Westward Expansion

1. Westward Expansion Spaniards Pueblos Apaches, Navajos, etc. Genizaros—Native Amer. w/o tribes

2. Westward Expansion Plains Indians Diversity of tribes and languages Some alliances Some sedentary farmers; others nomadic hunters Common Traits: Close and extended family networks Intimate relationship with nature Bands of 500 people (tribes) Most participated in decision-making process Male and female roles Buffalo hunting

3. Westward Expansion Hispanic Peoples of Southwest Small aristocracies Pushed out by Anglo-Americans, particularly after the railroads entered the region Ranching, farming and mining 1900--new wave of Mexican immigration into the region in search of work--from the start, were subordinate to Anglo-Americans

4. Westward Expansion English-speaking prospectors organized to exclude Californios Many Californios lost lands Corrupt business deals Outright seizures Most Mexican power in southern half of the state Devastation of Mexican ranch culture: reckless expansion, growing indebtedness, severe drought 1860s Bottom line: Anglo-American migration was catastrophic for Hispanics; more so for Native Americans

5. Westward Expansion Chinese Migration Better lives Gold Rush Initially welcomed Very industrious & successful Whites began to consider as rivals and threats 1852—CA Foreign Miners Tax Other discriminatory laws—drove Chinese out of prospecting 90% of labor force on Central Pacific Railroad 1866—struck for higher wages—starved

6. Westward Expansion • San Francisco’s Chinatown • Six companies • Benevolent societies • Role of eastern political machines • Led by prominent merchants • Worked together to promote • Chinese interests in city • and state Tongs: secret societies Some: violent, criminal organizations (opium trade & prostitution Much discrimination—2/3 of laundry workers. Why?

7. Westward Expansion The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Banned Chinese immigration into the U. S. for 10 years and barred Chinese already in the U. S. from becoming naturalized citizens Renewed in 1892 and made “permanent” in 1902 By 1900, over 400,000 homesteaders (Homestead Act of 1862) 160 acres—if 5 years Assumption—mere possession of land would assure keeping families Insufficient land for grazing

8. Westward Expansion Women in the West Working in dance halls and as prostitutes

9. Westward Expansion Social mobility limited—advancement was easiest and most rapid for those who were economically advantaged to begin with No greater than in East Whites—upper tiers Lower tiers: hard labor in mines, building railroads, agriculture (nonwhites) Myths: Several about Chinese, Blacks, Mexicans, Filipinos—genetically and culturally suited to manual labor

10. Westward Expansion Pike’s Peak—gold strike 1858; Denver—major city Washoe-Comstock—1859 Dominated by Californians

11. The Cattle Industry Railroads made the cattle industry— needed means to get cattle to eastern markets. After Civil War—demand for beef in the East skyrocketed. December 1865— Chicago Union Stock Yards opened

12. The Cattle Industry By spring 1866, railroads had reached Sedalia, MO. Drive cattle to Sedalia then ship by rail to Chicago and points east.

13. The Cattle Industry Many problems on road to Sedalia, however. Hostile weather Rough land and rain-swollen rivers Farmers who didn’t want cattle trampling crops & spreading disease

14. The Cattle Industry Solution: Joseph McCoy of Springfield, IL bought land near Abilene, KS and built cattle pens. Chisholm Trail: San Antonio, TX to Abilene rail center 1867—35,000 head shipped; 1868—75,000 head

15. The Cattle Industry Cowboys: 55,000 from 1866 to 1885. 25% African American; 12% Mexican Work day: 10-14 hours on ranch; 18 hours on trail Age: 15-40; Avg—24; bowlegged Usually owned saddle but not horse

16. The Cattle Industry Most cowboys worked all spring and summer for bosses who banned drinking, gambling and cursing. Winter: lived off savings or did odd jobs, ranch to ranch. Spring: roundup—rode range and chased all longhorns they could find into a large corral

17. The Cattle Industry Kept herd penned without food for several days so the cattle preferred grazing to running away. Then sorted herd & claimed those with their brand. They also branded those that had none.

18. The Cattle Industry The long drive to Abilene: 3 months; 1 cowboy for every 250-300 head of cattle Also: Trail boss; cook with a chuck wagon; Extra wrangler who cared for the remuda

19. The Cattle Industry Monthly pay: Trail boss: $100+ Cook: $35-50 Wrangler: <$1.00 a day Took great risks; diet: coffee, beans, bacon, bread, dried fruit.

20. The Cattle Industry End of the cattle frontier Overgrazing Range wars with sheep herders Weather: 1883 drought; prairie fires; blizzard of 1887 (-60 degrees with 60 mph winds; 1” of snow p/hr for 3 days) cattlemen lost 40-90% of herds

21. Westward Expansion Women’s suffrage Wyoming territory—first Utah: Mormons granted to stave off criticism of practice of polygamy Other places: women granted suffrage before statehood to swell the electorate Women were thought to bring a moral voice to the politics of the region and strengthen the sense of community

22. Westward Expansion Owen Wister 19th century Americans romanticized the cowboy into a powerful and enduring figure of myth Wister’s The Virginian: romanticized the lead character’s natural decency, courage and compassion: a powerful symbol of the virtues of the frontier

23. Westward Expansion Frederick Jackson Turner The clearest and most influential statements of the romantic vision of the frontier “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” The end of the frontier also marked the end of one of the most important democratizing forces in American life. His assessments were both inaccurate and premature

24. Westward Expansion The Federal Government and Native American Tribes Independent nations but wards of the President Concentration: 1851—new reservations policy—each tribe assigned its own defined reservation, confirmed by separate treaties (often with unauthorized representatives

25. Westward Expansion Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) Native Amer. control of 400-mile-wide slice east of Rockies and from Arkansas River to Can. NA would not attack settlers & let Army build forts for annual payments.

