American History Unit 10 Westward Expansion 1860 1900

American History Unit 10 - Westward Expansion (1860 – 1900) Owl. Teacher. com

The Lure of the West • When geographers study reasons for major migrations, they look at what they call “____________” • These are events that: – ____________________________________ OR – ____________________________________ Owl. Teacher. com

“Push” Factors • The Civil War had displaced thousands of farmers, former slaves, and other workers • _________________ • Failed entrepreneurs looked for a second chance in a new place • Ethnic and religious repression caused people to seek the freedom of the west • _________________ Owl. Teacher. com

“Pull” Factors • The Pacific Railway Act of 1862 and 1864 • Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 • Land speculators • _________________ • Legally enforceable property rights Owl. Teacher. com

Settlers from Far and Wide • __________________________________ • Lutherans from Scandinavia pursued dairy farming • Irish, Italians, European Jews, and Chinese settled in concentrated communities on the West coast • African-Americans escaped ______________________ Owl. Teacher. com

• Benjamin “Pap” Singleton led groups of southern blacks on a mass “Exodus” or journey to the West. • __________________________________ Owl. Teacher. com

The Life of the Plains Indians • Before the eastern settlers arrived, changes had affected the lives of Native Americans on the Great Plains: – They traded buffalo hides for guns with French and American fur traders – ____________________________________ – Some lived as farmers, others became nomads Owl. Teacher. com

Indian Wars and Government Policy • Before the Civil War, Native Americans west of the Mississippi continued to inhabit their traditional lands • Settlers felt they could take the land because ______________________________ • Government treaties kept Native Americans on ___________ • Some federal agents negotiated honestly, other did not Owl. Teacher. com

• Many settlers disregarded the negotiations entirely and __________________________________ _________________ • Acts of violence on both sides set off cycle of revenge Owl. Teacher. com

Attempts to Change Native American Culture • Many people believed that Native Americans needed to give up their culture and: – ____________________________________ – Dress and act like whites – Support themselves by farming or learning a trade skill Owl. Teacher. com

• Assimilation – the process by which one society becomes a part of another, more dominant society by adopting its culture. • The Dawes Act – In 1887, this act _________________. – Each family headed by a man received 160 acres. Owl. Teacher. com

• Many Native Americans did not believe in ________________ • They did not want to ________ • For some, farming went against their notion of ecology • Many had no experience in agriculture • Between 1887 and 1932, some two thirds of this land became owned by whites Owl. Teacher. com

The Opening of Indian Territory • 55 Indian nations were forced into Indian Territory • This was the largest unsettled farmland in the United States • During the 1880 s, squatters (unlawful residents) flooded the land • __________________________________ Owl. Teacher. com

• __________________________________ • By sundown, settlers called boomers had staked claims on almost 2 million acres • Because of constant pressure from settlers, Congress created ___________________ in 1890. Owl. Teacher. com

Early Mining and Mining Towns • At first, miners searched for metal in surface soil or in streambeds • The simplest tool for this was a ____________ • A miner scooped dirt and water, and then swished it around. • Lighter particles washed over the edge while the gold stayed in the bottom of the pan Owl. Teacher. com

• Placer mining – a technique that used this method on a larger scale • __________________________________ _________________ Owl. Teacher. com

The Cattle Boom • Mexicans taught Americans cattle ranching • _________________ _________ • Americans began raising Texas longhorn cattle Owl. Teacher. com

• Before the Civil War, pork had been America’s meat of choice • But when cookbooks began snubbing pork as “unhealthy”, America went on a beef binge • Beef shipments became less expensive with the __________________ • ______________________________________ • Abilene, Kansas, became the first “cow town”, a town built especially for receiving cattle Owl. Teacher. com

A Cowboy’s Life: Cattle Drive on the Chisholm Trail • Cowboys herded thousands of cattle to railway centers on the long drive • __________________________________ ______________________ Owl. Teacher. com

