US Expansion

Unit 2: Post Civil War America

1860’s-1900

The Birth of Modern America1865-1900 Introduction

A. U.S. transformed from a rural nation, to an industrial nation.

B. Growth of CitiesC. Development of big businessD. The rise of technologiesE. Social pressures

Increased immigration Unionization movements The Populist Movement

I – Mining

A. The West held rich deposits of gold, silver and copper (served the needs of growing industries back East).

B. Mineral Strikes brought the first waves of settlers who wanted to strike rich fast. Placer Mining – using simple equipment like picks,

shovels and pans to extract shallow deposits of ore Quartz Mining – digging deep beneath the earths

surface (large mining companies)

I – Mining

C. The Comstock Lode (Henry Comstock) Six Mile Canyon, Western Nevada First discovered (Grosh Brothers) 1857 Comstock (sheepherder) took over in 1859 He sold claims for insignificant funds It didn’t become profitable until its bluish sand was

found to be silver (silver ore) One of the largest mineral strikes ever

I – Mining

This area became Virginia City Outpost to boomtown (30,000 people overnight)

Opera house, shops (European Fashion), several news papers, six story hotel (West’s first elevator)

By 1898 Comstock’s silver veins were exhausted Virginia City became a ghost town.

II – The Cattle Industry

A. Development Many thought cattle could not survive in the west Water was scarce Eastern cattle could not survive off tough prairie grasses Ranchers in Texas/Mexico let their cattle run wild Over time the new breed – the longhorn – emerged. Descended from Spanish cattle, brought two centuries 1865 (5 million roamed Texas)

II – Cattle Industry

Open Range – a vast area of grassland owned by the government

B. Cattle Drives After the Civil War beef prices soared By 1860 the railroad had reached the Great Plains Provided a way to transport the cattle to markets

back East. The cattle could be sold for 10 times the price they

could get in Texas


Hispanics, African Americans, former Confederate soldiers were hired by ranchers to head north on cattle (2,000 – 5,000) drives

1867-1871 nearly 1.5 million cattle were driven up the Chisholm Trail to Abilene, Kansas


C. The Cowboy Mexican cow hands developed the tools and

technology for rounding up and driving cattle Cattle drives were rough and dangerous Often spent their entire wage once they got to

town Dime Novel – Adventure book sold for a dime

and helped spread the myths of the “Wild West” in the East

II – Cattle IndustryD. Ranching Becomes Big Business

Cattle - sent to slaughter houses or sold to ranchers in Montana and Wyoming

“Range Wars” - between competing ranchers (many died)

The invention of barbed wire enabled hundreds of square miles to be fenced off cheap and easy

New European breeds replaced the longhorn

Investors (back east/Britain) caused an oversupply of animals

Dropping the prices causing ranchers to go bankrupt

The long cattle drive ended, the cowboy became a ranch hand

III – Farming on the Plains Open your text books to page 292 and skim section 2

1. What geographic factors created challenges for settlers?

2. What factors played a key role in settlers moving west?

3. What hard times fell on the settlers?

Write the questions in your notes Skip 5 lines in between

III – Farming on the Plains Open your text books to page 292 What geographic factors created challenges for settlers?

Scarcity of wood - very little trees (only along rivers and streams) Scarcity of water (wells needed to be drilled 300ft down) Less than 20 inches of annual rain fall Hot summers (100 + degrees F) and extremely cold winters

What factors played a key role in settlers moving west? Railroads (easy travel) Technology - horse drawn binders, steel plows, seed drills, Homestead Act – for a $10 fee an individual could file for a 160

acre tract of public land that could be owned free and clear after 5 years

Wheat Belt – inexpensive land (U.S. largest wheat exporter) Hard Times

1890’s – too much wheat on the world market Drought – many sold out or went bankrupt

“Our Original Sin”

Would you rather be comforted, or told the truth?

“If we look Indian history squarely in the eye, we are going to get red eyes. This is our past, however,

and we must acknowledge it. It is time for textbooks to send white children home, if not with red eyes, at

least with thought provoking questions.”

- Sol Tax, Anthropologist (1907 - 1995)

IV – Native Americans

Background: Inhabited N. America for more than 20,000 years The horse was introduced in 1598 by the Spanish in New Mexico European invasion

brought diseases small pox measles

Guns were traded for by some, but not all tribes Events: The Oregon Trail (1841-1866) The Gold Rush (1849) The Transcontinental Railroad (1869) Farming/Ranching


A. Indian Removal Act of 1830 (Congress/Andrew Jackson)

Reservations were meant to be temporary Put on land that settlers didn’t want

B. Assimilation/Civilize Boarding Schools


Tom Torlino (Navajo) as he appeared upon arrival to the Carlisle Indian School, October 21, 1882.

