1. Chapter 12 “Change and Conflict in the American West”

2. GOLD!!!!! 1848- Gold is discovered at Sutter’s Mill California 1849-California Gold Rush- People Rush across the country to try and get $RICH$ –Over 80,000 “49ers” rush to California –Did not know how to mine –Most of the gold could be found by panning

3. Getting to California Three Ways –Across the United States –Sail from the East Coast south around South America and North to California –Sail from the East Coast south to Panama, travel across Panama, and then by ship again to California

4. Effects of the California Gold Rush California’s population explodes (93,000>>380,000 in 10 Years) By 1850 California becomes a state Gold Rush lasts 30 years, few got rich Conditions were Hard, Dirty, and Dangerous

5. Ranchers and Cowboys Cattle Ranching starts before the Civil War Growing Cities in the East Demanded Beef…. Prices Rise ($5-$40) Cowboys begin driving cattle to “Cow Towns” to board railroads bound for the East –The Long Drive –Chisholm Trail to Abilene Kansas The Cowboy Life –Rough often dangerous lives –Clothing is functional As Railroads were built across the country, the long cattle drives would end

6. Railroads By 1860, Railroads only reached to the Mississippi River Transcontinental Railroad –Completed on May 10, 1869 in Promontory Point Utah –Towns spring up along Railroads, only takes 10 days to cross the country

8. Homework Questions Day #1 1.When and Where is Gold discovered? 2.What are “49ers”? 3.Describe the 3 ways to get to California? 4.Which of these routes was the shortest? 5.How did the Gold Rush effect the population of California? 6.When did California become a state? 7.Why did the price of beef go up in the 1860’s? 8.What was the purpose of the Long Drives? 9.When and Where was the Transcontinental railroad finished? 10.What developed around these new railroads?

9. Problems Money –Building Railroads is not cheap Government gives the companies land, and loans ($48,000 per mile) Native Americans (Union Pacific) –Unfriendly tribes that attacked their workers and stopped construction Terrain (Central Pacific) –Sierra Nevada Mountains, Canyons, Great Basin

10. Working on the Railroad Union Pacific (12,000 men)>>Ex-soldiers, Former Slaves, Immigrants (Irish) Central Pacific (10,000 men)>> Mostly Chinese Immigrants, and they were paid less and treated worse than Americans Workers’ Life –Dangerous Wilderness Hard Work Indian Attacks Dynamite

11. Expansion>>Conflict with Native Americans Railroads –Disturbed Buffalo hunting grounds –Brought American settlers into Indian territory –Settlers slaughtered Buffalo, Indians refused to leave their land and began to fight back –Native Americans are seen as an “Obstacle” Concept of Land Ownership –Native Americans do not believe that you can “Own” land, like American Settlers do

12. U.S. Government Attacks 1864- Sand Creek Massacre…American troops massacre 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians The government tries to remove Indians to Reservations –Tribes refuse, or do not stay Apaches, Comanches, Cheyennes, Arapahos –Government does not respect the reservations 1876- Sioux and Cheyenne Indians wipe out U.S. Calvary troops at the battle of the Little Bighorn (Custer’s Last Stand) U.S. Army hunts down 3,000 Sioux warriors

13. Assimilation American Settlement is a disaster for Indians –Violence –Disease –Poverty Assimilation of Indians –Government sets up schools –Dawes Act (1887) Individual Ownership of land by Indians…not tribes

14. Homework Questions Day #2 1.How much did the government loan the railroad companies per mile? 2.What problems did the Union Pacific and Central Pacific companies run into? 3.Who built the Transcontinental Railroad? 4.How were these workers treated? 5.How did railroad expansion effect Native Americans? 6.How did Native Americans view land ownership? 7.Which Native American tribes resisted removal? 8.What happened at the Little Bighorn river in Montana? 9.What is assimilation? 10.What did the Dawes act do?

