1. Homestead Warm Up We will be going outside for a few minutes.
I will have plots of land for you to select.
You may only choose ONE.
When you have your ONE plot in your hand, RAISE YOUR HAND!

2. Objectives
Content: Determine the most important reasons for Westward Expansion.
Language: List the features of the Great Plains.

3. Westward Expansion
“The Great Plains”

4. The Great Plains Pre Civil War it was viewed as a “treeless wasteland”
Features:
Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west
Land eroded by wind and water
Low rainfall
Frequent dust storms
Before 1860, those who crossed the Mississippi generally traveled all the way to the west coast. Few settled in the Great Plains. Living on the Great Plains presented many challenges. The winters were bitter cold. There were few rivers and streams for water, and few trees for wood. Low rainfall caused drought and dust storms. Fierce winds and frequent dust storms eroded and blew away the soil. The remaining tough soil was thought to be unsuitable for farming. Before the Civil War, the Great Plains were considered a "treeless wasteland".

5. The Great Plains and the West
Now seen as a vast area for settlement and opportunity
Land
Adventure
Railroad
Gold and silver
Escape from discrimination
160 acres as long as you pay a fee and promise to stay for at least 5 years

6. Homestead Act
Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862.
This law gave people the chance to get 160 acres of free land from the government.
3 Goals:
To encourage settlement of the west
Rebuild the economy after the Civil War
Help poor people and African Americans get land
160 acres as long as you pay a fee and promise to stay for at least 5 years

7. How to Claim Land Apply through the Bureau of Land Management
Pay a small filling fee - $10
Spend 5 years improving your land.
At the end of 5 years, have witnesses confirm your improvements
Once improvements are approved, pay a small registration fee.
You are the owner!
160 acres as long as you pay a fee and promise to stay for at least 5 years

8. 160 acres as long as you pay a fee and promise to stay for at least 5 years

11. Transcontinental Railroad
In 1862, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific were hired.
The Pacific Railroad Act charged these two companies with the task of building a transcontinental railroad to link the east and west of the United States together.
Story of US – Transcontinental Railroad – 10 min

12. Transcontinental Railroad
On May 10, 1869, the last spike was driven at Promontory Point in Utah. It was called the Golden Spike.
Story of US – Transcontinental Railroad – 10 min

13. Transcontinental Railroad
Story of US – Transcontinental Railroad – 10 min

14. Impact of Railroad Faster, cheaper, and safer way to travel
Established 4 time zones
Buffalo killed by sharpshooters harmed the Native American way of life
Coal-burning engines of trains led to more mining

15. Impact of Railroad Many towns developed along the route
Grew the U.S. economy by making it easier to ship goods across the country
Smoke from factories and plants in new industrial cities polluted water and air

17. Inventions and Adaptations
Western settlement was aided by new inventions and technologies
There were a total of 8 adaptations and inventions that helped settlers to survive the harsh climate they are:
Railroads (most important reason for Westward Expansion)

18. Transcontinental Railroad
Story of US – Transcontinental Railroad – 10 min

19. Effects of Railroads Led to increase in farming and cattle ranching
Established 4 time zones in Made official in 1918 by Congress.
America Story of US – Heartland – answer questions as you watch the video
Story of US: Economic power of the railroad – 4 1/2 minutes

22. Objectives
Content: Name the adaptations the settlers developed to survive in the Great Plains.
Language: Write a paragraph on the most important adaptation(s) western settlers made.

23. 2. Dry Farming
Plant seeds deep into the ground where there was some moisture.
Allows for crops in climates that seemed un-farmable.
Seed planting depth and timing are carefully considered to place the seed at a depth at which sufficient moisture exists, or where it will exist when seasonal precipitation falls. Farmers tend to use crop varieties which are drought and heat-stress tolerant, (even lower-yielding varieties). Thus the likelihood of a successful crop is hedged if seasonal precipitation fails. The nature of dryland farming makes it particularly susceptible to erosion, especially wind erosion

24. 3. Steel Plow
By 1870’s the steel plow was invented that could break through the tough layers of sod.

25. 4. Wheat Farming
Farmers adopted an improved strain of Russian wheat which required less water and grew well in the dryer soil of the Great Plains.

26. 5. Windmills
Farmers could use windmills to pump water out from under the ground.

27. 6. Sod Houses
Built using rectangles of grass and the part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots.
It was a similar style to an igloo.
They were very well insulated, but also very damp.

28. Sodbusters- Name given to the plains farmers Story of US
Story of U.S. – Settling the Great Plains 9 min…can cut last 2 mini b/c about logging
A Nebraska Sod House
Sodbusters- Name given to the plains farmers
Story of US

29. 7. Beef Cattle Raising
In the early 1800s, cattle ranches began appearing on the Great Plains, especially in Texas.
Demand for beef was high, and as railroads developed, cowboys and vaqueros would drive the rancher’s cattle north to meet up with the rail lines.

30. Vaqueros and Cowboys

31. 8. Barbed Wire
Developed barbed wire to protect their land in response to cattle herders.
Story of US Story of US Story of US
Story of US – Cowboys and Barbed Wire – 9 ½ min