SWBAT: Explain the effects of large numbers of migrants to the West

With your partner, briefly explain the goals and methods of these labor movements: 1. National Labor Union 2. Knights of Labor 3. American Federation of Labor

West of the 100th meridian, few trees, less than 15” of rainfall/year Winter blizzards & hot dry summers 1865: 15 million bison- Provided food, clothing, shelter & tools for the estimated 250,000 American Indians living in the West 1900: Bison herds wiped out Open lands fenced by homesteads & ranches, steel rails & new towns Ten new western states Environment damaged American Indians paid a high human & cultural price due to the settlement of miners, ranchers & farmers

Discovery of Gold 1848 California Gold Rush (extended into 1890s) settled the region States of: Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, South Dakota Comstock Lode in Nevada territory brought Nevada into the Union in 1864 Boomtowns Saloons, dancehall girls, vigilante justice  ghost towns after gold/silver ran out Nevada’s Virginia City (created by Comstock Lode) grew, adding theaters, churches, newspapers, schools, libraries, railroad & police Mark Twain started his career as a writer for the Virginia City newspaper in the early 1860s San Francisco, Sacramento, & Denver  thriving cities

Chinese Exclusion Act ⅓ of western miners in the 1860s were Chinese immigrants (resented by Native born Americans) 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act- prohibited further immigration to the US by Chinese Laborers, continued until 1965 *First major act of Congress to restrict immigration on basis of race & nationality Increase in supply of silver created crisis over value of gold & silver backed currency  Bitter political issue in 1880s and 1890s with Populist Party

Texas longhorn & herds of 5 million cattle roamed freely over Texas Markets for cattle opened as railroads to Kansas built Dodge City & other “cowtowns” sprang up along railroads to handle cattle drives out of Texas Cowboys = Mexicans, African Americans, Civil War Veterans; paid $1/day for their dangerous work

Cattle drives come to an end in the 1880s Overgrazing destroyed grass, therefore Buffalo Winter blizzard and drought of killed 90% of cattle Homesteaders closed the open range of cattle farmers with invention of barbed wire fencing Scientific ranching techniques  new breeds of cattle produced more tender beef American eating habits shift from pork to beef

Homestead Act of acres of public land free to any family if: Settled for 5 years Farmed & successfully improved the land Promise of free land & promotions of railroads  migrants & immigrants! 500,000 families or more took advantage of the Homestead Act ( ) Best public land ended up in hands of railroad companies & land speculators

Pioneer families “sodbusters” - built first homes in dry, treeless plains of sod Plagues of grasshoppers, lonesome lives Scarce water & wood for fences & burning Severe weather & falling prices for crops Cost of new machinery 1900: Failure of ⅔ of homesteaders’ farms Western Kansas lost half population between

Oklahoma Territory opened in 1889 Previously set aside for American Indians Great Land Rush  US Census Bureau declared entire frontier had been settled

Turner’s Frontier Thesis Frederick Jackson Turner presented “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” (1893) 300 years of frontier experience shaped American culture  Promoted independence & rugged individualism Frontier was a powerful social leveler  Broke down class distinctions thus fostering social & political democracy Caused Americans to be inventive & practical minded as well as wasteful with natural resources Closing of the Frontier troubled Turner Availability of land was a safety valve for discontent Americans Loss of Frontier = U.S. class division & social conflict By 1890s, largest movement of Americans was to cities & industrialized areas

Read Turner’s 5 major points/principles With your partner/group, analyze the 5 excerpts Then complete the “Questions for Discussion”