Tom Torlino (Navajo) three years later


A. Current Status 563 Federally recognized tribal governments Right to form governments; enforce laws, to tax About 300 Indian Reservation in the U.S. 12 are bigger than Rhode Island 9 bigger than

Delaware

The Reservation Process

“High-handed officials, such as governor Isaac Stevens of Washington Territory, made no attempt at legitimate negotiations, choosing instead to intimidate or deceive Indian peoples into signing away their land.” (Out of Many - Volume II)

Native American Reservations

Red Cloud – Oglala Sioux

1822-1909 His military success forced the

U.S. to make treaties Red Clouds War (1866-1868)

over territory in Wyoming and Montana

1889 U.S. officials persuade the Sioux to relinquish 11 million acres of land to non-Indian settlers

His last days were spent at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

The Battle of Little Big Horn


Sitting Bull 1830’s - 1890 Sioux Medicine Man Leader of Lakota warriors

who were part of the victorious battle against the U.S. 7th Cavalry (June 25th 1876)

Led his tribe into Canada until 1881 when he was granted amnesty by the U.S. government


General George Armstrong Custer, leader of the U.S. 7th Cavalry

Was sent to subdue Natives near the gold rich Black Hills

Underestimated the Lakota/ Northern Cheyenne forces

His detachment was killed to the last man

The details of this battle are still highly debated

Battle/Massacre at Wounded Knee?

Read Pages 301 and 302 in your text book titled “Tragedy at Wounded Knee”

Read contents from Wikipedia “Wounded Knee Massacre”

1. After reading write a paragraph summarizing the events at wounded knee in at least 6 sentences

2. Based on what you have read do you believe it to be a battle or a massacre? Describe your argument in at least 6 sentences

The Nez Perce Retreat

Led by Chief Joseph and Chief Looking Glass

Wallowa valley wanted by settlers

Government was forcing them onto a reservation

Tribe decides to go to Canada

Forced to surrender at Bear’s Paw Mountain

Chief Joseph’s Surrender SpeechOctober 8th 1877

Tell General Howard I know his Heart. What He told me before I have in my heart. I am tired of fighting, Looking Glass is dead. too-Hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show

Circus like attraction that toured the country

Included: Annie Oakley “Little Miss Sure

Shot.” Shot the ashes off Kaiser Wilhelm II’s cigar

Buffalo Bill gave a melodramatic reenactment of Custer’s Last Stand

Sitting Bull often cussed at the crowd in his native language to their applause

At the turn of the century in 1900 many historians claim that Buffalo Bill was the most recognizable celebrity on earth

The Buffalo/Bison

A. Native Americans Prior to the horse, buffalo were herded into large chutes,

and then stampeded over cliffs Provided meat, leather, sinew for bows, grease, dried dung

for fires, hooves for glue When the horse arrived a good horseman could easily

lance or shoot enough bison for his entire family

The Buffalo/Bison

B. Hunting Railroad companies

wanted to destroy entire herds

Large herds on tracks could damage locomotive

Without the bison the tribes would leave, starve and die off

B. Economics Bison skins were valuable for industrial machine

belts, clothing (robes), and rugs Huge export trade to Europe Organized teams of one or two professional

hunters, skinners, gun cleaners, re-loaders, cooks, wranglers, blacksmiths, large number of horse wagons, bullet removers

Pro hunters could kill up to 100 in a single stand, thousands in a career

Good hide was $3.00 in Dodge City, and a very good one (the heavy winter coat) $50.00 in a time when a laborer would be lucky to make dollar a day

The Buffalo/Bison

D. The fate of the Buffalo Buffalo Bill Cody spoke in favor of protecting the bison President Grant Pocket Vetoed a bill to protect them By 1884 the American Bison was close to extinction 1890 as few as 750 existed The Bronx Zoo maintained a remnant herd, some of which

were transported to Yellowstone in the early 20th century The current population is estimated at 350,000, but this

includes animals that carry cattle genes Actual approximation is from 5,000 – 15,000 purebred

bison in the world

V – Railroads

1862 – Lincoln signed the Pacific Railway Act Union Pacific and Central Pacific (California - employed

10,000 Chinese laborers) created the transcontinental railroad

Land Grants – The government gave the companies land that they would turn and sell to settlers, real estate companies and other businesses.

1865 – 35,000 miles of track, all east of the Mississippi 1900 – the nation had over 200,000 miles of track 1883 – The American Railway Association divided the

country into four time zones. Ratified 1918.

III - Westward Expansion

This 1891 cartoon expresses the views of those opposed to immigration into the USA.

The frock-coated politician is telling Uncle Sam that "If immigration was properly restricted you would no longer be troubled with anarchy, socialism, the Mafia, and such kindred evils!'" Captions on immigrants in the picture label them :Polish vagabond, Italian brigand, English convict, Russian anarchist, Irish pauper.

Documents

US Expansion