Chapter 17
Rural America: The
West and the New
South
The American People, 6th ed.
I. Modernizing Agriculture
 The expansion of American agriculture was
inextricably tide to world demand
 Many European nations had to import the bulk of
their food, especially England
 America’s new role as the agricultural center of
the western world depended on technological
innovation to make crop production more
efficient
 This often backfired as a surplus of foodstuffs
caused the market price to fall
II. The West
The Great Plains
 The Great Plains of the West initially
discouraged traditional farmers, but
cattlemen found the region perfect
grazing land
 By the end of the Civil War’s blockades,
the southern plains were crowded with
herds of cattle
 Railroads changed the common views of
the region and encouraged settlement
Cornucopia on the Pacific
 Americans rushed to California to earn
their share of the Gold Rush but usually
ended up farming
 Fresh fruits and vegetables became
California's largest export
The Mining West
 Thousands of settlers rushed west to join
the mining craze of the 1840s
 Silver, iron, copper, lead, zinc, and tin
were as important as gold
 Real mining required a large labor force
and expensive machinery
 Most independent miners panning
streams never made their fortunes
Exploiting Natural Resources
 The clear cutting of the nation’s forests
were a byproduct of aggressive mining
techniques and construction of towns and
railroads
 Removal of the forests changed the nature
of soil composition, water flow, and the
habitats of native animals
 Many Americans became uneasy and
called for government intervention and
conservation
III. Resolving the Indian
Question
The Plains Indians
 The American government’s perspective
was that all Native Americans must
relocate in one of two areas: Oklahoma
and South Dakota
 Confined to reservations, the tribes would
be transitioned into the white culture
 Some tribes refused to comply and were
systematically extinguished
IV. The New South
Cotton Still King
 A new agricultural South with new class
and economic arrangements emerged
 High cotton prices immediately after the
war persuaded southern farmers to grow
as much cotton as possible; prices
quickly spiraled downward, throwing the
entire region into more debt and poverty
The Nadir of Black Life
 In the late 1800s, many Congressional
bills from Reconstruction aimed to
support and assist the newly freed slaves
were cast aside by a new generation of
politicians
V. Farm Protest
The Grange
 The earliest effort to organize white farmers was
fronted by Oliver Kelley in 1867
 Called the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, the
social club grew quickly to include more than 800,000
 Now known as the National Grange, Kelley’s
organization sought to reform the ways in which
agricultural business was done; striving to bypass the
middlemen such as railroad shippers and grain
elevator owners
 Their lobbying led to legislation regarding how railroads
could be regulated for the common good of the country