History of the West - Ash Grove R
advertisement
Unit 4 Notes Majors Changes in the Great Plains 1850-1880 HISTORY OF THE WEST NEW AGRICULTURAL EMPIRE Last heyday for the family farmer 1860—2 million farms The 1862 Homestead Act encouraged people to leave the east for 160 acres of free land. Moved to Great American Desert By 1872 farms were producing surplus—growing cash crops Expenses $500 for land $785 for machinery LAWS TO PROMOTE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST 1862 Homestead Act offers 160 acres free to any head of household 1862–1900, up to 600,000 families settle Exodusters — Southern African-American settlers in Kansas Railroad, state agents, speculators profit; 10% of land to families Government strengthens act, passes new legislation for settlers LAWS TO PROMOTE SETTLEMENT OF THE WEST (CON’T) Examples: 1873—Timber Culture Act 1877—Desert Land Act 1878—Timber and Stone Act Agricultural Education Morrill Act of 1862, 1890 finances agricultural colleges 1887 Hatch Act creates agricultural experiment stations NEW TECHNOLOGY AND METHODS Mass market for farm machines develops with migration to plains 1866—hay baler 1869—harrow 1874—barbed wire and grain drill 1876—hay loader 1877—chilled iron plow 1878—harvester and corn binder 1880—lister to plant corn NEW TECHNOLOGY AND METHODS (CON’T) The Farmers’ Alliances 1867, Oliver Hudson Kelley starts Patrons of Husbandry or Grange Purpose railroads is educational, social; by 1870s, Grange fighting Farmers’ Alliances — groups of farmers and sympathizers lectures on interest rates, government control of railroads, banks Better techniques Cooperative methods Social institution Political organization gain over 4 million members SOD BUSTERS OF THE PLAINS Dugouts and Soddies Few trees, so many settlers dig homes into sides of ravines or hills In plains, make soddy or sod home by stacking blocks of turf Houses 18 x 24 Dripped mud or leaked when it rained SOD HOMES, ETC. OF THE PLAINS SOD HOTEL IN SOUTH DAKOTA SODDIE WOMEN’S WORK Homesteaders virtually alone, must be selfsufficient Women do men’s work—plowing, harvesting, shearing sheep Do traditional work—carding wool, making soap, canning vegetables Weave cloth from animal hair Candles Soak ashes for lye to combine with grease for soap Gather buffalo chips or corn husks for fuel Work for communities—sponsor schools, churches WOMEN’S WORK (CON’T) Still legal barriers Wife could not sell property without husband’s permission Could not sue for divorce Could not serve on juries, as lawyers, or as witnesses Breaking of barriers Wyoming Territory allowed women suffrage in 1868. Utah Territory followed suit in 1870 and also allowed women to vote. WOMEN’S WORK (CON’T) Hazards Blizzards Drought Prairie fires insects Religion provided escape Code of the West Face any danger head on POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT • Officials merged public and private interests Railroad, lumber, and mining companies and owners influenced government Donated to both parties Politicians received retainers from western companies Lyman Trumbull was paid by the Illinois Central Railroad Iowa Congressman Grenville Dodge was on the Union Pacific Railroad payroll POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT (CON’T) • Officials merged public and private interests (Con’t) The shell company of Credit Mobilier was established so that its stockholders could oversee government assistance and create contracts with themselves to build their own railroad lines at tremendous profits. Shares were given to Congressmen to assure government assistance Speaker of the House, James G. Blaine Grant’s Vice Presidents Schuyler Colfax and Henry Wilson POLITICS OF DEVELOPMENT (CON’T) Farmers and the Railroad Business Railroads formed pools and set high rates for farmers to ship goods to market Munn v. Illinois 1877 States could regulate common carriers to prevent extremely high prices and pools RAILROADS Stimulated markets for industry Stimulated mining and agriculture Boon for cities Immigration (railroads advertised land for sale in Europe) Established time zones RAILROADS (CON’T) 1869 First Transcontinental Railroad Central Pacific Sacramento east Chinese Completed 689 miles Union Pacific Omaha west Irish Completed 1086 miles Federal loans to railroads $16,000 flat land $48,000 mountains Land bonuses 200-400 square miles per mile of track Became the biggest land owners in the West RAILROADS (CON’T) Marred by corruption Fraudulent stock Corrupt accounting Wholesale bribery (75 western railroads benefitted) Railroads Built Cities RAILROADS OPEN THE WEST 1850–1871, huge land grants to railroads for laying track in West 1860s, Central Pacific goes east, Union Pacific west, meet in Utah By 1880s, 5 transcontinental railroads completed Railroads sell land to farmers, attract many European immigrants PROBLEMS WITH THE