1 chapter 17 – the west chapter 17, section 1 mining and railroads

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Chapter 17 – The WestChapter 17 – The West

• Chapter 17, Section 1

• Mining and Railroads

The Discovery of Gold and The Discovery of Gold and Silver in the WestSilver in the West

The Comstock LodeThe Comstock Lode Discovered in Nevada in 1859Discovered in Nevada in 1859 Importance: Importance: one of the richest silver one of the richest silver

mines in the worldmines in the world Effect: made Nevada a center forEffect: made Nevada a center for

mining.mining.

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The Boom SpreadsThe Boom Spreads

• Few prospectors became rich because

the ore was deep underground and difficult to extract.

• By the 1880’s, western mining had become big business.

• gold mines also contributed to state growth (Colorado, Montana, South Dakota)

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LifeLife in Mining Towns in Mining Towns

• Tent cities arose around mining camps and quickly became boomtowns.

• Nearly half of all miners were foreign born.• Because mining towns grew so quickly, it was hard to

find law and order. So miners formed groups of vigilantes, chased bandits and imposed their own justice.

• As towns grew, local residents looked for more lasting forms of government.

• In some towns, all the ore was soon extracted and mines closed, miners moved away, businesses closed, and merchants left.

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Aid to RailroadsAid to Railroads• To encourage the growth of railroads, the federal

government offered railroads subsidies, which are grants of land or money. Railroads also received federal loans.

• A transcontinental railroad is a railroad line that spans the continent.

• In 1862, the Central Pacific Railroad won the right to build a line eastward from Sacramento. The Union Pacific railroad would build west from Omaha.

• The railroads hired thousands of workers, including 10,000 Chinese.

• On May 10, 1869 the two lines met in Promontory Point, Utah.

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Effects of the RailroadsEffects of the Railroads

• On Population: led to rapid population growth

• Political Changes: Nevada, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming became states.

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Native Americans in the WestNative Americans in the West

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People of the PlainsPeople of the Plains

• For centuries, the Plains people lived by gathering wild food, hunting, and fishing.

• The Europeans introduced horses and guns.

• Many Plains nations began following the buffalo herds.

Chapter 17, Section 2

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Broken TreatiesBroken Treaties

• As Americans moved west, U.S. officials tried to convince the Plains Indians to stop following the buffalo and settle down permanently.

• In 1851, Native American leaders signed the Fort Laramie Treaty. The U.S. government promised to protect Native American land. However, after the treaty was signed, settlers moved onto Native Americans’ lands.

Chapter 17, Section 2

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Broken treaties (cont.)Broken treaties (cont.)

• In 1864, Colonel John Chivington attacked a band of Cheyenne at Sand Creek.

• The Sand Creek Massacre helped ignite an era of war.

Chapter 17, Section 2

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Native American ResistanceNative American Resistance

• Southern Plains nations were moved to reservations in Oklahoma. Life there was a disaster because poor soil in Oklahoma made farming difficult.

• Many Sioux and Cheyenne gathered on land set aside for them in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Chapter 17, Section 2

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• When a gold strike in 1874 brought miners to the area, Sitting Bull

and Crazy Horse led attacks to keep the whites out.

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• In 1876, General George Armstrong Custer tried to force Native Americans onto a reservation. He and all his men died in the Battle of Little Big Horn.

• Chief Joseph led the Nez Perces to Canada.

The U.S. Army caught the Nez Perces near Canada and Chief Joseph surrendered.

. Chapter 17, Section 2

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After years of war, the Navajos were defeated in 1864 in Arizona, and they were forced to move to a spot near the

Pecos River.

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• In the late 1880’s, Native Americans began performing ghost dances, which they believed would make their ancestors and the buffalo return and would cause white people to leave the Plains. Soldiers saw this as the beginning of an uprising. In the struggle, Chief Sitting Bull was killed.

• Later, troops killed nearly 200 Sioux men, women, and children at the Battle of Wounded Knee.

Chapter 17, Section 2

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Efforts at ReformEfforts at Reform

• Congress passed the Dawes Act in 1887, which gave Native American men 160 acres to farm – and set up schools for Native American children.

