Conquest and Settlement

 That the frontier, the free and empty land to the West, was the most defining element of America  One of the most enduring of the myths about the West  Written by Frederick Jackson Turner, historian  In reality, the land was never empty or free

 Frontier as a crucible for American identity  In reality, the West was not particularly exceptional—facing the same challenges as other areas  Exploitation of land  Exploitation of labor  Consolidation of capital  Vicious ethnic and racial rivalries

 It promised 160 acres free to any citizen or prospective citizen, male or female, who settled on the land for five years.

 Generous federal land grants meant that railroads could sell land next to track at a profit  Railroads received more than 180 million acres  They connected with major cattle trailheads to capitalize on markets

 By 1870, 63,000 Chinese immigrants lived in America but were denied access to citizenship  1876 Workingman’s Party formed to fight for Chinese exclusion

 Whereas, in the opinion of the Government of the United States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: Therefore,  Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States.

 the Washoe basin in Nevada where the richest silver ore on the continent

 Silver mining required capital, technical knowledge, equipment  Rife with speculation, misrepresentation, thievery  Drew thousands, including immigrants, especially Irish  Virginia City  1870s, one out of 30 miners injured on the job; one out of 80 killed  Depicted as lawless, often urbanized and industrialized

 1873 new vein uncovered, transitioning from small scale industry to corporate enterprise, creating a radically new social and economic environment  Nevada statehood because of the mines 1864

 New Englanders, Mormons, African-Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, and immigrants from Asia, Europe and Canada  Complex blend of racism and prejudice  Violence between cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers; ranchers and farmers; miners and their bosses; rival Indian groups; and whites and Indians

 Extremely poor farmers

 Herds with as many as 3,000 head of cattle grazed on public lands along the cattle trails  The invention of barbed wire in 1874 virtually closed the open range  ‘fence cutters’ fought against big ranchers

 In 1879 more than 15,000 black farmers made and ‘Exodus’ from Mississippi and Louisiana to find land in Kansas

 In 1870, nearly 80 percent of the nation’s people lived on farms  Overwhelmingly rural  In 1900, there were 5.7 million farms in the US

 Vaqueros (Hispanic cowboys) became migrant workers on land their families had once owned  Blizzards and drought decimated herds and by late 1880s, the heyday of cattle ranching ended

 California’s Mexican cowboys

 Pioneered investment and corporate structures for the business of agriculture  Developed foreign markets for cotton and grain  Industrialized equipment and technique  Sought control of land and water rights

 “Cattle Kingdom” from Texas to Wyoming revolutionized by barbed wire  ‘fence cutters’ battled for free range  Cowboys were wage laborers

 Opening of Oklahoma territory brought as many as 10,000 settlers in one day