RAILROADS Lack of competition lets railroads overcharge to transport grain Farms mortgaged to buy supplies; suppliers charge high interest WHY DID AMERICA NEED RAILROADS? Communication from East to West was not very good Travelling time from East to West took 6 months + It would help fulfil ‘Manifest Destiny’ The U.S. needed to keep up with other countries Trade links with China and Japan Help to bring law and order to the West EFFECT OF THE RAILROADS: Quick and easy travel to the West Previous Wagon methods Train Foot By boat Pony Express The railroad turned a 6 month journey into a maximum of 8 days EFFECT OF THE RAILROADS: (CON’T) Cheap land for people wanting to go West Once the Railroads were built the Railroad companies had no use for the excess land Sold land off cheap Benefitted Homesteaders and Ranchers who came west. Destruction of the Indians Hunters used the Railroad to go west to hunt the buffalo Hunters were only interested in buffalo skin 1875 southern buffalo herds wiped out 1885 northern buffalo herds wiped out Indians and Whites equally responsible for the devastation to the Buffalo population WHO ACTUALLY BUILT THE RAILROADS? Coolies (Central Pacific) & European immigrants (Union Pacfic) Chinese labourers Brought into the United States by the Central Pacific After slavery was abolished, there was a severe lack of labour in many European colonies Labourers were supposed to be recruited by voluntary negotiation, and this was probably usually the case, though kidnapping and trickery were frequent The treatment of coolies was often very harsh, and the government involved did little to remedy their plight WHO ACTUALLY BUILT THE RAILROADS? (CON’T) Use of Coolies during the railway boom Chinese coolies contributed to the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States (as well as the Canadian Pacific Railway in Western Canada) But the Chinese labourers were not welcome to stay after its completion 1862: California's Anti-Coolie Act of 1862 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act Both of these Acts contributed to the oppression of Chinese labourers in the United States ANALYZE THE POLITICAL CARTOON DRIVING THE LAST SPIKE: Union of Central Pacific & Union Pacific May 10, 1869: two rail lines meet at Promontory Point (mountains of Utah) Result of this union: By the early 1900s: 4 transcontinental lines & the US had a vast railroad system EFFECT OF THE RAILROADS: REVISITED Helps develop the Cattle Industry Cattle were transported by the railroads making it easier to move them from Texas to the East Cow Towns grew up around these railroad stops Sedalia, Missouri Cheyenne, Wyoming Abilene, Kansas Dodge City, Kansas Greeley, Colorado CATTLE KINGDOM Texas and high plains of New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana 1860 – 5 million head west of Mississippi Boom or Bust 25-40% Competition Natural controls—not enough grass, blizzards, drought CATTLE KINGDOM (CON’T) Used Mexican methods (horses, branding irons, riata[ ropes], chaps, spurs, broad-brimmed hat, cowhands, cattle drives) Trails Chisholm—to Ellsworth or Abilene Western—to Dodge City or Ogallala Sedalia-Baxter—to Sedalia or Baxter Springs Goodnight-Loving—to Denver or Cheyenne CHICAGO 1860—1870 population tripled Transportation center for resources Iron Coal Timber Processing center for raw materials Meat packing Flour mills Steel mills Agricultural equipment Distribution center for manufactured goods from the North RANGE WARS Open range v. fences Feed cattle v. range cattle Sheep v. cattle Control of water CATTLE BECOME BIG BUSINESS Vaqueros and Cowboys American settlers learn to manage large herds from Mexican vaqueros adopt way of life, clothing, vocabulary Texas longhorns — sturdy, short-tempered breeds brought by Spanish Cowboys not in demand until railroads reach Great Plains Growing Demand for Beef After Civil War demand for meat increases in rapidly growing cities CATTLE BECOME BIG BUSINESS (CON’T) The Cow Town Cattlemen establish shipping yards where trails and rail lines meet Chisholm Trail becomes major cattle route from San Antonio to Kansas A Day in the Life of a Cowboy A Day’s Work 1866–1885, up to 55,000 cowboys on plains 25% African American, 12% Mexican Cowboy works 10–14 hours on ranch; 14 or more on trail Expert rider, roper; alert for dangers that may harm, upset cattle CATTLE BECOME BIG BUSINESS (CON’T) Roundup The Long Drive During spring roundup, longhorns found, herded into corral Separate cattle marked with own ranch’s brand; brand calves Herding of animals or long drive lasts about 3 months Cowboy in saddle dawn to dusk; sleeps on ground; bathes in rivers Legends of the West Celebrities like “Wild Bill” Hickok, Calamity Jane never handled cows THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE Changes in Ranching Overgrazing, bad weather from 1883 to 1887 destroy whole herds