AMERICA SETTLES THE WEST- CHAPTER 5: CHANGES ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER AMERICA SETTLES THE WEST- LATE 19TH CENTURY

A COVERED WAGON HEADS WEST THE SETTLEMENT OF THE FRONTIER Since the arrival of the first colonists, the American frontier shifted westward. Much of the last frontier consisted of the Great Plains, home to millions of buffalo and Native Americans, who lived off their food and hides. The lure of precious metals and the availability of cheap land sent settlers west. A COVERED WAGON HEADS WEST

A COVERED WAGON HEADS WEST THE LURE OF PRECIOUS METALS Even before the Civil War, settlers had been drawn to the California gold rush from 1848-1849 In 1896, a gold nugget was found near Canada's Klondike River near Alaska. Within months 100,000 gold seekers set out for the Yukon – only 30,000 competed the trip. This is known as the Klondike Gold Rush. A COVERED WAGON HEADS WEST

THE AVAILABILITY OF CHEAP LAND President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act in 1862. This act stated that any citizen could occupy 160 acres of government land. After 5 years, if the land had been “improved”, it was the citizens property. Almost 1,400,000 homesteads were granted under this act.

EXODUSTERS MOVE WEST African Americans who moved from the post- Reconstruction South to Kansas were called Exodusters Many exodusters took advantage of land deals

OKLAHOMA SOONERS In 1889, a major governmental land giveaway in what is now Oklahoma attracted thousands In less than a day, 2 million acres were claimed by settlers Some took possession before the government had officially declared it open – thus Oklahoma became known as the “Sooner State”

The Growth of Railroads Pre-Civilwar America’s Railroads were confined to the eastern states. Travel to the West was slow and difficult. The government pushed for a transcontinental railroad that would connect the Eastern States with the riches of California and the West. But what route would it take?

The Transcontinental Railroad Railroads had a significant impact on the: economic, cultural, and social development of the western U.S. Opinions differed as to which route to take. North or South? The Northern Route won. from Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California.

Building the Transcontinental Railroad Irish laborers, Free African Americans, and Civil War Vets started working westward from Omaha, NE. Chinese & other workers started eastward from Sacramento, CA. They met at Promontory Point, Utah.

The Golden Spike!!!!

Transcontinental Railroad

The Impact of the Railroads The Transcontinental Railroad connected the United States like never before. Decrease in Travel Time from the East to the West Coast. Before the Railroad = MONTHS. After = 6 DAYS Trains moved West with people and manufactured goods. They returned to the East with beef, wheat, lumber, and gold from the West.

THE IMPACT OF RAILROADS Railroad tracks often ran through Native American territories, leading to conflicts. From 1870 to 1890, the massive herds of Buffalo on the Great Plains were systematically destroyed by sharpshooters traveling by train and trails. This destruction threatened the Plains Tribe’s existence as their way of life revolved around the Buffalo

The Culling of the Herds 1800: 65 million buffalo roamed the plains 1890: less than 1000 remained

Destruction of the Buffalo

NATIVES AND SETTLERS CLASH 1834 – Government set aside all of the Great Plains as “Indian lands” 1850s- Government shifts policy, giving natives much smaller lands Conflict ensues

THE INDIAN WARS Troops were stationed in forts along the frontier after the Civil War. Tribes were defeated and moved onto reservations. Gold was found in the Black Hills of Dakota in 1875 and the Sioux were asked to leave.

THE INDIAN WARS The next year, 1876, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse defeated Gen. George Custer and 264 soldiers at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Within 2 years, however, Crazy Horse was killed and most of the Sioux were forced onto reservations.

