and the Populist Party1. Third party formed from

various farmers groups 2. Create a platform for 1892

Prez election3. Nominate James B. Weaver4. Won over 1 million votes

and 22 electoral votes - One of few third parties to win electoral votes

5. Party dies out, but issues carry on into Progressive era and eventually most get addressed/solved

• 6. Platforma. Free and unlimited coinage of solver (easier to pay

off debts)b. Graduated income tax (wealthy pay a higher %age of

their income, thus more money)*c. Gov’t ownership of telephone*, telegraph * and

railroad. (to keep rates affordable)d. Initiative, referendum and recall (more popular

involvement in state politics)*e. Limited land grants to settlers only, not to RRsf. Direct election of senators*g. 8 hr work day*