American History Ch.17 – Flashcards
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In 1865, what regions of the United States was considered the western frontier?
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All the territory between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean
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How did various groups view the western frontier?
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Americans - viewed the frontier as desert that could not support crops but could bring riches through mining Spanish Settlers and Native Americans- viewed the frontier as their home
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How did mining and railroads draw people to the West?
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People seeking jobs and a chance to get rich flooded the West
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Why did most Americans moving west not settle on the Great Plains?
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It did not seem like good farmland
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How did the discovery of gold and silver affect the pattern of western settlement?
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1. People looking for gold had originally settled in California 2. From California, people spread eastward
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Who was most likely to strike it rich in a boomtown?
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Business people who supplied the goods and services that miners needed
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What kinds of businesses did women operate in boomtown?
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1. Restaurants 2. Laundries 3. Boarding house
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What was the Comstock Lode?
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It became one of the richest silver mines in the world ( Virginia City, Nevada), worth $300 million!
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Why boom towns use vigilante justice?
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Boom towns were growing so rapidly that government-appointed law enforcement was difficult to establish
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How did railroads change the West?
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They caused new towns to develop, leading to rapid population growth that helped western territories become states
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what incentives did the government offer to railroads builders to extend railroads lines westward?
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Grants of land and money
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What were the two companies that built the transcontinental railroads?
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Union Pacific Railroad - built eastward from Omaha Central Pacific Railroads - built eastward from Sacramento
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Who were some of the workers that built the transcontinental railroads?
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1. Native Born Whites 2. Chinese Immigrants 3. European Immigrant ( Irish, German, etc.) 4. Mexican Americans 5. African Americans 6. Former Civil War Soldiers
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What were some of the Challenges faced by the workers of the Transcontinental Railroads?
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1. Foul Weather 2. Attacks by Native Americans 3. Rugged Terrain - Tunnels had to be blasted through mountains
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How long was the Transcontinental Railroads?
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1,300 miles
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What two major cities were connected by the Transcontinental Railroads?
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Sacramento,California and Omaha, Nebraska
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How did the gold and silver rushes affect the transcontinental Railroads?
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1. The wealth the rushes promised spurred railroads development to establish the transcontinental line and shorten the trip westward 2. Gold and silver could be transported quickly to the East
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Why did the government help fund the creation of new railroads?
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1. Linking the east and the west coasts would create more unity in the country 2. Railroads made it easier to ship goods, and bring more people to the west in order to help territories gain stathood
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What were the consequences of the conflict between the native Americans and white settlers?
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Attempts to coexist were abandoned and removing Native Americans from their lands became standard policy
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How did life change for Native Americans when miners, settlers, and railroads moved west?
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1. Treaties protecting Native Americans were broken so that miners and railroad companies could obtain more land 2. Native Americans resisted the loss of their land, and wars broke out
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Why was the buffalo important to many groups?
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Native Americans used buffalo for foods, clothing, tools, and shelter
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How did guns and horses change the lives of Plains Native Americans?
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Native Americans were able to follow and hunt buffalo herds year-round
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Why did the buffalo begin to disappear?
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People who worked for railroad companies and other settlers were hunting buffalo for food, sport, and profit
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How did federal officials make Plains nations settle in one place?
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They forced them to live on reservations
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What event helped start the Indian Wars?
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The Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado in 1864
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Why did Native Americans react violently to living on reservations?
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1. They did not want to lose their lands and traditions 2. Life on the reservations was hard
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Why couldn't strong leaders like Crazy Horse ( Chief of the Sioux), sitting Bull ( Chief of the Sioux), and Chief Joseph ( Chief of the Nez Perces) save their people's lands?
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Native Americans were outnumbered
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Why did Custer attack at Little Bighorn?
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He had orders to force Native Americans onto a reservation
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What was the purpose of the Ghost Dance?
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Way for Native Americans to restore hope that they could return to their old ways of life
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Why did the government want to stop the Ghost Dance?
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1. Settlers thought it would serve as a way to unite various Native American groups 2. Settlers thought it was a step toward war
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What event marked an end of the Indian Wars?
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The Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota in 1890
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How was the Dawes Act an attempt to help Native Americans?
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It gave Native Americans land for farming and funded schools
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What did the Dawes Act fail?
