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Growing America. 1860 - 1914. Reasons for Growth. Transcontinental Railroad Connecting the East and West The Gold Rush Immigration Workers for the railroads Problems in other countries The Irish Potato Famine Religious persecution Industrialization Move from Rural to Urban
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Growing America 1860 - 1914
Reasons for Growth • Transcontinental Railroad • Connecting the East and West • The Gold Rush • Immigration • Workers for the railroads • Problems in other countries • The Irish Potato Famine • Religious persecution • Industrialization • Move from Rural to Urban • The rise of Industry
The Transcontinental Railroad • The Transcontinental Railroad connected the East and the West • Movement to the Frontier (The Great Plains)
The Gold Rush • The Gold Rush occurred when large amounts of gold was discovered in San Francisco, California • Sped up building of the railroads
Boomtowns • Boomtowns popped up overnight with the discovery of gold or silver • “The sidewalks swarmed with people. So great was the pack, that buggies frequently had to wait half an hour for an opportunity to cross the principal street. Money was as plenty as dust” • As resources dwindled, Boomtowns collapsed, only to be replaced by Ghost Towns
Population Growth in the West 1860 1890 Denver, Colorado 4,749 106,713 Kansas City, Missouri 3,965 50,093 Omaha, Nebraska 1,883 140,452
Problems Along the Way • Run-ins with Native Americans • Sand Creek Massacre: A village of 200 innocent Cheyenne men, women, and children were killed by the Colorado Militia • Battle of Little Bighorn: George A. Custer attacked thousands of Sioux and Cheyenne in Montana; Custer and all his men were killed • Wounded Knee Massacre: Thinking the Native Americans were preparing for war, American troops killed 300 Sioux men, women, and children
Sand Creek Massacre “Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians! … I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heaven to kill Indians. – Colonel John Milton Chivington, U.S. Army
Sand Creek Massacre As the attack began, the Cheyenne raised the American flag and the white flag of surrender, but Chivington and his troops continued the attack.
Sand Creek Massacre “I saw the bodies of those lying there cut all to pieces, worse mutilated than any I ever saw before; the women cut all to pieces … With knives; scalped; their brains knocked out; children two or three months old; all ages lying there, from sucking infants up to warriors … By whom were they mutilated? By the United States troops…”
Sand Creek Massacre This battle left the Cheyenne in pieces. Many of those who survived vowed revenge, which further worsened ties between Native Americans and white settlers.
The Battle of Little Bighorn Custer underestimated the size and determination of the village he planned to attack. As a result, the battle led to “Custer’s Last Stand” where his soldiers were swarmed and likely overrun within an hour of battle. Not a single one of his troops survived.
Wounded Knee Massacre Some Native Americans had formed a religion called “Ghost Dance.” They believed Jesus Christ had returned to earth as a Native American and would raise the Native Americans above the earth and bring all of their ancestors back to earth. They believed the “Ghost Dance” would bring about this change.
Wounded Knee Massacre Ghost Dance
Wounded Knee Massacre Soldiers saw Native Americans performing this across the plains and worried they were preparing to attack the U.S. military.
Wounded Knee Massacre Troops rushed in to disarm Native Americans, but one Native American (Black Coyote) who didn’t speak English refused to hand over his rifle. As soldiers tried to pry the weapon from his hands, his rifle went off. Soldiers opened fire. With most Native Americans already disarmed, they stood no chance.
Wounded Knee Massacre “The women as they were fleeing with their babies were killed together, shot right through… and after most all of them had been killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed or wounded should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.” Captain Edward S. Godfrey
Wounded Knee Massacre • The Ghost Dance movement fizzled out with fears of more violence. • The U.S. government awarded twenty men with the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor. • Most Americans viewed the attack as a success. • “Our only safety depends upon the total extermination of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries, we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth.” Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz
Displacing Native Americans Forced Assimilation required Native Americans to become American or disappear The near extinction of the Bison Problems Along the Way
Immigration • Immigration is the movement of people from one location to another • A need for cheap labor • Railroad construction • Dangerous industrial jobs • Problems in other countries • Famine • War • Poverty • Religious persecution • Between 1860-1900 more than 6 million people immigrated to the United States
Ellis Island • Ellis Island opened in New York in 1894 to process immigrants • During its 60 years in service, 12 million immigrants were processed
Angel Island • Angel Island opened in 1910 in California to process immigrants from Asia • During its 30 years in service, approximately 1 million Asian immigrants were processed
Problems • Immigrants faced: • Racism • Low paying, difficult jobs • Poor, crowded housing • Disgusting sanitation • Poverty • In some cases, they were forced to leave
Railroad Work • “Swinging near the cliff, Ah Goong dug holes, then inserted gunpowder and fuses. He struck match after match and dropped the burnt matches over the sides. At last his fuse caught; he waved, and the men above pulled hand over hand hauling him up, pulleys creaking.”
