WARMUP #1
Between 1869 and 1875, more than 200 major
battles were fought between U.S. government
forces and various Native American tribes.
Why was there so much fighting during this period?
What political, social & economic factors increased
the friction between Native Americans & white
Americans? Explain your answer in one clear
paragraph.
Push & Pull Factors
push factors ( - ) :
•
high unemployment (lack of jobs)
•
overcrowding
•
pollution
•
increased crime
•
racial discrimination & prejudice (African-Americans)
•
religious persecution (Mormons)
pull factors ( + ) :
•
manifest destiny
•
a new & fresh start
•
“the American dream”
•
religious freedom (Mormons to Utah via Brigham Young)
•
racial freedom (Exodusters: African-American cowboys)
•
Homestead Act 1862: 160 acres of free land (if settled)
•
Morrill Land Grant Act: creation of agricultural colleges (i.e. Texas A&M)
Problems faced by “the Farmers”
•
•
•
•
•
dry, arid climate (…it does not rain often enough…)
lack of sources of water
locusts & other pests
Native Americans
lack of farming knowledge
…& down the road, the abuses of the railroads!
Inventions & Innovations to
Assist “The Farmers”
•
•
•
•
mechanical reaper: to harvest crops easier
steel plow: till the dry, hard ground
steel windmill: creates energy without water
dry farming: grow crops that are not as waterdependent (i.e. wheat, barley, oats)
• Morrill Land Grant Act
• cooperatives → “The Grange”
• …& if not interested in farming, Joseph Glidden’s
barbed wire for cattle ranchers!
The Frontier West
I. The Struggle of
the Great Plains’ Native Americans
A. Over 200,000 Native Americans lived in the Great
Plains following the Civil War (The Great Plains = area
between the Mississippi River & the Rocky Mountains)
B. Conflict with settlers in the East before the Civil War
resulted in the removal policy which placed Native
Americans in the Trans-Mississippi West, most in
Oklahoma territory
C. Peace Commissions (U.S. Army & Native American
agents) sent to meet with Great Plains’ Native
Americans in 1867 & 1868 & promised aid & noninterference
D. Conflicts between
Native Americans & U.S. Army
1. Sand Creek Massacre: 1864. 450 Arapaho & Cheyenne men,
women & children killed in Colorado Territory by Colonel
Chivington's volunteer forces (Chivington’s Raid)
2. Battle of Little Big Horn: July 4, 1876. General George
Armstrong Custer & 264 troops killed by Sioux Native Americans
in Montana Territory
3. Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce captured by U.S. Army after 1300mile chase (“I will fight no more forever”)
4. Wounded Knee Massacre: 1890. 200 unarmed Sioux killed after
Sitting Bull was killed
Helen Hunt Jackson’s The Century of Dishonor: examining the
American government’s mistreatment of Native Americans
(including the slaughter of the buffalo)
E. Dawes Act (1887) sought to “Americanize” Native
Americans (assimilation: attempting to change
one’s native ways of life to American ways of life)
1. Reservations divided among families in 160-acre
segments
2. Tribal loyalties had to be renounced to gain
American citizenship
3. Between 1887 & 1934, Native Americans lost over
half of their reservation lands to white settlers
II. Gold & Silver Fever
A. Strikes brought thousands of settlers
1. Gold discovered in Colorado in 1858. Gold ran
out quickly, with very few fortunes being made
2. Silver discovered in Virginia City, Nevada
(Comstock Lode). More than $100 million
extracted by most ambitious miner, John Mackay.
A. between 1860 & 1890, $2 billion in gold &
silver mined in the West
“goldbugs” = preference for gold
“silverites” = preference for silver
III. Cattle Ranching in the West
A. Western lands & open range proved ideal for cattle
ranching (cowboys = ranchers)
1. Railroads opened up Eastern markets for beef
2. “Texas Longhorns” brought in herds of 3,000 cattle
from Texas to railhead towns such as Abilene &
Dodge City (“The Long Drive”)
B. “Open range” ended in 1880s
1. Harsh winters of 1885 & 1886 wiped out herds
2. Barbed wire (invented by Joseph Glidden) allowed
farmers to fence range land to keep cattle from grazing
“barbed wire” = keep cattle in!
