Cultures Clash on the Prairie. Section 1

Transcription

1 Section 1

2 Cultures Clash on the Prairie Section 1

3 Some Native Americans of the Plains lived in communities, farming and hunting All were religious and believed the land was for all, not one owner Most however were nomadic Moving from place to place Following the food source- buffalo (VITAL) Culture

4 Uprisings After the Civil War constant pressure from migrating settlers put pressure on the Native Americans to deal with their presence Dakota Sioux had moved to a reservation and the government did not follow through on its treaty promises. After being denied food on credit a major uprising occurs in which hundreds of settlers were slaughtered Fetterman s Massacre in Montana Cheyenne and Arapaho in Colorado with the miners Sand Creek Massacre Very little choice left for the Native American trying to preserve their way of life- their culture

5 Last of the Wars Custer s Last Stand- Little Big Horn River, Montana Fame of the 7 th Calvary Custer did not plan properly and underestimated the intelligence of the Sioux The Nez Perce in the Northwestern United States Last major tribe to be placed on a reservation- Oklahoma The impact of the Ghost Dance Last resort thinking (hoping) Natives, especially the younger ones believed that if they participated in the Ghost Dance the Earth would open and swallow the White man, their relatives would come back and the buffalo would again be plentiful

6 Wounded Knee Creek

7 Some Americans opposed the treatment of the Native Americans and thought things could get better if they could assimilate Dawes Act of FAILED Writing is on the wall- Assimilate or perish Assimilation

8 Cattle Drives After the war many left and headed west for a new life. A good deal of these settlers went into the cattle business There was the need of finding a breed of cow that could survive the harsh weather conditions of the west- the Texas Longhorn was just the cow! Open Range encouraged the growth of the cattle industry. Vast areas of grassland owned by the government. Ranchers could graze their cattle for free After the war beef prices soared. Cattle that sold for $3.00-$5.00 per in Texas were selling for $30-$50 in St. Louis or Chicago First long drive took place in 1866 across the Great Plains to Missouri and sold for 10 times what they were worth in Texas.

9 To move the cattle north to Kansas or Missouri needed workers referred to as Cowboys Former Confederates, Freed blacks and Hispanics made up a great portion of the cowboys Many of the words we use to define the American cowboy came from the Mexicans Cowboys

10 Growth of Mining Growth of industry in the east led to the need of the minerals of the west. The search for gold, silver and copper led thousands to move out west in hopes of striking it rich! The equipment at first was very simple a pick, a shovel and a pan. This was what was called placer mining. After the top layer of minerals were mined out corporations would come in and do what was called quartz mining- very harmful to the environment.

11 Henry Comstock staked a claim in Six- Mile Canyon, Nevada the location went from outpost to boomtown virtually over night Boomtowns would have a hotel, dry goods store, saloon and other necessities Boom Towns

12 Problems with Boom! In Boom towns crime was a very big problem Many came out west with ideas of stealing their way to a fortune Robbing banks, stage coaches Cattle/Horse Rustling Mine jumpers

13 Ghost towns A "ghost town" is "a shadowy semblance of its former self. Eventually the mines would run dry and the town would dry up. No mining meant no need for people to be there- there was no means of making a living so move on to the next big strike

14 Great Plains Section 2

15 Transcontinental Railroad After the Civil War construction dramatically expanded To encourage construction the government offered each company land along its right of way Not a lot of men wanted to work as hard as RR construction was and as a result the RR companies had to hire immigrants. Predominantly Irish and Chinese Completed May 10, 1869 By 1890 there was over 200,000 miles of railroad across America

16 Impact of the Railroad The railroad spurred economic growth of the Plains as more settlers moved west They sold land along rail lines provided free by the government Homestead Act was a significant contributor to western growth $10.00 registration fee a settler could lay claim to 160 acres of land Would gain the title after living on the land for 5 years Exodusters-African-Americans moving west Life on the Plains was harsh and challenging Extremes of heat as well as cold Prairie fires or swarms of locusts were always a threat

17 Geography of the Plains Great Plains extends westward to the Rockies; an imaginary line from the central Dakotas to western Texas Less than 20 inches of rain a year- very few trees so they built soddys Huge herds of buffalo used to graze the plains When first explored was referred to as the Great American Desert Morrill Act- established Agricultural Colleges

18 Farmers and the Populist Movement Section 3

19 Technology New technology made the Plains profitable for the farmer John Deere s Steel plow Cyrus McCormick's Mechanical reapers Many used dry farming methods taught by the Mormons Joseph Glidden and Barbed Wire Wheat withstood the heat and lack of water better than other crops Establishment of the Wheat Belt

20 Many farmers will lose their homesteads because of the weather conditions of the Plains Others created bonanza farms single-family farms that sometimes occupied up to 50,000 acres- very profitable In the 1890 s an over- abundance of wheat caused a drop in the market Some farmers lost their farms because they could not pay their bills 1880 s a prolonged draught caused many more farms to shut down Farming

21 The Grange Organization founded by Oliver H. Kelley Founded for Social and Educational purposes During the recession the Grange changed its focus to helping the farmer Formed Cooperatives The Grange could not help the farmer enough and farmers sought other means of help

22 Farmers Alliance Formed in By 1890 it had between 1.5 and 3 million members Strength was in the South and Great Plains Cooperatives helped increase crop prices. They also provided low interest loans to the farmer Most failed by overextending themselves in loans and the inability to affect transportation cost

23 Populism In the 1890 s a new political movement emerged to increase the political power of farmers Money supply was a concern for farmers- inflation was on the rise, prices of goods generally were on the rise To try and right the ship Congress ceased issuing greenbacks and stopped coining silver. These actions will result in deflation, an increase in the value of money and a decrease in the prices of goods Deflation forced most farmers to borrow money to just get their crops planted- but interest rates were very high raising the amount of money the farmer would have to pay back thus cutting his meager profit even more

24 The Populists Push for political reforms that would help the American farmer Issued the Ocala Demands Adoption of sub-treasury plan Free coinage of silver End to protective tariffs and National Banks Regulation of the Railroad Direct election of Senators

25 Populists or People s Party Platform Unlimited Coinage of Silver Federal Ownership of the Railroad Graduated Income Tax Restriction on Immigration 8 hour workday

26 Panic of 1893 It was caused by the bankruptcy of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroads Resulted in a Stock Market crash and the closing of many banks By 1894 the country was in a DEEP depression 20% of the population was out of work

27 How do I stop the President Cleveland wanted to stop the flow of gold and make it the sole basis for our currency Sherman Silver Purchase Act Caused the Democratic Party to split into Goldbugs and Silverites Depression?

28 Election of 1896 The Democratic nominee was William Jennings Bryan Supported unlimited coinage of silver A friend of the farmer, will have Populist support for the election Cross of Gold Speech The Republican was William McKinley of Ohio Strong business support McKinley wins

29 Gold Strikes in Alaska and the Yukon Territory increased the money supply in the United States No longer needed to use silver As the silver issue dies so does the Populist Party That ll Fix It!