Ranchers keep smaller herds that yield more meat per animal Fence land with barbed wire; turn open range into separate ranches MINING Spreads west to east Most made money supplying the miners Boom or Bust Quick profits (individuals) Followed by consolidation and order (corporations, machinery, paid labor) Mining areas grew large cities first Attracted immigrants California passed Foreign Miners’ Tax Riots against Chinese 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act DISCOVERING GOLD AND SILVER After the California gold rush, Colorado was next. Most who went there were disappointed, but the silver in the Comstock Lode in Nevada lasted for more than 20 years. The Klondike gold rush The Yukon Territory was the site of a huge gold rush, but getting there was treacherous Canadians required miners to bring a year’s worth of supplies with them, and that was a difficult task. Reports of “gold for the taking” were false. DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNITIES Mining camps and towns Thousands of men poured into mining areas. Camps were hastily built and had no law enforcement. Vigilante justice was used to combat theft and violence. Camps become towns Some camps developed into towns, with hastily constructed buildings of stores and saloons. As towns developed, women and children came to join the men, making the towns more respectable. Townspeople established churches, newspapers, and schools. 1849 CALIFORNIA CALIFORNIA, CONT. 1858 PIKE’S PEAK, COLORADO DENVER, COLORADO 1870 1859 VIRGINIA CITY, NEVADA COMSTOCK LODE 1870 PARK CITY, UTAH 1876 BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA 1880S ALTA, UTAH THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH The California gold rush began when gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill January 24, 1848 As the news of discovery spread, some 300,000 people came to California from the rest of the United States and abroad These early gold seekers called “49ers” traveled to California by sailing ships and covered wagons across the continent. THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH (CON’T) Techniques for retrieving gold At first a technique called panning was used to retrieve gold from streams and riverbeds. Hydraulic mining was later invented in California. This technique was created for larger scale gold mining Samuel Brannan Samuel Brannan was the first millionaire because of the California gold rush Brannan established the first newspaper in San Francisco called the California Star and also established the first school in San Francisco Brannan was elected to the California State Senate in 1853. He was also credited with developing banks, railroads, and telegraph companies. THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF THE GOLD RUSH Native Americans became the victims of disease, starvation, and genocidal attacks. The Native American population in 1845 was 150,000 The Native American population in 1870 was less than 30,000 Many people that journeyed to California from around the world never made it The Donner party - A total of 87 people from various families set out for California and became snowbound in the Sierra Nevada Only 48 of the original 87 pioneers survived THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF THE GOLD RUSH Towns and cities were charted Roads, schools, and churches were formed Improved transportation between California and the east coast All of these developments led to the statehood of California on September 9th, 1850 as the 31st state. TOMBSTONE Settled by Ed Schieffelin when he sought to discover silver Named it Tombstone and rumors of rich strikes made a boomtown of the settlement in Apache land Days of lawlessness and violence throughout the town’s history climaxed with the infamous Earp-Clanton battle Previously President Chester A. Arthur almost declared martial law By 1879 the town possessed nearly 100 permanent residents and thousands of campers At the time it was equal in population to San Francisco By mid-1880’s population around 7,500 For 7 years the mines produced millions of dollars in silver and gold When counting women, children, Chinese, Mexicans, and “ladies of the evening” the number reaches 15,000-20,000 Forced to shut down due to underground waters Multiple fires destroyed the city throughout its early years Yet known as “The Town too Tough to Die” TOMBSTONE (CON’T) Famous gunfight between the Earp’s and the Cowboys on October 26, 1881 outside the OK Corral Fight took 24 seconds and 30 shots fired Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury were all mortally wounded Questions over the legality of the event Population dwindled throughout the rest of the 19th and 20th Century Morgan Earp EARP GANG Wyatt Earp Virgil Earp Doc Holliday CLANTON GANG Tom McLaury Billy Clanton Frank McLaury DEATHS OF THE OK CORRAL FIGHT Ike Clanton