IV. Farmers on the Frontier
A. Tough life for settlers on woodless plains (sod
houses/”soddies”)
---dry, arid climate with locusts & pests
A. Homestead Act (1862) brought settlers to West from East &
Europe (basically free land of 160-acre sections)
C. Railroads established towns; sold land after huge land grants
from the government “bonanza towns” = towns/settlements
controlled by corporations
•
Who’s building the railroads?
– Chinese, Irish & Mexican immigrants (extreme prejudice!)
D. Last major section of the West settled with Oklahoma Land
Rush of 1889
V. Closing of the Frontier
A. 1890 U.S. Census declared that “the frontier” was
closed
B. Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis ("The Frontier in
American History") stated:
1. The frontier was a critical development of
American democracy
2. Self-reliance & independent nature of American
culture were fostered by “the frontier”
WARMUP #2
When the United States Census Bureau issued its
1860 report, it included “civilized Indians” in the
statistics.
What do you think the word “civilized” means here?
Do you think that Native Americans would agree
with this use of the word as applied to their
condition in 1860? Write a clear paragraph
explaining your answer. Support your opinion with
some examples from history.
WARMUP #3
The Homestead Act of 1862 was designed to settle the
Western United States beyond the Great Plains. Under
this Act, a farmer could have 160 acres of land for free
after living on it for 5 years. Or, after 6 months on the
land, he could buy it at $1.25 an acre. The law was
meant to benefit small farmers & urban workers. Only 1
of out of every 9 acres of Western land actually ended
up in the hands of small farmers. Western land did not
prove to be as easy to cultivate as land in the East.
Who ended up owning the land? Why? Name at least 3
reasons, small farmers found it hard to settle in the
West.
Why Did The Farmers Struggle?
•
•
•
•
•
dry, arid climate (…it does not rain often enough…)
lack of sources of water
locusts & other pests
Native Americans
lack of farming knowledge
…& the abuses of the railroads!
Why So Many Problems
With The Railroads?
1) increasing of freight prices
I. why is this significant?
A. the farmers are reliant on the railroads to get
their crops to market (higher expenses = lower
profits: P = R – E)
2) crime along the tracks
3) increased pollution
4) running through occupied land
I. building of bonanza towns
II. telegraph lines for communication purposes
The Farmers Unite!
the farmers of the West will team up against the
railroads’ abuses:
• cooperatives
→ the Grange “social outlet”
→ Populist Party (“the people’s party”)
POPULISM
Goals of The Populist Party
• government regulation of the railroads
– Interstate Commerce Act
• graduated income tax
– tax rate increases with increases in income (the more $$$
you make, the more you get taxed)
– 16th Amendment
• direct election of senators
– the people vote in their senators, not state legislatures
– 17th Amendment
• bimetallism
– paper currency backed by gold AND silver
• why? the farmers cannot afford currency only the gold
standard…if with silver too, they have more $$$
The Populists Get “Popular”
As their ideas become increasingly popular, the farmers gain in
national prominence…& by 1896, the Populist Party will
nominate a candidate for President:
1896 ELECTION:

William Jennings Bryan (Populist/Democratic Party)
“Cross of Gold” speech: the gold standard is “crucifying”
the farmers…thus, the serious need for bimetallism
(“silverites” = preference for silver)
VS.

William McKinley (Republican Party)
“goldbugs” = preference for gold
WHO WINS???
 William McKinley & the Republicans
Why? Because Eastern factory workers feared inflation!
WARMUP #4
The second half of the 19th Century was an era of westward expansion. During this
time, many Mexican-Americans & Native Americans were caught in the
government’s grab for land for white settlement & development.
What happened to these groups? Explain. Copy the chart below & fill in as much
information as possible. You may need to use resource materials to answer some
of the questions.
Mexican-Americans
Did they get to keep their homes & land?
Did they resist the U.S. government?
Was employment available in the areas
where they ended up living?
Was there any assimilation (mixing in) with
the newly-arrived white culture?
Native Americans