HUNDREDS OF CORPSES WERE LEFT TO FREEZE ON THE GROUND BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE On December 29, 1890, the Seventh Cavalry (Custer’s old regiment) rounded up 350 Sioux and took them to Wounded Knee, S.D. A shot was fired – within minutes the Seventh Cavalry slaughtered 300 unarmed Natives This event brought the “Indian Wars”– and an entire era to a bitter end HUNDREDS OF CORPSES WERE LEFT TO FREEZE ON THE GROUND

BLACK ELK SPEAKING ABOUT WOUNDED KNEE “I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people’s dream died there. It was a beautiful dream... The nation’s hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.” BLACK ELK

THE FATE OF NATIVE AMERICANS FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE From 1830 to 1890, the US government systematically followed a policy of pushing Native Americans from their traditional lands onto government reservations in the West. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

FACTORS ERODING NATIVE AMERICAN CONTROL OF THE WEST Trail of Tears Settlers going west because of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act. Warfare – the US was technologically more superior Destruction of the environment – settlers, miners, farmers, ranchers FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE THE RESERVATION Reservation lands were smaller traditional homelands & often undesirable. The federal government promised food, blankets, and seed BUT the Native Americans were traditionally hunters not farmers. Corruption also Plagued the Governmental Supply Process. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

THE DARK AREAS DEPICT NATIVE LANDS BY 1894

FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE THE DAWES ACT - 1887 The Dawes Act of 1887 attempted to assimilate natives. They were to undergo Americanization – adopting the culture of other “mainstream” Americans. The Act called for the break up of reservations and tribes. Each family would be given 160 acres of reservation land. They were to become farmers. Those who adopted this way of life were promised US citizenship and the right to vote. Before the Dawes Act, Indians controlled 150 million acres. By 1932, 2/3rds of the land committed to Natives had been taken – becoming the state of Oklahoma. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

SHORTCOMINGS OF THE DAWES ACT FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE It destroyed Native American culture Threatened Tribal Ways – individual ownership as opposed to tribal lands. Natives were hunters not farmers They were given infertile land with no equipment or farming education. They suffered from malnutrition, poverty, and health problems. The education was inferior. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

Attempts to Destroy Their Heritage

American Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 In 1924, the US Congress passed the American Indian Citizenship Act. This law granted immediate US citizenship to all Native American Indians born in the US. Ten years later, the Dawes Act was replaced by an act guaranteeing tribal self-government. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

Crazy Horse Monument IN WORK SCALE

Monument When Completed

THE CATTLE INDUSTRY Ranching became increasingly profitable at the end of the Civil War. Texas rangers learned how to handle the Texas Longhorns from Mexican Vaqueros.

VOCABULARY BORROWED Vanilla, bronco, mustang, chaps, mosquito, pronto, tuna, stampede, tornado, chili, cigar, shack, savvy, siesta, wrangler, lasso, lariat, ranch, corral, burro, canyon, bandit, fiesta, guerrilla, hurricane, matador, plaza, rodeo, vigilante, desperado, cockroach, buckaroo MEXICAN “VAQUEROS” (COW MAN) PROVIDED THE VOCABULARY FOR THE AMERICAN COWBOY

GROWING DEMAND FOR BEEF POSTCARD OF CHICAGO UNION STOCK YARDS Urbanization and the rise of the railroad led to the increase of beef consumption Chicago Union Stock Yards was a famous market after 1865 How did the cattle get from the range to the Stock yards? POSTCARD OF CHICAGO UNION STOCK YARDS

COW TOWN & THE TRAIL Abilene, Kansas became famous for being a place where the Chisholm Trail met the railroads Tens of thousands of cattle came from Texas through Oklahoma to Abilene via the famous Chisholm trail Once in Abilene the cattle would board rail cars for destinations across the country Chisholm Trail Chisholm Trail

TRAILS CONNECTED TO RAILROADS

THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE Almost as soon as ranching became big business, the cattle frontier met its end Overgrazing, bad weather, and the invention of barbed wire were responsible

FARMING ON THE GREAT PLAINS The railroads allowed farmers to occupy the Great Plains. Encouraged by the Homestead Act and Railroad land grants farmers moved further West. They faced hostility both from Indians and Cattlemen. JOHN DEERE’S STEEL PLOW HAD TO BE PULLED BY A HORSE OR MULE

FARMING ON THE GREAT PLAINS Farmers also faced many natural obstacles on the Plains. Droughts, Few Trees, Tough Soil, Plagues of Grasshoppers, Extreme Temperatures Some Starved, Others Returned East With technological innovations some survived and stuck out that hard existence. JOHN DEERE’S STEEL PLOW HAD TO BE PULLED BY A HORSE OR MULE

