Western Expansion

1. Western Expansion

2. Reasons for Westward Expansion • To acquire Wealth a. Cheap Land b. Gold and Silver c. Land Speculation Land Speculators: people who bought up large areas of land in the hope of later selling it for a profit

3. Reasons for Westward Expansion 2. Lack of Foreign Threat a. European nations were gone b. Mexican Wars were over

4. Reasons for Westward Expansion 3. Homestead Act of 1862 • 160 acres of land: • 21 years of age or older • American citizen • Pay $10 fee • Build a home and live in it for 6 months out of every year • Land had to be farmed and improved upon **Once all requirements were met the land was theirs to keep.

5. Daniel Freeman's Homestead Application

6. Daniel Freeman's Proof of Improvements

7. Daniel Freeman's Certificate of Eligibility

8. Homestead Act • By 1900, individual homesteading families had filed 600,000 claims for more than 80 million acres • Problems: • Settlers could not meet all requirements • Some could not survive economically • Most settlers had no farming experience • Fraud was problematic: speculators would establish “fake” homesteads and land office agents rarely visited claims

9. Reasons for Westward Expansion • Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 • Provided support for state colleges • Millions of acres given to state governments who sold it to land speculators at .50/acre. • States used the money to build colleges.

10. Transcontinental Railroad

11. Transcontinental Railroad

12. Homestead Simulation

13. Homestead Simulation • Introduce the Simulation. • Our time period is the 1860s and 1870s. • The way we are measuring land is acres, sections, and townships. • Life as a homesteader is hard. Weather can be your best friend or your worst enemy.

14. Jefferson Township

15. Choose Identity • Pick One Name Out of the Hat (or Box). • Fill in your name and place of origin.

16. Choose your Occupation • Farmer • Banker • Blacksmith • Rancher • Prospector (Gold Digger) • Saloon Owner • Doctor

17. Are you a U.S. Citizen? • If you drew a person who’s Place of Origin is not the United States, Role a die. • 1-3 you are a U.S. Citizen. • 4-6 you are an Immigrant who is not a Citizen of the United States

18. Family • Are you married or single? What is your spouses name? • Do you have kids? How many? What are their names? How old are they? • Write this information on your sheet.

19. Beginning Wealth • Go around the Classroom and choose a number 1-100. • You CANNOT choose a number that has already been taken.

20. Beginning Wealth

21. Choose your homestead • Draw a numbered slip of paper. Choose your homesteads in the order that you received your slip of paper. • If you have one adult in your family, you get one quarter section. If you have two adults, you get two quarter sections each. (All children are under age 21) • You CANNOT choose the sections that are unavailable for homesteading (marked with a *)

24. Building on the Homestead • Draw an X wherever you choose on your quarter section of land to signify your family home. • Draw a dot/black filled in circle to signify farm buildings.

26. Examine Forms • Farming Income Chart • Farmer’s Decision Form • Homesteader’s Earnings Form

28. Farming Decision Form • Fill out Year 1 on Farming Decision Form. • One Student will roll a die for the entire class. • The number that comes up is the column we will use on the Farming Income Chart. • Calculate the amount of money you made.

30. Homesteaders Earnings Form • Fill out Year 1: Add income (money you made), subtract expenditures (money that you spent)

32. Fate Cards • The following homesteaders draw a fate card and apply it to their total: Helms, Rodgers, Austin, Casas, and Dearborn.

33. Year 2 • Before we start Year 2, you can decide whether to buy or sell land. • The government can sell unsettled land for $1.50 an acre. (Each Quarter Square is 160 Acres, so to buy one you need to pay $240) • You can sell your land to classmates for whatever they are willing to pay you.

34. Farming Decision Form • Fill out Year 2 on Farming Decision Form. • One Student will roll a die for the entire class. • The number that comes up is the column we will use on the Farming Income Chart. • Calculate the amount of money you made.

36. Homesteaders Earnings Form • Fill out Year 2: Add income (money you made), subtract expenditures (money that you spent)

38. Fate Cards • The following homesteaders draw a fate card and apply it to their total: Dean, Carlen, deJong, Marsh, and Samuels.

39. Year 3 • Before we start Year 3, you can decide whether to buy or sell land. • The government can sell unsettled land for $1.50 an acre. (Each Quarter Square is 160 Acres, so to buy one you need to pay $240) • You can sell your land to classmates for whatever they are willing to pay you.

40. Farming Decision Form • Fill out Year 3 on Farming Decision Form. • One Student will roll a die for the entire class. • The number that comes up is the column we will use on the Farming Income Chart. • Calculate the amount of money you made.

42. Homesteaders Earnings Form • Fill out Year 3: Add income (money you made), subtract expenditures (money that you spent)

44. Fate Cards • The following homesteaders draw a fate card and apply it to their total: Edwards, Bensen, Novak, Lee, and Holt.

45. Year 4 • Before we start Year 4, you can decide whether to buy or sell land. • The government can sell unsettled land for $1.50 an acre. (Each Quarter Square is 160 Acres, so to buy one you need to pay $240) • You can sell your land to classmates for whatever they are willing to pay you.

46. Farming Decision Form • Fill out Year 4 on Farming Decision Form. • One Student will roll a die for the entire class. • The number that comes up is the column we will use on the Farming Income Chart. • Calculate the amount of money you made.

48. Homesteaders Earnings Form • Fill out Year 4: Add income (money you made), subtract expenditures (money that you spent)

50. Fate Cards • The following homesteaders draw a fate card and apply it to their total: Davis, Nelson, Boone, Murphy, O'Toole and McKenna