Transcript us chapter 5

The Move West
• What do you expect to find on settling in the
West?
– What might be some ways to make a living on the
Western frontier?
– If native people already live in your intended
home, how will you co-exist?
– How might settlers and Native Americans differ
regarding use of the land?
Life on the Plains
• Horses introduced by the Spanish
– Allowed the Native Americans to move
– Left their farms in favor of hunting buffalo
• Guns brought by Europeans
– More conflict
• Native Americans ruled by counsel- no one
leader- in direct opposition of the way the
white man lived
Why the white man moved west
• The lure of silver and gold
• Profitable cattle business
Conflict
• 1850- Government reversed prior act that had
designated the Great Plains as land set aside
for the Native Americans
• Massacre at Sand Creek- 1864
• Bozeman Trail- 1866
• Rush for Black Hills gold- 1874
• Custer’s Last Stand- 1876
Settlement
• Railroads received huge land grants for laying
track in the west
– The race to the middle- first transcontinental
railroad- 1860s
• Homestead Act- 1862
• 160 acres
• Many exodusters- African Americans moving
from the South to Kansas after Reconstruction
National Park System
• 1872- Yellowstone National Park
– Protecting the area from settlement
• 1979- equal protected areas in other states
Dawes Act
• 1877
• Goal- assimilation: Native Americans would give
up their beliefs and way of life and become part
of the white culture
• Broke up many of the reservations and
established some homestead
• The rest of the land went to settlers
• Buffalo hunted for fur and sport- wiped out Plains
Indians’ main source of food- forced them to
assimilate
Battle of Wounded Knee- 1890
• Seventh Calvary- Custer’s old regimentrounded up starving and freezing Sioux and
took them to Wounded Knee Creek in South
Dakota
• All the Sioux ended up dead
Cattle
• Texas longhorns raised for food
• Horses used as work animals and for
transportation
• Mexican vaquero or cowboy brought clothing,
food and vocabulary
• Increased with the railroad. Before then, it
would cause trouble to run cattle across the
farm land of others.
Taming the Prairie
• John Deere and Cyrus McCormick developed
important farming equipment- mass produced
when farmers migrated to the plains.
• Morrill Act of 1862 and 1890- federal land to
states for agricultural colleges
• Hatch Act of 1887- experiment stations to
inform farmers of new developments
• Bonanza farms- huge lands for one crop
Farmers’ Alliance movement
• Farmers united under the challenging conditions
– Railroads charged exorbitant prices to move foods
– Deflation- value of money had dropped
– Mortgage and debt problems
• Patrons of Husbandry- the Grange- 1867
– Education
– Social outlet
– Fight the railroads
• Farmers’ Alliance and Colored Farmers’ Alliance
Populism
• Populist Party or People’s Party- movement of
the people- 1892
• Convention in Omaha, Nebraska
• Demanded reforms to life the burden of debt
from farmers and workers and to give people
more voice in government
Populist Platform
– Wanted increase in money supply  raise price in
goods and services
– Graduated income tax
– Federal loan program
– Senators elected by popular vote
– Single terms for Pres and VP
– Secret ballot to end voter fraud
– 8-hour work day
– Restrictions in immigration
Economic Concerns
• Greenbacks printed during the Civil War were
not worth much and were quickly taken out of
circulation
• Money still in circulation was worth more
• Farm loans had been borrowed at old value
but had to be paid back at the higher value
(increase in cost to the farmer)
Panic of 1893
• Not only were farms suffering, but some of
the railroads were going bankrupt
• People panicked- traded in old money for gold
and stock market crashed- silver plunged and
mines closed- banks collapsed- depression hit
bimetallism
Republicans
Gold Bugs
Democrats
Silverites
• Business owners and
bankers
• Industrialized Northeast
• Backed gold standard
• Wanted less money in
circulation
• Stabilize money
•
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Farmers and laborers
Agrarian South and West
Backed bimetallism
Wanted more money in
circulation
• Products could sell at higher
prices
• Populist Party joined the
debate
Effects
• Gold standard
– Prices fall
– Value of money
increased
– Fewer people have
money
• Bimetal standard
– Prices rise
– Value of money
decreases
– More people have
money
The end of Populism
• McKinley won the 1896 election against Bryan
• Populist party folded
– Bryan- Democratic
• Bimetallism
– McKinley- Republican
• Gold standard