• Cowboy life was hard: – The men were up at 3: 30 in the morning – ____________________________________ – They had to be constantly alert in case of a stampede – The leading cause of death was being __________________ – _______________ such as tuberculosis also killed many cowboys Owl. Teacher. com

Farming the Plains • For most homesteaders (those who farmed claims under the Homestead Act) life was difficult: – ____________________________________ – Soddie: a structure with the walls and roof made from strips of grass with the thick roots and earth attached Owl. Teacher. com

– There was backbreaking work – Bugs that ravaged the fields and crops – __________________ – Rising farm debt • _________________. Owl. Teacher. com

• Settlers had to rely on each other: – __________________ – Sewing quilts – Husking corn – Helping each other at harvest Owl. Teacher. com

New Technology Eases Farm Labor • _________________ • Barbed Wire • Dry Farming • _________________ • Harrow Owl. Teacher. com • Steel Windmill • _________ • Improved Communication • Grain Drill • _________________

Frontier Myths • Some elements of the frontier myths were true • However, __________________________________ calmed down pretty quickly or just disappeared Owl. Teacher. com

The Farmers’ Complaints • Farmers and Tariffs: – Tariffs helped farmers by _________________________ – But, they also hurt farmers because they __________________ like farm machinery – Kept foreigners from earning U. S. money with which to buy American crops Owl. Teacher. com

• The Money Issue: – Farmers wanted an increase in the money supply, ____________________________________ – As a result, the value of every dollar drops, leading to widespread rise in prices (inflation) – ____________________________________ Owl. Teacher. com

– A decrease in the money supply would cause ________________ – Monetary policy, the federal government’s plan for the makeup and quantity of the nation’s money supply became a major political issue Owl. Teacher. com

• Gold bugs: – Before 1873 U. S. currency was on a bimetallic standard, consisting of gold and silver – ____________________________________ – “Gold bugs” (big lenders) were very pleased. Owl. Teacher. com

Silverites • The Bland-Allison Act of 1876 – The move to a gold standard enraged the “silverites”, _______________________________. – Silverites called for free silver, the unlimited coining of silver dollars to increase the money supply – This act required the federal government to ______________, thereby increasing the money supply and causing inflation. Owl. Teacher. com

– This act was vetoed by President Hayes because ____________________________________ – Congress overrode the veto – ____________________________________ – The act had limited effect; it was not too successful Owl. Teacher. com

• Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 – ____________________________________ – The law required the Treasury to buy the silver with notes that could be redeemed for either silver or gold – Many people turned in their silver treasury notes for gold dollars, thus depleting the gold reserves – In 1893, President Cleveland repealed the Silver Purchase Act. Owl. Teacher. com

Organizing Farmer Protests • The Grange • Farmers’ Alliance • Government Response Owl. Teacher. com

The Populists • The Farmers’ Alliance formed a new political party: The People’s Party or the Populists. – ____________________________________ – Unlimited minting of silver – A progressive income tax which would put a greater financial burden on the wealthy industrialists and a lesser one on farmers Owl. Teacher. com

– Government-owned communication and transportation systems – __________________ • The Populists wanted to ______ African American and white farmers • The Populist candidate for President, William Jennings Bryan, won most of the western and southern states but lost the election Owl. Teacher. com

Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” • Populist candidate, William Jennings Bryan, a former silverite Congressman, faced off against moderate Republican, _________________ • During the 1896 Democratic Convention in Chicago, Bryan closed the debate over party platform with his Cross of Gold speech Owl. Teacher. com

• Using images from the Bible, he stood with his head bowed and arms outstretched and cried out: – “You shall not press down upon the brow of labor this crown of thorns. You shall not crucify mankind upon a cross of gold!” • __________________________________ Owl. Teacher. com

• However, populist ideas lived on • In the decades ahead, reformers known as ____________ applied populist ideas to urban and industrial problems. Owl. Teacher. com