The West
Ø Transcontinental RR started in 1854 with Kansas-Nebraska Act, but construction stalled bc of sectional crisis and Civil War
Ø In 1862 Lincoln makes completion a priority: Gov’t gave RR companies land adjoining where the track will be built to encourage quick building of RR
Ø RR built in two directions: Union Pacific west from Omaha, Central Pacific east from Sacramento
Ø Both companies relied on immigrant labor (Chinese on C.P. and Irish on U.P)
Ø Completed on May 10, 1869 when they meet at Promontory Point, Utah; combined with other RRs this greatly speeds up development of the West
Ø RRs in eastern U.S. were consolidating, Cornelius Vanderbilt gained control of the RRs connecting major cities and NY (NY Central RR), he became incredibly wealthy
Ø Increased production of steel and switch to uniform track gauge contributed to consolidation
Ø Significance of RRs: 1. Connects the entire continent, allowing for quick and efficient movement of people, natural resources, and products 2. Makes farming on the Great Plains and raising cattle in the Midwest economically viable 3. Leads to development of new towns and cities along the lines
Ø Homestead Act 1862: gov’t provides 160 acres of land, live on it and “improve it” for 5 yrs and it is yours
Ø This act encouraged further settlement on the Great Plains, homesteaders built sod houses bc of the lack of trees
Ø Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862: Fed gov’t gave states large tracts of land that the states had to use to create agricultural and technological colleges and universities; this further supports expansion (N.C. A&T and N.C. State are examples)
Ø 1847 Mormons are led west by Brigham Young as they flee from persecution and settle in Utah (still Mexico at this point)
Ø As western settlement increases they again face persecution bc people are unsure of their beliefs (communal business practices and polygamy)
Ø Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act 1862 introduces the idea to outlaw plural marriages
Ø U.S. v. Reynolds 1879 (no plural marriage), Edmunds-Tucker Act 1887 (dissolved church corporation), 1890 Mormon Church (aka Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) declares the official end to polygamy
Ø Mining followed boom and bust cycle; as gold or silver was found large numbers of settlers poured in leading to quick development of western towns. When the strike ran out people left resulting in Ghost Towns.
Ø Comstock Lode (Nevada) richest silver strike in U.S. history
Ø Cowboys did cattle drives as they led cattle from the open range to railroads for shipment back east (market value in the East was 10x higher than in the West)
Ø As the gov’t began to distribute land farmers and ranchers fenced in land disrupting the grazing of cattle
Ø Open range ended by invention of barbed wire (Joseph Glidden), allowed for cheap and effective fencing of large areas of land
Ø Oklahoma Land Rush April 22, 1889; U.S. gov’t took 2 million acres from N.A.s and settlers raced for land (Who were the Sooners?)
Ø Plains Indians: comprised of many different tribes; most relied on buffalo for food, tools, clothes, lodging…
Ø Buffalo Bill; famous scout and Indian fighter who killed 4300 buffalo himself to feed workers on Transcontinental RR
Ø Sand Creek Massacre 1864; conflicts between settlers and N.A.s in Colorado when some N.A.s left reservation to hunt buffalo and raid livestock. Chivington leads assault on peaceful band of N.A.s including women and children
Ø Fort Laramie Treaty 1868; Sioux were given western part of S. Dakota and money and provisions, but some resisted terms of the treaty
Ø Board of Indian Commissioners 1869; created to regulate N.A.s, but manned by Protestant agents who wanted to Christianize N.A.s (proved ineffective)
Ø Geronimo; led Apache resistance until 1886
Ø Little Big Horn (Montana) 1876; Lakota Sioux under leadership of Sitting Bull wipe out General Custer and his troops then flee to Canada and finally surrender in 1881
Ø Helen Hunt Jackson; wrote A Century of Dishonor 1881 documenting how the U.S. gov’t had continually broken treaties with N.A.s, and also pushed for the creation of Indian Boarding Schools to help N.A.s adopt white culture (most N.A.s sent to these schools retained their culture)
Ø Dawes Severalty Act 1887; attempt at assimilation, split up reservations into farming plots and gave the land to heads of household in hopes they would adopt American agriculture, very minimal success
Ø Ghost Dance; dance thought to bring back buffalo and traditional life, scared U.S. gov’t and Sitting Bull is killed while being arrested for leading Ghost Dance
Ø Wounded Knee (South Dakota) 1890; U.S. Army rounding up Sioux and end up killing 300 N.A.s, this marked the end to overt resistance by the Plains Indians