26. Westward Expansion The Federal Government and Native American Tribes Independent nations but wards of the President Concentration: 1851—new reservations policy—each tribe assigned its own defined reservation, confirmed by separate treaties (often with unauthorized representatives Bureau of Indian Affairs Appalling record People of gross incompetence and dishonesty Poor and usually corrupt administration Led to constant conflicts between Native Americans and nearby whites

27. Westward Expansion Bison Relentless slaughter Railroads White demand for buffalo hides 1865: 15 million; 1875: less than1,000 Pile of bison skulls around 1870

28. Westward Expansion Sand Creek Massacre Drunken Colorado Militia—massacred 133 (105 women & children)

29. Westward Expansion Bozeman Trail Red Cloud raids—Sioux resented intrusion into the heart of their buffalo range Fetterman Massacre—December 21, 1866 Black Hills War—Battle of Little Big Horn

30. Westward Expansion Nez Perce Small, relatively peaceful No treaty with U. S. government Forced on reservation based on pressure from settlers During journey, 4 drunk members killed 4 white settlers U. S. troops driven off at White Bird Canyon Chief Joseph and others tried to reach Canada, caught short of border Chief Joseph “I will fight no more forever.”

31. Westward Expansion Apache Wars (Geronimo) Most violent of all Indian conflicts—tribes most desperate Whites—most flagrant and vicious atrocities

32. Westward Expansion Wounded Knee, South Dakota, Dec. 29, 1890 Wovoka Remington’s Ghost Dance

33. Westward Expansion Brigadier General James Forsythe Corpse of Big Foot U. S. Army: 25 KIA; 39 WIA Sioux: 153 KIA, 50 WIA, 150 missing In 1890, U. S. Census Bureau officially declared the frontier closed

34. Westward Expansion The Dawes Act and the policy of Assimilation Federal government: Destroy forever tribal structure Forced Native Americans to become landowners and farmers; to abandon collective society and to assimilate into white civilization Took Native American children away from parents and sent to boarding schools run by whites— attempt to get them to abandon tribal ways Moved to stop religious rituals; encouraged spread of Christianity Sen. Henry L. Dawes

35. Settling On The Great Plains By 1900, 800 million acres of farmland in USA Railroads opened the west Federal Government made huge land grants to railroads: 10 sq mi of public land for every mile of track in a state; 20 sq mi of public land for every mile of track in a territory.

36. Settling On The Great Plains Central Pacific eastward from Sacramento Union Pacific Westward from Omaha, NE Promontory, UT May 10, 1869 By 1884, four transcontinental railroads in USA

37. Settling On The Great Plains Laying track was grueling work Civil war veterans, Irish & Chinese immigrants, African Americans & Mexican Americans

38. The Cattle Industry End of the cattle frontier Invention of barbed wire Joseph Glidden of Illinois 10,000 lbs sold in 1874; 27 million lbs sold in 1878

39. Settling On The Great Plains Life on the Great Plains was one of hardships Droughts Floods Blizzards Locust Plagues Fires

40. Settling On The Great Plains Most early houses built from the land. Dugouts and sod houses or soddies Warm in winter, cool in summer, small, little air or light, haven for snakes, insects & pests

41. Settling On The Great Plains Women’s lives were very hard. Fed & clothed family Worked in fields, plowing, planting & harvesting Maintained livestock Reared children Made butter, cheese, soap, candles. Laundry by hand.

42. Westward Expansion Problems encountered by farmers Growth depended heavily on irrigation Battles over water—central and enduring characteristic of western life

43. Settling On The Great Plains Farming on the hard sod was difficult. Wooden plows broke; harvesting by hand with a scythe was slow. 1837: John Deere: steel plow

44. Settling On The Great Plains 1847, Cyrus McCormick invented the reaper. Other inventions: Spring-tooth harrow (1869); Grain drill; cord binder (1878)

45. Settling On The Great Plains To produce a bushel of grain 1830: 183 minutes; 1900: 10 minutes

46. Settling On The Great Plains Agricultural Education Morrill Land Grant Acts (1862/1890) gave federal land to states to help pay for agricultural colleges (such as Texas A&M.) Hatch Act of 1887 established experiment stations to communicate new developments in agriculture to farmers in every state.

47. Settling On The Great Plains While farm machinery improved the efficiency of the farmer, it was also the cause of great debt by farmers. Machinery costs, railroad transport costs, etc. forced farmers into debt. High wheat prices: could pay debts; when priced dropped, problems

48. Westward Expansion Major grievances of farmers Inequitable freight rates—higher for farm goods than for other goods Railroads also controlled elevator and warehouse facilities—arbitrary storage rates High interest charges from banks, etc. Farmers had to take loans at whatever interest rates they could get Often 10-25% Pay back during years when prices were dropping Wanted an increase in volume of currency in circulation Prices were the third grievance

49. Settling On The Great Plains Experiment: Bonanza farms George Cass and Oliver Dalrymple 10,000+ acre, single crop spreads Drought of 1885-90 hurt bonanza farms Smaller farms more flexible in crops Experiment failed

50. Industry in America Key factors in growth of U.S. industry Wealth of resources Large and growing labor supply Surge in technological innovation Emergence of a talented, ambitious and ruthless group of entrepreneurs Favorable federal government Great & expanding domestic market