Revolution: Agricultural & Economic

1. Revolution: Agricultural & Economic Progressive Impact of the Industrial Age

2. Settling the West • After the Civil War, many Americans moved west to start a new life or to settle “the last frontier.” • The movement of people to the west, was also motivated by the mining of precious metals, and the desire for adventure. • The government made moving westward attractive by passing the Homestead Act of 1862.

3. HOMESTEAD ACT • Homestead Actwas a law developed in 1862 by Congress to promote settlement of the Great Plains. • Age 21 and the head of the family could have 160 acres of landif they improved it in five years • Could buy it for a small amount of $$$ • The US Government encouraged westward expansion and the Homestead Actallowed thousands of settlers to move west and start new lives.

4. The West • 200,000 Indians on the Plains following the Civil War. • Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy had all but eliminated their influence in the East. (1831) • 1851 – Fort Laramie Treaty established Reservation system. • 1853 - Fort Atkinson Treaty established boundaries and attempted to create two giant “colonies” of Tribes. • 1867-68 – Peace Commissions sent by US Government to establish relations with Indians. • Indian Wars: • Chivington’s Raid (1864) -450 Arapaho Indians killed near Colorado territory. • Little Big Horn (1876) – Gen. George Custer and 264 men killed by Sioux Indians in Montana territory. “Custer’s Last Stand” • Wounded Knee (1890) – 200 unarmed Sioux Indians killed after sitting Bull was killed.

5. The Ghost Dance Movement -1890 • Paiute medicine man Wovoka promised the return of the buffalo and Indian way of life. • The religion prophesied the end of the westward expansion of whites and a return of Indian land. • The ritual lasted five successive days, being danced each night and on the last night continued until morning. • Hypnotic trances and shaking accompanied this ceremony, which was supposed to be repeated every six weeks.

6. Ghost Shirt GHOST SHIRT Indian warriors fighting against the US wore Ghost Shirts which were to stop the penetration of American soldiers bullets……It gave them supernatural powers as was believed……… Ghost Shirt

7. The Ghost Dance Movement -1890 • Ghost Dance movement spread to Sitting Bull and the Sioux • They religiously danced even after they were told to stop by reservation authorities. • Military went to arrest Sitting Bull, where he was killed. • Many Sioux followers left the reservation and became hostile

8. Mistreatment & neglect • Indian agents of the federal Govt. were supposed to provide food, clothing and supplies to reservation Indians. • Instead, the agents provided tattered blankets, spoiled food and rotten supplies and sold the good supplies on the black market. • One agent left the west with $50,000 in “Savings” he had accumulated while working on the plains! • Govt. realized it was cheaper to feed them than to fight them. • Many Americans were unaware of what was happening. • A Century of Dishonor (1881) – novel that detailed all of the cruelty inflicted upon Indians by White men. • Dawes Act (1887) – Forced civilization of the Indians. • Tribal ownership of lands is wiped out. • 160 acres of land given to “heads of family” • If they behaved, they got full title in 25 years!

9. A CENTURY OF DISHONOR • Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885), activist for Native American rights and author of Century ofDishonor was published in 1881. • Jackson also began work on a book condemning the government’s Indian policy and its record of broken treaties. • When Jackson sent a copy to every member of Congress with the following admonition printed in red on the cover: "Look upon your hands: they are stained with the blood of your relations."To her disappointment, the book had little impact.

10. The Cattle Frontier • Gold Rush (1849) Pikes Peak (1859) and the Comstock Lode (1859) brought thousands of Gold Miners to the west. • Once the majority of the treasure had been looted, a new lifestyle emerged and the towns that sprang up disappeared! BOOMTOWNS AND GHOST TOWNS • Cattle Drives – began post Civil War. • Improved with the development of branch slaughterhouse & refrigerated rail cars. • Towns that supported the “beef industry” flourished. • Dodge City, KS. Abilene, TX. Cheyenne, WO. • 1866-1888 – 4 million steer driven to slaughterhouses in the West! • Railroad Impact • 1,000’s of homesteaders moved West each year. • Gradually they infringe upon cattle territory, trails and paths • Conflicts erupt throughout the West involving cattle rustling, stealing and sometimes violence resulted! • 1886-87 Brutal Winter left cattle stranded across the plains frozen to death by subzero temps!

11. The lure of the West and the closing of the frontier • The west became a place of intrigue for many Americans. It’s beautiful landscapes painted by the Rocky Mountain School artists and the “romantic” image of the frontier by authors such as Mark Twain made many Americans desire to move west. • Frederick Jackson Turner was an influential statesmen and historian who wrote a paper arguing that closing the American frontier was ending a powerful democratizing force.

12. TURNER THESIS • With Indians on the reservation by 1890, the United States Census Bureau announced the official end of the frontier. • The population in the West had become dense, and the days of free western land had come to an end. • In 1893, historian Frederick Jackson Turner claimed that the frontier had played a key role in forming the American character. • The Turner Thesis, stated that frontier life created Americans who were socially mobile, ready for adventure, bent on individual self-improvement, committed to democracy and able to withstand difficult times to accomplish the American Dream… Frederick Jackson Turner “RUGGED INDIVIDUALIST” The frontier created the American character of one who was self-sufficient, persistent and able to withstand difficult times to accomplish the American Dream…

13. Homestead Impact • 1862 Act gave 160 acres if you stayed on it 5 years. • Problem: • Land in some parts was unusable for farming. • 500,000 families took advantage. • 2.5 million bought land from railroads for twice the $30 fee. • Fraud: • Settlers would justify improvements to land. • 12 x 14 structure was 12 inches by 14 inches! • Land was tilled up and farms were built. • Sodbusters – people who built homes from sod on the great plains because of a lack of trees. • They destroyed the natural balance of the region eventually leading to the Dust Bowls of the 1930’s.

14. A Pioneer’s Sod House, SD

15. Ecological Impact of Homesteaders • 1874 – US Geological survey warned that farming west of 100th meridian was not possible. • Advice was ignored and soil was churned up. • “dry farming” –planting of crops in loose soil supposedly counteracted need for water. • Actually caused massive erosion and soil damage. • Farmers turned to new crops • Wheat, sorghum and other grains were more drought resistant and overtook corn as staple crop of the West. • Barbed Wire (1874) solved problem of fences on treeless prairies. • New States and territories created • Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming were admitted into the Union. • Problems loomed on the frontier as well as in other areas of America at the turn of the Century!

16. Land Based Legislation of the Time

17. Farmers take a stand • Natural destruction – • Erosion, weather, over-farming • Unfair taxation – • Property taxes were too high. • Wealthy could shelter their income. • Business tactics – RR trust/oil trust/barbed wire trust – all monopolies that set prices and squeezed out competitors. • Little guy cannot compete • Grievances – • Grange (1867) • Social fraternity for farmers • 1875-800,000 members • Greenback Party (late 1870’s) • Party that supports paper currency. • Populists – Political party formed out of Farmer’s Alliance.

18. Chronology • 1872 – First mail order catalogue specifically designed for farmers. • Montgomery Wards catalogue was 1 page. • 1889 – Oklahoma legally opened for settlement. “Sooners” enter the state via land races. • 1896 – UT admitted to the Union. • Turn of the Century – only OK, NM and AZ are territories. • Environmental movements • (1872) – Yellowstone National Park created • (1890) – Yosemite and Sequoia National Park created. • Cities grow – Chicago/San Francisco expand • “Safety valve” theory – West was like a safety valve because when their area became saturated, they could move west and start over! • Population surge in the West • 1890 – US Census officially identified frontier as being “closed”