2.2: Farming the Plains

1. 2.2: Farming the Plains EQ: What conflicts existed between miners, ranchers, and farmers? OBJ:Identify and describe the challenges faced by farmers and their response with 70% accuracy on EOLUC.

2. What is this woman (and child) doing?!!?

3. Great Plains - Discouraging to Settlers Treeless – housing & heat? Arid – grow anything? Extreme temperatures Hostile N.A.’s ISOLATED! Farmers - First to Settle the Plains

4. Gov’t Promotes Settling The Great Plains $$ and Land to build colleges – Ag. Ed. (IFASUF) Who benefited? Conditions? What is the RR going to do with the land? Set N.A.’s out of the way.

5. Homestead Statistics • 1862 - 1934: • 1.6 mil homesteads granted • 270,000,000 acres • 10% of all lands • Ended in 1976, except Alaska until 1986. • 40% fulfilled their contract - gained free land. 

6. IDENTIFY THE CONFLICT Describe the conflict displayed in this cartoon? Why is one settler so irritated at the other? • Drag – A - Long Droopy • Homesteader Droopy • If time permits.. This one for fun ..

7. Wheat Belt – Farming Became Successful Because • Cause - Technological Innovations • 1834 – McCormickReaper • 1837 – John Deer – Steel Plow • 1834 – Threshing Machine • Farming Techniques • Dry Farming – deep seed planting – more moisture

8. WHEAT BELT BONANZA FARMS Bonanza Farm near Cooperstown, ND – 1880’s • Highly Mechanized • Company Farms • 10’s of 1000’s of acres • 100’s of workers • Huge profits

9. Hard Times For Farmers • 1880s Disaster • Severe Drought • Crops destroyed – soil = dust • Competition other nations growing wheat • = low prices • Farmers React • Grow more – drops $ more • Take out mortgage on farm - $$ to operate • 1/3 lose farms – become tenant farmers

10. Closing of the Frontier - 1889 • 1889 – Oklahoma Land Rush • (Indian Terr.) Opened to White Settlement • Severe Drought • 1990 Census • Declared the “frontier closed” • But settlement contunued.

11. 2.3: NATIVE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE EQ:Discuss factors relocation of Native Americans on to reservations and the effects of N.A. contact? OBJ: Students will be able to identify three methods used against Native Americans by the Federal gov’t and two effects on Native Americans with a partner on an exit ticket.

12. Video: How the West Was Lost • As you watch, complete the matching outline sheet. (graded) ..\video

13. Account of the Sand Creek Massacre I heard shouts and the noise of people running about the camp. I jumped up and ran out of my lodge. From down the creek a large body of troops was advancing at a rapid trot, some to the east of the camps, and others on the opposite side of the creek, to the west. . . . I looked toward the chief’s lodge and saw that Black Kettle had a large American flag tied to the end of a long lodgepole and was standing in front of his lodge, holding the pole. . . . I heard him call to the people not to be afraid, that the soldiers would not hurt them; then the troops opened fire from two sides of the camps. . . . The women and children were screaming and wailing, the men running to the lodges for their arms and shouting advice and Directions to one another. . . . [White Antelope] saw the soldiers shooting the people, and he did not wish to live any longer. He stood in front of his lodge with his arms folded across his breast, singing the death song: “Nothing lives long, Only the earth and the mountains.”

14. 2.3 - Native American’s in the West http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/program/ • Most Na. Amer. on Great Plains - Nomadic. • lives following/hunting buffalo • most well known tribes - Sioux & Comanche

15. Conflict with Western Settlers Killed 4280 buffalo in 17 mos. • Increased Settler Pressure • RR’s • Homestead Act - Farming • Mining/Ranching Settlers • U.S. Army - Destroy Buffalo! • feed RR workers/settlers • sell hides in east/Europe • prevent blocking of trains • Clear for farmers/ranchers • Direct Effect • Starvation / religion / clothes / shelter

16. 1867 - Indian Peace Commission Formed Sets Up Reservations • land set aside for N.A.’s • forced to live here • poor land • small size prevented the hunting buffalo • Poverty, corruption, hunger

18. 1870’s – Native American’s React Leave reservations for open plains • Buffalo were disappearing • U.S. Army seeks to force them back. Gold In Black Hills! • Settlers flood in on N.A. Land • George A. Custer sent in to force N.A.’s back on reservation 1876 – Nations Bi-centenial Year • Attacks village in Montana (Little Big Horn River) • Is wiped out - Called a “Massacre” in East • U.S. Army gets very aggressive from here

19. Dawes Act of 1887 ASSIMILATE! FAILED! • Broke Up Reservations • = divided into allotments among each tribe member • Citizenship if stay for 25 yrs. • Extra land sold to whites. • Force them to farm • Give up Nomadic Life

20. Independent Reading Which of the following was not a response by farmers

21. Independent Reading • Read Lesson 2.3 – p. 83-87 • Workbook - Complete & Note Taking Strategy p. 15-16 • QUIZ AT END ON OBJ (graded)

22. Native American Population and the Railroad Examine the figures in the chart “Native American Population”. Which of the following is an accurate statement based in the data? The growth of the railroads had a negative impact on Native American population. The railroads increased westward expansion onto Native American lands causing a decline. The growth of the railroad was due to Native American laborers building it but who died in doing so as slave labor. Both A and B. Both A and C.