Unit 1 Bridge to the 20 th Century 1877 – 1917

Unit 1Bridge to the 20th Century

1877 – 1917

Chapter 5Changes on the Western

Frontier1877 - 1900

Great Plains

Grasslands extending through the west-central

portion of U.S.

Great Plains

And just when you can’t take one more scene of grass and dirt …

… thank goodness for the cows!

“Go West Young Man”• Changes on Western Frontier

– Late 1890s – American west is last frontier– Ranchers, cowboys, miners, homesteaders

forever change lives of Plains Indians“I cried aloud … and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit. Since the day I was taken from my mother I had suffered extreme indignities … and now my long hair was shingled like a coward’s! In my anguish I moaned for my mother, but no one came … Now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.” Zitkala-Sa, pg. 202

• 1834– All Great Plains = One enormous Indian

Reservation– Many tribes

– Nomadic lifestyle – move around– Hunt buffalo and gather food

• 1850s– U.S. Gov’t puts boundaries on tribes– Tribes ignore Gov’t restrictions

– clash with other tribes, settlers, miners

Whites’ view of Indians

SavagesUncivilized

Uneducated

If you don’t improve the land (build on it), then you

forfeit your right to it

No religionNo education

No government

Reality

* Hunted* Planted Crops* Gathered food* Lived in villages

* Traded goods with other tribes* Followed tribal laws* Fought when needed* “Counting Coup”* Ruled by counsel, land for everyone

* Family life – men, women, children all had roles* Religion – spirits, medicine man* Children were educated* Lived with extended family

Expansion & Restrictions Bring Conflicts• Silver & Gold• Sand Creek Massacre• Bozeman Trail• Red River War• Gold Rush in Black Hills• Custer’s Last Stand

Treaty of Fort Laramie• As Gov’t allowed more people to move westward,

railroads grew, towns sprung up• Forced more treaties -- gain land, stop fighting• Treaty of Fort Laramie - 1868

– Sioux to live on reservation - Missouri River– Sitting Bull (Hunkpapa Sioux) never signed it– Ogala and Brule Sioux did sign, but expected to

continue using their traditional hunting grounds– Only temporarily halted warfare.

Gold Rush & Custer• George A. Custer - U.S.

Colonel• “Gold from the grass roots

down” in Black Hills• Black Hills sacred to Sioux• Broke Ft. Laramie Treaty

• Custer’s 7th Calvary crushed, killed by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse & other Indian warriors

• Known as “Custer’s Last Stand”

George Custer

Dawes Act - Passed in 1887• Goals

– Make more land available to whites– Assimilate Indians & break up reservations– Gave some land to individual Indians - private

• 160 acres each family head/80 acres each single adult

• Indians don’t believe in owning land

• Money from sale of remaining land to be given to Indians - $$ millions

• Result: 2/3rd of land for Indians taken by whites - no money for Indians

Destruction of Buffalo• Railroads increase settlers, tourists, hunters• 1800

– 65 million buffalo• 1870-1890

– Fewer than 1,000• Native Americans relied on buffalo

– Food– Shelter– Fuel– Utensils, etc.

Battle of Wounded Knee• Sitting Bull forced onto reservation• Appeared in “Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show”•  Killed after Ghost Dances viewed as “uprising”• 300 unarmed Sioux killed at Wounded

Knee Creek by troops• Battle marks the end of wars between

Gov’t and Indians

Sioux Chief Sitting Bull

Cattle Becomes Big Business• Horses & cattle thrive on Plains• Cattle ranchers open Plains to big business• Ranching spreads from Texas to Kansas 

Demand for Beef in East• After Civil War – demand skyrockets

– Cities growing rapidly• Chicago Union Stockyards open – 1865• Railroads ship cattle east to Chicago – to East

Cattle Trails – Chisholm Trail• Major cattle

route from San Antonio, through Oklahoma, to Abilene, Kansas.

• Long drive – usually took about

3 months– were dangerous

• Men who worked drives became known as “cowboys”

End of the Open Range - Frontier• Cattle herds multiplied –

overgrazed• Bad weather – dry

summers, harsh winters• Barbed wire & railroads -

main reasons range closed–Ranchers fenced off

their lands preventing drives

Railroad Land Grants• Gov’t gave huge land

tracts to rails for laying tracks

• Created Bonanza Farms–Massive single-crop

farm –Rails & private

investors owned• Didn’t survive

Settling the Great Plains

Homestead Act– Intention: Encourage families to settle West– Passed by Congress in 1862– Offered 160 acres free to any citizen or

intended citizen -- head of the household– 600,000 families became “homesteaders”– Several thousand were exodusters – African

Americans who moved from South to West

Settling the Great Plains

Morrill Act– Passed in 1862 and 1890– Gave federal land to the states to

finance agricultural colleges– Helped eastern plains become

“breadbasket” of America

Michigan State University• MSU formally opened &

dedicated on May 13, 1857, at what is now East Lansing, the site of the present MSU

• First agricultural college in the nation

• Prototype for 72 land-grant institutions later established under the Morrill Act of 1862.

Settling the Great PlainsHow successfully did Gov’t settle Plains?•Homestead Act Result:

– Only 10% of land actually settled by those for whom it was intended

•Why? – People took land for own profit

•Increased miles of railroad tracks• Railroads abused power – especially over

farmers•Started cattle industry

Settling the Great PlainsHow did Railroads take advantage of farmers?

•Charged plains farmers higher fees than eastern farmers

•Charged more for shorter hauls; forced farmers into deeper debt

•Farmers already faced economic problems

Settling the Great PlainsFarmers faced:

– Inflation, high prices for farm equipment– In debt to buy new machinery, inventions– Falling crop prices– Tight money supply– Drought

• Larger farms suffered more – single crops

– Railroad shipping fees– Good farm land becoming scarce

Populism MovementGrange calls for:

– Setting up farmers’ cooperatives

– Teaching members to organize– Regulating railroads– Spent most time fighting

railroads

Populism MovementPopulist Party

– Populism = movement of the people– Party founded 1892

• Increase money supply – raise prices• Graduated income tax• A federal loan program• Changes in election laws• 8-hour workday• Immigration reform

– So popular – became Democratic Party Platform

Economics & Election - Panic of 1893

Deep depression – millions out of work• Republicans and Democrats divided • Central issue:

–Silver or Gold?• “Silverites” favored bimetallism

–Silver or gold backs paper money

–Would put money $$ in economy

• “Gold Bugs” favored Gold only• See chart on page 222

Economics & ElectionPresidential Election of 1896

– Republicans: William McKinley– Democrats: William Jennings Bryan– Populists endorse Bryan, but nominate a VP– McKinley

• Wins with 7 million votes• East and industrial Midwest

– Bryan• 6.5 million votes• South and farmers in Midwest

– Populism collapses• Legacy – downtrodden can organize and

impact politics

William McKinley

William Jennings Bryan

Ghost Towns Today

Carhenge

Alliance, Nebraska