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WARMUP #1

WARMUP #1. Between 1869 and 1875, more than 200 major battles were fought between U.S. government forces and various Native American tribes.

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WARMUP #1

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  1. WARMUP #1 Between 1869 and 1875, more than 200 major battles were fought between U.S. government forces and various Native American tribes. Why was there so much fighting during this period? What political, social & economic factors increased the friction between Native Americans & white Americans? Explain your answer in one clear paragraph.

  2. Push & Pull Factors push factors ( - ) : • high unemployment (lack of jobs) • overcrowding • pollution • increased crime • racial discrimination & prejudice (African-Americans) • religious persecution (Mormons) pull factors ( + ) : • manifest destiny • a new & fresh start • “the American dream” • religious freedom (Mormons to Utah via Brigham Young) • racial freedom (Exodusters: African-American cowboys) • Homestead Act 1862: 160 acres of free land (if settled) • Morrill Land Grant Act: creation of agricultural colleges (i.e. Texas A&M)

  3. Problems faced by “the Farmers” • dry, arid climate (…it does not rain often enough…) • lack of sources of water • locusts & other pests • Native Americans • lack of farming knowledge …& down the road, the abuses of the railroads!

  4. Inventions & Innovations toAssist “The Farmers” • mechanical reaper: to harvest crops easier • steel plow: till the dry, hard ground • steel windmill: creates energy without water • dry farming: grow crops that are not as water-dependent (i.e. wheat, barley, oats) • Morrill Land Grant Act • cooperatives → “The Grange” • …& if not interested in farming, Joseph Glidden’s barbed wire for cattle ranchers!

  5. The Frontier West

  6. I. The Struggle ofthe Great Plains’ Native Americans A. Over 200,000 Native Americans lived in the Great Plainsfollowing the Civil War (The Great Plains = area between the Mississippi River & the Rocky Mountains) B. Conflict with settlers in the East before the Civil War resulted in the removal policy which placed Native Americans in the Trans-Mississippi West, most in Oklahoma territory C. Peace Commissions (U.S. Army & Native American agents) sent to meet with Great Plains’ Native Americans in 1867 &1868 &promised aid & non-interference

  7. D. Conflicts betweenNative Americans & U.S. Army • Sand Creek Massacre: 1864. 450 Arapaho & Cheyenne men, women & children killed in Colorado Territory by Colonel Chivington's volunteer forces (Chivington’s Raid) • Battle of Little Big Horn: July 4, 1876. General George Armstrong Custer & 264 troops killed by Sioux Native Americans in Montana Territory 3. Chief Joseph & the Nez Perce captured by U.S. Army after 1300-mile chase (“I will fight no more forever”) 4. Wounded Knee Massacre: 1890. 200 unarmed Sioux killed after Sitting Bull was killed Helen Hunt Jackson’s The Century of Dishonor: examining the American government’s mistreatment of Native Americans (including the slaughter of the buffalo)

  8. E. Dawes Act (1887) sought to “Americanize” Native Americans (assimilation: attempting to change one’s native ways of life to American ways of life) 1. Reservations divided among families in 160-acre segments 2. Tribal loyalties had to be renounced to gain American citizenship 3. Between 1887 & 1934, Native Americans lost over half of their reservation lands to white settlers

  9. II. Gold & Silver Fever • Strikes brought thousands of settlers 1. Gold discovered in Colorado in 1858. Gold ran out quickly, with very few fortunes being made 2. Silver discovered in Virginia City, Nevada (Comstock Lode). More than $100 million extracted by most ambitious miner, John Mackay. A. between 1860 & 1890, $2 billion in gold &silver mined in the West “goldbugs” = preference for gold “silverites” = preference for silver

  10. III. Cattle Ranching in the West • Western lands & open range proved ideal for cattle ranching (cowboys = ranchers) • Railroads opened up Eastern markets for beef • “Texas Longhorns” brought in herds of 3,000 cattle from Texasto railhead towns such as Abilene & Dodge City (“The Long Drive”) B. “Open range” ended in 1880s 1. Harsh winters of 1885 & 1886 wiped out herds 2. Barbed wire (invented by Joseph Glidden) allowed farmers to fence range land to keep cattle from grazing “barbed wire” = keep cattle in!

  11. IV. Farmers on the Frontier • Tough life for settlers on woodless plains (sod houses/”soddies”) ---dry, arid climate with locusts & pests • Homestead Act (1862) brought settlers to West from East & Europe (basically free land of 160-acre sections) C. Railroads established towns; sold land after huge land grants from the government “bonanza towns” = towns/settlements controlled by corporations • Who’s building the railroads? • Chinese, Irish & Mexican immigrants (extreme prejudice!) D. Last major section of the West settled with Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889

  12. V. Closing of the Frontier • 1890 U.S. Census declared that “the frontier” was closed B. Frederick Jackson Turner's thesis ("The Frontier in American History") stated: 1. The frontier was a critical development of American democracy 2. Self-reliance & independent nature of American culture were fostered by “the frontier”

  13. WARMUP #2 When the United States Census Bureau issued its 1860 report, it included “civilized Indians” in the statistics. What do you think the word “civilized” means here? Do you think that Native Americans would agree with this use of the word as applied to their condition in 1860? Write a clear paragraph explaining your answer. Support your opinion with some examples from history.

  14. WARMUP #3 The Homestead Act of 1862 was designed to settle the Western United States beyond the Great Plains. Under this Act, a farmer could have 160 acres of land for free after living on it for 5 years. Or, after 6 months on the land, he could buy it at $1.25 an acre. The law was meant to benefit small farmers & urban workers. Only 1 of out of every 9 acres of Western land actually ended up in the hands of small farmers. Western land did not prove to be as easy to cultivate as land in the East. Who ended up owning the land? Why? Name at least 3 reasons, small farmers found it hard to settle in the West.

  15. Why Did The Farmers Struggle? • dry, arid climate (…it does not rain often enough…) • lack of sources of water • locusts & other pests • Native Americans • lack of farming knowledge …& the abuses of the railroads!

  16. Why So Many ProblemsWith The Railroads? • increasing of freight prices • why is this significant? • the farmers are reliant on the railroads to get their crops to market (higher expenses = lower profits: P = R – E) • crime along the tracks • increased pollution • running through occupied land • building of bonanza towns • telegraph lines for communication purposes

  17. The Farmers Unite! the farmers of the West will team up against the railroads’ abuses: • cooperatives → the Grange “social outlet” → Populist Party (“the people’s party”) POPULISM

  18. Goals of The Populist Party • government regulation of the railroads • Interstate Commerce Act • graduated income tax • tax rate increases with increases in income (the more $$$ you make, the more you get taxed) • 16th Amendment • direct election of senators • the people vote in their senators, not state legislatures • 17th Amendment • bimetallism • paper currency backed by gold AND silver • why? the farmers cannot afford currency only the gold standard…if with silver too, they have more $$$

  19. The Populists Get “Popular” As their ideas become increasingly popular, the farmers gain in national prominence…& by 1896, the Populist Party will nominate a candidate for President: 1896 ELECTION: • William Jennings Bryan (Populist/Democratic Party) “Cross of Gold” speech:the gold standard is “crucifying” the farmers…thus, the serious need for bimetallism (“silverites” = preference for silver) VS. • William McKinley (Republican Party) “goldbugs” = preference for gold WHO WINS??? • William McKinley & the Republicans Why? Because Eastern factory workers feared inflation!

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