INCREASED TECHNOLOGY HELPS FARMERS 1837 – John Deere invented a steel plow that could slice through heavy soil 1847 – Cyrus McCormick mass- produced a reaping machine Other inventions included a grain drill to plant seed, barbed wire, windmills and drilling equipment for wells. JOHN DEERE’S STEEL PLOW HAD TO BE PULLED BY A HORSE OR MULE

DUGOUTS & SODDIES DUGOUT SODDY Most settlers built their homes from the land itself Pioneers often dug their homes out of the sides of ravines or hills (Dugouts) Those in the flat plains made freestanding homes made of turf (Soddies) DUGOUT SODDY

THE PROBLEMS OF FARMERS: 1870-1900 In the late 1800s, many farmers were struggling Agricultural Overproduction: – as more was produced, prices fell High Costs – farmers had to ship their crops to market by railroad at whatever the railroad wanted to charge – there was no competition Indebtedness – farmers had to borrow money to buy machinery or to get by during a poor harvest. Natural disasters.

ECONOMIC DISTRESS HITS FARMERS Between 1867 and 1887 the price of a bushel of wheat fell from $2.00 to 68 cents Farmers got caught in a cycle of debt

FARMERS ORGANIZE FOR CHANGE 1867 – Oliver Hudson Kelley started the Patrons of Husbandry, an organization for farmers that became known as the Grange By 1870, the Grange spent most of their time fighting the railroads Soon the Grange and other Farmer Alliances numbered over 4 million members

THIS POLITICAL CARTOON SHOWS A POPULIST CLUBBING A RAILROAD CAR POPULIST PARTY IS BORN Leaders of the farmers organization realized they needed to build a base of political power Populism – the movement of the people – was born in 1892 with the founding of the Populist, or People’s Party THIS POLITICAL CARTOON SHOWS A POPULIST CLUBBING A RAILROAD CAR

The Populist Party: 1891-1896 In 1892, farmers gave their support to the Populist Party – a political party that represented the “common man” - farmers, industrial workers and miners. They were battling against bankers and railroads.

The Populist Party Platform Bimetallism - Unlimited coinage of silver Single term for the Presidency Direct election of senators Secret ballot Government ownership of railroads, telegraphs and telephones Graduated income tax Immigration restrictions with quotas Shorter work day of 8 hours.

Elections 1892 – Populists elected 5 senators, 3 governors and 1500 state legislators.

THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED IN 1893 THE PANIC OF 1893 Nationwide economic problems took center stage in America in 1893 Railroads went bankrupt, the stock market lost value, 15,000 businesses and 500 banks collapsed, 3 million people lost their jobs – putting unemployment at 20% THE STOCK MARKET CRASHED IN 1893

SILVER OR GOLD? The central issue of the 1896 Presidential campaign was which metal would be the basis of the nation’s monetary system Bimetallism (those who favored using both) vs. those that favored the Gold Standards alone

BRYAN AND THE “CROSS OF GOLD” BRYAN’S CROSS OF GOLD SPEECH Republicans favored the Gold standard and nominated William McKinley Democrats favored Bimetallism and nominated William Jennings Bryan Despite Bryan’s stirring words, “You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold,” McKinley won the 1896 election BRYAN’S CROSS OF GOLD SPEECH

What is our money backed by today? Silver? Or Gold? Neither! It is a Fiat Currency – Fiat Currency is a currency that only derives its value from government regulation or law.

THE PEOPLE’S PARTY WAS SHORT-LIVED BUT LEFT AN IMPORTANT LEGACY THE END OF POPULISM With McKinley’s election victory, Populism collapsed, burying the hopes of the farmer Populism left two important legacies: 1) A message that the downtrodden can organize and be heard and 2) An agenda of reforms, many of which would be adopted by other parties and eventually become law. THE PEOPLE’S PARTY WAS SHORT-LIVED BUT LEFT AN IMPORTANT LEGACY