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1. Few Native Americans took farming 2. In the schools, children were forced to be more like other Americans 3. Native Americans were forced to lose their traditional ways of life 4. Native Americans remained poor 5. Many Native Americans grew dependent on the government for food and supplies
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What type of cattle roamed the open range of Texas?
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Texas Longhorns
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Why did cattle drives cover long distances?
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Cattle were driven from Texas to railroad lines, which were often far away
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How did cow towns create the myth of the Wild West?
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1. The rowdy behavior of cowhands taking a break from the trail captured the imagination of easterners who assumed every western town was the same 2. The myth of the Wild West had some basis in fact, but was not entirely accurate
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How did the cattle boom lead to economic prosperity for many new towns in the west?
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Ranchers made large profit and cow hands and railroads men spent their money in cow towns
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How did ranchers make a profit?
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They sold adult cattle for a much higher prices than they had paid for them as young calves
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Why did the demand for beef drop?
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A depression meant easterners could not afford to buy as much western beef
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What factors ended the cattle boom?
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1. Overpopulation of cattle 2. A cycle of harsh weather 3. A depression that led to decreased demand for beef 4. Loss of grazing land 5. Expansion of railroads
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What factors led to boom and bust in the cattle industry?
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1. the discovery of a new way to herd cattle and the expansion of the railroads led to a cattle boom 2. Weather a depression and an increase in small farms led to the cattle industry
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What cause the rise of the cattle industry?
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The expansion of the railroads into the west gave ranchers a way to supply beef to the entire nation
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How did Americans cowhands learn many of their skills?
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1. Ranching began in Mexico and the Spanish and Mexican Vo Querouse about cattle 2. They learned to ride rope and brand
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How did farmers on the Plains struggle to make a living?
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They worked to find methods for dealing with challenging farming conditions and dropping prices
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How did the Homestead Act help people gain land?
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It provided land to settlers who would agree to live on it and farm it for five years
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Who were the homesteaders?
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People who took the federal government offer of land and agreed to work and live on it for five years
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What dangers did cowhands face on cattle drives?
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1. Fires 2. Thieves 3. Bad weather 4. Dangerous Rapids 5. Swampd
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What were some problems associated with the Homestead Act?
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1. Few settlers had the money to move west 2. Large companies took land illegally 3. The Homestead Act did not give farmers enough land to support themselves on the dry plains a. Only one homesteader in three lasted the required five years b. This was not the case for most of the homesteaders located in the southeastern part of Dakota Territtory
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Why did the railroads encourage farmers?
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More farmers meant more shipping for the railroads
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Why was it so hard to farm the Plains if the land was fertile?
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1. Cutting through the thick layer of sod that supported the Plains grasses required new technology a. John Deere developed a steel plow to cut sod 2. The climate was dry and farmers had to tap deep into the ground to get water and used of windmills o bring the water to the surface
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What is a surplus?
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when someone produces more of a product that there is a demand for it a. When a surplus of a product takes place the value (price) of that product decreases
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Who were the sodbusters and Exodusters?
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1. Sodbusters were Plains farmers 2. Exodusters were African Americans who settled on the Plains
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Where were the Native Americans sent who had once owned the Oklahoma Indian Territory?
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They were forced onto reservations
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Why was there such a rush for land in Oklahoma Territory?
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There was little unsettled left in the West
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Who were Sooners?
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People who claimed land before the official start of the Oklahoma land rush
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How did the sooners cause a problem for farmers in Oklahoma?
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1. The sooners took the best land in Oklahoma 2. Farmers were left with land that was difficult to farm
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Where was the last land rush in the West?
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Oklahoma, tow million acres of land a. This signaled the closing of the western frontier; the United States was now settled from coast to coast
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What did Plains farmers and cattle ranchers have in common?
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1. Railroads helped both ship their products around the country 2. Both groups ended up facing economic crises
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How did Granges try to help farmers?
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They began as social and educational associations and evolved into economic and political movement
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How did forming a farm cooperative help farmers?
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They worked together for reforms and pooled their money to buy supplies
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How did Populists think inflation would help them economically?
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Rising prices would allow farmers to earn more money and pay their debts
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What did Populists demand?
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1. Public ownership of railroads and warehouses 2. Wanted the government to back the dollar with silver as well as gold; this would cause inflation and, thus raise crops prices 3. Creation of an eight-hour workday 5. Creation of other reforms