15. Settling the Great Plains Founding Ideal>>Opportunity Despite Dangerous Indian Tribes, and the harsh journey, settlers move into the Great Plains Factors Encouraging Settlement –Railroads Transportation Sale of Land –Reduced threat of Indian attack –1862>>2 Federal Laws encouraging settlement

16. Federal Land Laws Homestead Act –Offered Cheap Land (160 Acres) Agree to work the land Live on it for 5 years 600,000 farmers claimed 80,000,000 acres Morrill Land-Grant Act –Gave land to states to start agricultural colleges –States sell some of the land to farmers to pay for the colleges

17. Challenges to the Settlers Despite the opportunity, Farmers faced problems –Housing (No Trees) Holes in the Ground Sod Houses…Soddies –Water (Little Water) Dry Farming Rotating crops Steel Plows Mechanical Reapers Windmills +Deep Wells –Insects (Locusts) Eat all crops and attack with little warning

18. The Settlers White Midwest Farm Families New Immigrants Freedmen (Exodusters) –Named after the 2 nd book of the Old Testament, Exodus –Sought new Opportunity and Equality in the West…..Sometimes they found it, sometimes not

19. Homework Questions Day #3 1.Name and Explain 2 factors that encouraged. 2.What Federal Laws encouraged settlement? 3.Where did railroad companies get all the land to sell to settlers? 4.What did the Dawes Act do? 5.What did settlers have to do to get land under the Dawes Act? 6.What did the Morrill Land-Grant Act due? 7.How did land from the Morrill Land Grant end up being sold to settlers? 8.How did settlers deal with the lack of housing on the Great Plains? 9.How did settlers deal with drought on the Great Plains? 10.Who were the Exodusters, and where did the name come from?

20. Problems for Farmers Big problem is Money –Buy new machinery….. Bank Loans –Buy seeds…… On Credit From Merchants –Shipping Crops to market…. High Railroad Shipping Rates –To Many Crops…. When Supply is High and Demand is Low Prices fall

21. Farmers form Organizations to Help Themselves The National Grange- Started in Minnesota in 1867 by Oliver Hudson Kelley to help farmers States pass Granger Laws –1870’s…Regulate railroad rates –1886…Supreme Court finds that only the federal government can regulate trade between states –1887…Interstate Commerce Act, to ensure railroad rates are “reasonable and just” Farmers Alliances –Led protests against railroads and banks –1890 election many politicians are elected at the state level by supporting proposals by the Farmers Alliance –Once in office the Politicians ignored the farmers

22. Greenbackers Wanted to raise crop prices by increasing the amount of paper money in circulation Gold standard-Back then every dollar of money was backed up by a dollar’s worth of gold Greenbackers wanted to back money with gold and silver (Failed) –Increase the amount of paper money –Inflation –Prices of goods will rise…..helping farmers

23. Populism and the Populist Party Populism favors the interest of common people 1892-Polulist Party forms and runs James B. Weaver for President –Government ownership of railroads –Gold and Silver standard...increase money supply –Won about 8.5% of the vote “Silverites” & “Goldbugs” Populist party falls apart, but the idea of the government promoting opportunity and equality for everybody remained

24. Chapter 12 Wrap Up People settled California during the Gold Rush, but few got rich Cattle drives began bringing beef to the cities in the east Transcontinental Railroads open the West up to even more settlement Native American tribes and cultures are disturbed, destroyed, or assimilated Many Native American tribes resisted or openly fought back against attempts to take their land Railroads and Federal Laws encouraged settlement of the Great Plains Settling and Farming the Great Plains was not easy Farmers face money and debt problems Farmers form organizations to try to help themselves…Gold Standard, Populism

25. Homework Questions Day #4 1.What caused farmers on the Great Plains to go into debt? 2.How did having to many crops hurt the farmers? 3.How did farmers react to these economic problems? 4.Who has the power to control trade between states? 5.How did paper money get its value back then? 6.What did Greenbackers want to do? 7.What is Inflation? 8.How would Inflation help farmers? 9.What is populism? 10.What ideas did the Populist party promote even after the party had fallen apart?