• The measure failed because few Native Americans didn’t take to farming.

• The Dawes Act – encouraged Indians to be farmers

• Didn’t work – Indians didn’t believe anyone owned the land, sold their shares for low prices

Chapter 17, Section 2

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Changes for Native AmericansChanges for Native Americans

• Life for Native Americans changed

• -fed. govt. took away power of leaders– wanted them to give up their culture: customs,

language, religion– depended on U.S. govt. for food and supplies– not content on reservations

Chapter 17, Section 2

Causes and Effects

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Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

• Railroads swept across the Plains

• Texas Ranchers began driving cattle to the rail lines to get cattle to distant markets. Cowhands followed trails such as the Chisholm Trail and the Good-night Loving Trail

Chap. 17, Sec. 3

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• Cowhands who drove cattle needed to unwind at the end of the trail, where they faced dangers such as panicked animals, stampedes, fires, and thieves.

• Cow towns sprang up along rail lines -cowboys drove longhorns (cattle drives) to rail lines in Kansas -Dodge City, Abilene, KC, Missouri Here, dance halls, saloons, hotels, and restaurants served the cowhands.

Chap. 17, Sec. 3 cont.

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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• Cowhands borrowed much from early Spanish and Mexican vaqueros.

• Cowhands learned how to ride, rope, and brand. They wore spurs and chaps and broad-brimmed hats.

Chap.17, Sec. 3 cont.

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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• William “Buffalo Bill” Cody created a traveling Wild West show.

• The myth of the Wild West as a place of violence, adventure, and endless opportunities was spread.

Chap. 17, Sec. 3 cont.

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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• Profits rose. New breeds of cattle had fewer diseases and more meat than longhorns.

• The cattle industry booms. Backers from the East and Europe invested millions in huge cattle companies.

Chap. 17, Sec. 3 cont.

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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• In the 1880’s, there was bad weather, economic depression, lower demand for beef and competition with sheep. Farmers fenced in open range.

• The cattle industry collapsed.

Chap. 17, Sec. 3 cont.

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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• Railroads expanded and their lines moved closer to the ranches.

• Large roundups and long cattle drives vanished. The cattle boom was over.

Chap. 17, Sec. 3 conclusion

Causes and EffectsCauses and Effects

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Farming in the West

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Homestead Act of 1862Homestead Act of 1862

• Offered 160 acres to anyone who resided on the land for five years.

• Thousands became homesteaders, which were settlers who acquired free land from the government

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RailroadsRailroads

• To the railroads, more farms meant more shipping for the railroads.

• So railroads gave away some of the 180 million acres they got from the government.

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New Farming MethodsNew Farming Methods

• Steel plows that could break through sod

• Drills to bury seed

• Reapers to harvest crops

• Threshers to beat off the hard coverings of grains.

• Irrigation

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Farm FamiliesFarm Families

• Role of men: labored on the farm

• Role of children: tended animals and helped with chores.

• Role of women: kept house, helped plant and harvest, educated children, nursed the sick, sewed clothes, preserved food, made basics such as candles and soaps.

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ExodustersExodusters

• Thousands of African Americans came to the Plains.

• They were known as Exodusters because they believed they were like the Jews fleeing from slavery in Egypt in the book of Exodus in the Bible.

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Spanish-speaking FarmersSpanish-speaking Farmers

• Many had been there since before the Mexican-American War.

• Mexican immigrants arrived with the coming of the railroads.

• Large landowners were known as ricos.

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SoonersSooners

• The federal government opened up what was once Indian territory in Oklahoma to homesteaders in April 1889.

• A few people known as sooners had already sneaked on to the land.

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Farmers OrganizeFarmers Organize

• Granges were groups of farmers who met for lectures, sewing bees, and other events. In 1867, local granges joined to form the National Grange.

• Grangers demanded the same low rates from railroads and warehouses given to big farmers.

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Farmers Organize (cont.)Farmers Organize (cont.)

• Farm cooperatives were groups of farmers who pooled their money to make large purchases of tools, seeds, and other supplies at a discount.

• Unhappy farmers joined with labor unions to form the Populist Party, which pushed for social reforms.