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Conquest and Settlement. The Contested West. Mining. Comstock Lode. the Washoe basin in Nevada where the richest silver ore on the continent. Silver miners. Silver mining required capital, technical knowledge, equipment Rife with speculation, misrepresentation, thievery - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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THE CONTESTED WESTConquest and Settlement
MYTHOLOGIES OF THE WEST
BUFFALO BILL CODY
FRONTIER THESIS That the frontier, the free and empty
land to the West, was the most defining element of America
One of the most enduring of the myths about the West
Written by Frederick Jackson Turner, historian
In reality, the land was never empty or free
FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER
TURNER THESIS Frontier as a crucible for American identity
In reality, the West was not particularly exceptional—facing the same challenges as other areas Exploitation of land Exploitation of labor Consolidation of capital Vicious ethnic and racial rivalries
WINCHESTER “GUN THAT WON THE WEST”
SAN JOSE’S FIRST AMUSEMENT PARK
DISNEY
HOMESTEAD ACT 1862 It promised 160 acres free to any
citizen or prospective citizen, male or female, who settled on the land for five years.
RAILROAD LAND GRANTS
RAILROADS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST
Generous federal land grants meant that railroads could sell land next to track at a profit
Railroads received more than 180 million acres
They connected with major cattle trailheads to capitalize on markets
THE CHINESE By 1870, 63,000 Chinese immigrants
lived in America but were denied access to citizenship
1876 Workingman’s Party formed to fight for Chinese exclusion
CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT 1882 Whereas, in the opinion of the Government of the United
States the coming of Chinese laborers to this country endangers the good order of certain localities within the territory thereof: Therefore,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That from and after the expiration of ninety days next after the passage of this act, and until the expiration of ten years next after the passage of this act, the coming of Chinese laborers to the United States be, and the same is hereby, suspended; and during such suspension it shall not be lawful for any Chinese laborer to come, or, having so come after the expiration of said ninety days, to remain within the United States.
CHINESE EXCLUSION
BUFFALO SOLDIERS
MINING
COMSTOCK LODE the Washoe basin in Nevada
where the richest silver ore on the continent
SILVER MINERS
SILVER MINING Silver mining required capital, technical
knowledge, equipment Rife with speculation, misrepresentation,
thievery Drew thousands, including immigrants,
especially Irish Virginia City 1870s, one out of 30 miners injured on the job;
one out of 80 killed Depicted as lawless, often urbanized and
industrialized
STAMP MILL
TERRITORY INTO STATEHOOD 1873 new vein uncovered, transitioning from small
scale industry to corporate enterprise, creating a radically new social and economic environment
Nevada statehood because of the mines 1864
DIVERSITY IN THE WEST New Englanders, Mormons, African-Americans,
Mexicans, Latinos, and immigrants from Asia, Europe and Canada
Complex blend of racism and prejudice
Violence between cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers; ranchers and farmers; miners and their bosses; rival Indian groups; and whites and Indians
‘SOD BUSTERS’ Extremely poor
farmers
OPEN RANGE Herds with as many as 3,000 head of
cattle grazed on public lands along the cattle trails
The invention of barbed wire in 1874 virtually closed the open range
‘fence cutters’ fought against big ranchers
EXODUSTERS In 1879 more than
15,000 black farmers made and ‘Exodus’ from Mississippi and Louisiana to find land in Kansas
EMERGECE OF COMMERCIAL FARMING In 1870, nearly 80 percent of the
nation’s people lived on farms Overwhelmingly rural In 1900, there were 5.7 million farms in
the US
IN CALIFORNIA Vaqueros (Hispanic cowboys) became
migrant workers on land their families had once owned
Blizzards and drought decimated herds and by late 1880s, the heyday of cattle ranching ended
VAQUERO California’s Mexican
cowboys
HENRY MILLER AND CHARLES LUX Pioneered investment and corporate
structures for the business of agriculture
Developed foreign markets for cotton and grain
Industrialized equipment and technique Sought control of land and water rights
HENRY MILLER
BIRTH OF AGRIBUSINESS “Cattle Kingdom” from Texas to
Wyoming revolutionized by barbed wire ‘fence cutters’ battled for free range Cowboys were wage laborers
OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH Opening of Oklahoma
territory brought as many as 10,000 settlers in one day
SURVEY CREW
LAND OFFICE