Chapter 17 Rural America: The West and the New South

1. Chapter 17Rural America: The West and the New South The American People, 6th ed.

2. I. Modernizing Agriculture • The expansion of American agriculture was inextricably tide to world demand • Many European nations had to import the bulk of their food, especially England • America’s new role as the agricultural center of the western world depended on technological innovation to make crop production more efficient • This often backfired as a surplus of foodstuffs caused the market price to fall

4. II. The West

5. The Great Plains • The Great Plains of the West initially discouraged traditional farmers, but cattlemen found the region perfect grazing land • By the end of the Civil War’s blockades, the southern plains were crowded with herds of cattle • Railroads changed the common views of the region and encouraged settlement

6. Cornucopia on the Pacific • Americans rushed to California to earn their share of the Gold Rush but usually ended up farming • Fresh fruits and vegetables became California's largest export

8. The Mining West • Thousands of settlers rushed west to join the mining craze of the 1840s • Silver, iron, copper, lead, zinc, and tin were as important as gold • Real mining required a large labor force and expensive machinery • Most independent miners panning streams never made their fortunes

11. Exploiting Natural Resources • The clear cutting of the nation’s forests were a byproduct of aggressive mining techniques and construction of towns and railroads • Removal of the forests changed the nature of soil composition, water flow, and the habitats of native animals • Many Americans became uneasy and called for government intervention and conservation

14. Resolving the Indian Question

15. The Plains Indians • The American government’s perspective was that all Native Americans must relocate in one of two areas: Oklahoma and South Dakota • Confined to reservations, the tribes would be transitioned into the white culture • Some tribes refused to comply and were systematically extinguished

17. IV. The New South

18. Cotton Still King • A new agricultural South with new class and economic arrangements emerged • High cotton prices immediately after the war persuaded southern farmers to grow as much cotton as possible; prices quickly spiraled downward, throwing the entire region into more debt and poverty

19. The Nadir of Black Life • In the late 1800s, many Congressional bills from Reconstruction aimed to support and assist the newly freed slaves were cast aside by a new generation of politicians

20. V. Farm Protest

21. The Grange • The earliest effort to organize white farmers was fronted by Oliver Kelley in 1867 • Called the Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, the social club grew quickly to include more than 800,000 • Now known as the National Grange, Kelley’s organization sought to reform the ways in which agricultural business was done; striving to bypass the middlemen such as railroad shippers and grain elevator owners • Their lobbying led to legislation regarding how railroads could be regulated for the common good of the country