Westward Expansion 1865-1914

U.S. Land Acquired in the 1800s

Manifest Destiny Americans believed they should own all the land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; coast to coast. Therefore when America acquired new land we began “westward expansion”.

COSTS OF EXPANSION NEAR EXTINCTION OF BUFFALO DAMAGE TO ENVIRONMENT DISPLACEMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS TREATMENT OF IMMIGRANTS

Gold Rush-1849 - 1870 Gold was discovered in California in 1849. The Comstock Lode, a Bonanza, was later discovered in Nevada. Immigrants, such as Mexicans, Chinese and the Irish, went to work in the mines. BY 1860 1/3 WESTERN MINERS WERE CHINESE Immigrants were treated poorly with long hours, low pay and very dangerous work.

MINERS SERIES OF GOLD STRIKES COLORADO PIKES PEAK 1859 NEVADA COMSTOCK LODE 1859 CALIFORNIA 1849 Other states: IDAHO MONTANA ARIZONA SOUTH DAKOTA

People moved West to find gold

Boom towns and Ghost towns Gold or Silver strike Miners arrive and build a small town. More people come to sell supplies. Real houses get built. Boom Town Gold or silver production falls – decreases. Miners move on. The town is abandoned. Ghost Town.

One man panning for gold I hope I find gold and become rich!

Working on the mine

FARMERS/SETTLERS EXODUSTERS SODBUSTERS OR “SODDIES” USED DRY FARMING WERE HOMESTEADERS

African Americans Moved West

African Americans who moved west were called Exodusters. Many African Americans moved to the West from the 1840s to late 1890s. They were escaping the difficult life in the South where Whites practiced Jim Crow Laws and denied African Americans their new Constitutional Rights

Exodusters moving West. I hope there’s no KKK. Maybe we can vote in the West.

PUSH FACTORS—Settlers DISPLACED FARMERS, FORMER SLAVES, WORKERS COST OF EASTERN FARMLAND TOO COSTLY PEOPLE EXPERIENCED ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS REPRESSION

PULL FACTOR PULL FACTOR – PRIVATE PROPERTY LEGALLY ENFORCEABLE, TRANSFERABLE PROPERTY RIGHTS LIMIT SETTLERS’ RISK LAND REGISTERED, MEASURED,AND DEEDED BRANDING (CATTLE) CHEAP/FREE LAND MORE SPACE

PULL FACTOR - GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGEMENT OF SETTLEMENT PACIFIC RAILWAY ACTS 1862 & 1864 Large land grants to Railroads Total lands about 175 million acres MORRILL LAND-GRANT ACT 1862 State governments given land to sell to raise money Sold to bankers and land speculators HOMESTEAD ACT 1862 160 acres, 5 years

The Homestead Act of 1862.

Homesteaders. People moved West to stake their claim.

People traveled West on wagon roads, and on the railroad and by steamship.

A difficult life for the farmers Farmers had to cut through thick, hard earth called sod. Winters were harsh; cold, windy with a lot of snowstorms called blizzards. Summers were hot and had little rain. Farmers had to use a technique called dry-farming (growing crops that needed little water.) Sometimes grasshoppers would eat all the crops.

Plowfarms, plows and families in front of their sodhouses Plowfarms, plows and families in front of their sodhouses. (soddies and sodbusters)

The Grange Many farmers took out loans for supplies to build their farms. When prices began to fall due to overproduction, many farmers could not repay their debts. The Grange became a political movement to help farmers deal with their concerns. The Grange pressured railroads to reduce their rates to haul goods to market.

The Cattle Kingdom

DEMAND SPURS GROWTH PRIOR TO CIVIL WAR – PORK PREFERRED SNUBBING OF PORK –UNWHOLESOME NATIONAL BEEF BINGE!!! GROWTH OF CATTLE RANCHES

Cowboys and Vaqueros

Ranchers and Cowhands drove the cattle to the Transcontinental Railroad.

Why did the Cattle Kingdom fail? When: MID 1880’S Why: OVER EXPANSION PRICE DECLINES WEATHER – COLD AND HOT CATTLE FEVER BARBED WIRE (ended open grazing and cattle drives) SHEEP became popular

Why did the Cattle Kingdom fail?

The Transcontinental Railroad finished in 1869.

“The Wedding of the Rails” Central Pacific and Union Pacific 1st TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD May 10, 1869 at Promontory, Utah “The Wedding of the Rails” Central Pacific and Union Pacific

Promontory, Utah

Many Immigrants, such as Irish, Mexicans and Chinese were building the Railroad.

The Union Pacific meets the Central Pacific in Utah in 1869.

Impact of the Railroads Railroads brought growth and new settlement all across the West. The railroads enabled people, supplies, and mail to move quickly and cheaply and safer across the plains and the mountains. The largest cities and towns developed where major railroad lines met. Because of their rapid growth, western territories began to apply for statehood. Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington all became states from 1864 – 1890.

The Railroad spurs the growth of other industries. The lumber industry grows, because wood is needed to build the train tracks. The steel industry grows because steel is needed to build the tracks. The coal industry grows because coal is needed to fuel the train. The growth of these industries opens thousands of new jobs for workers.

The Great Plains

The location of the Great Plains.

States on the Plains. Homesteaders came to the Plains to farm the land. Miners searched for gold. Railroad companies built the railroads. Exodusters came to Kansas to start a new life and later some became miners, Homesteaders, and worked on the railroad. Immigrants worked on railroads, in mines, and became Homesteaders.

Buffalo roamed the Plains.

Native American Land Native Americans lived here first. At first the U.S. tried “assimilating” the Native Americans. This is seen through many phases including the creation of reservations and passage of the Dawes Act.

The Dawes Act divided Indian land into 160 acre farms The Dawes Act divided Indian land into 160 acre farms. Some farms were given to the Indians in hopes they would “assimilate” and become farmers. But all land not given to the Native Americans was sold to Whites for low prices.

Indian Boarding Schools Children were usually immersed in European-American culture through appearance changes with haircuts, were forbidden to speak their native languages, and traditional names were replaced by new European-American names (to both "civilize" and "Christianize"). The experience of the schools was often harsh, especially for the younger children who were separated from their families. In numerous ways, they were encouraged or forced to abandon their Native American identities and cultures.

Not all Natives Wanted to Assimilate Native Americans and Whites came into bloody conflicts over the land. They tried to protect their lands, but ultimately, the United States government forced them onto reservations.

The buffalo is used for tepees, clothes, tools, food and more.

The buffalo hide business becomes popular and settlers kill millions of buffalo—helps to force many Native Americans onto reservations.

BROKEN PROMISES! The United States government made many treaties with the Native Americans not to fight and not to touch certain areas of their land. For example, The Fort Laramie Treaty was a treaty made with the Cheyenne tribe, where Americans said an area of land belonged to the Cheyenne forever! However, when gold was discovered there, the Americans forced them to sign a new treaty giving up the land. The United States government broke many treaties with the Native Americans.

Many Wars. Many Heroes. Many Wars Sioux War of 1876 The Apache Wars Battle of Little Bighorn Nez Perces Many Heroes Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse Geronimo Lakotas & Cheyenne Chief Joseph

Laws today protect Native American Reservations.