1. Ch. 5 Sections 2 & 3 Settling the Great Plains

2. Railroads ► Central Pacific RR  moved east from Sacramento ► Union Pacific  moved west from Omaha ► Labor: Civil War vets, Irish, and Chinese immigrants

3. Homestead Act ► Encouraged settlers to move west ► 160 acres FREE!  For any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household

4. Yellowstone National Park ► Nathaniel Langford and Henry Washburn asked Congress to help protect some of the wilderness from settlement ► 1872  Government created Yellowstone

5. Tough Times ► Life on the plains was rough  Droughts  Floods  Fires  Blizzards  Locust plagues  Outlaw raids  Indian raids

6. Agricultural Education ► Morrill Act  gave federal land to states to help finance agricultural colleges  Developed grains for arid soil  Methods of dry farming ► Allowed the dry plains to become the “breadbasket of the nation”

7. Problems for Farmers ► Grain prices fell ► Debt from borrowing money for better equipment mounted  Could not be paid off ► Railroads raised shipping and storage prices

8. Depression ► 1894  Depression strikes  1/5 th of the workforce unemployed ► Farmers unite and form the Populist Movement  Message to the rest of the nation that the downtrodden could organize and have a political impact

10. 1896 Election ► Divided nation  What metal should should be the basis of the nation’s monetary system? Gold Bugs Silverites Who? Bankers and businessmen Farmers and laborers What they wanted Gold standard (less money in circulation Bimetallism (more money in circulation) Why? Loans would be repaid in stable money Products would be sold at higher prices EffectsDeflation (prices fall, money value increases) Inflation (prices rise, value of money decreases)

11. 1896 Election ► William McKinley (Republican)  Gold standard  Versus ► William Jennings Bryan (Democrat)  Bimetallism (gold/silver) ► McKinley wins!

12. This cartoon depicts William Jennings Bryan holding a gold cross and a crown of thorns. What does the crown of thorns represent? Who is Bryan claiming to be the savior for? What does the gold cross represent? Why do you think this cartoon specifically was so powerful?

13. Activity ► Create an advertisement using the information on page 217 (15 pts  neatness and creativity will also be graded!)  You may choose to advertise for barbed wire, the reaper, the steel plow, or the steel windmill. ► Include:  Name of your company  When the product was invented  Its purpose and benefits  Who invented it (reaper and steel plow)  Picture