Homesteaders and life on the Plains

1. Homesteaders and life on the Plains Key Topic 4: Settlement and Conflict on the Plains 1861-77 Starter- Recap- who were homesteaders? Extension-explain what life was like on the Plains for them and why

2. Key words/concepts • Homesteaders-a person who acquires or possesses land under a homestead law • Homestead Act 1862- The Homestead Act was a law passed by Congress in 1862 which granted 160 acres of federal land to any U.S. citizen. An individual was given ownership of the land for free if that person lived on the land for five years and improved the land by building a home and producing a crop • 1873 Timber Culture Act - a further 160 acres of land was given as long as 40 acres was planted with trees

3. Problems/solutions- glue in your books and make a priority list underneath: biggest problem/1 and work your way up • Why choose the Homestead life? • The majority of the homesteaders were white Americans who saw the Plains as offering the opportunities that were unavailable to them in the Eastern USA. • There were two main factors that made them leave the East. • The first was the shortage of farmland. • The Eastern states had been overcrowded in the 1840s when many left to go to California and Oregon. By the 1860s, the situation was worse still, Young people seeking land for their families were unable to afford it in the East, the Plains offered them lots of land very cheaply. Problems they faced • Building a house • Staying healthy • Extreme weather • Lack of fuel • Indian attacks • Isolation • Keeping clean • Lack of water • Pests and vermin

4. Mini plenary- learning check • In your own words explain briefly some of the problems homesteaders faced and how they solved these

5. Life for women homesteaders on the Great Plains- create a mind-map • Many responsibilities in the home and on the farm- children, cooking, cleaning, growing vegetables and tending smaller animals. • Women took care of the home- organisation, laundry, fetching water from the well, cooking food, collecting buffalo dung for fuel and heating, growing vegetables. All of this was time consuming at a time there was no running water or technology or electricity etc. • At busy times of the year women did much farm work- milking cows, tending chickens, sowing seeds for ploughing. • Life was hard- many were isolated with no near neighbours. Doctors were scarce so childbirth was difficult, infant mortality rate was 30%. There were no proper medicines so many used herbal remedies. • As time went on however small communities started to grow and many women campaigned for schools to be built, building churches and bringing Christianity to the Plains.

6. Which factors determined whether a homesteader would be successful? • Exact location of their land – some parts of the Plains were more fertile than others. • Adaptability – The Great Plains required them to adapt their farming techniques. Homesteaders who failed to adapt did not succeed. • Weather – severe droughts of the 1870s and 1880s forced thousands of homesteaders into bankruptcy. • Hard work and determination – those who survived were helped by a number of inventions and developments in homesteading.

7. Plenary- “the US government helped to solve homesteaders problems” • Do you agree with this statement? Explain your answer Agree Disagree