The Great West & the Agricultural Revolution

1865-1890

Lecture

Chapter 26The American Pageant, 13th edition

Quickwrite How did Whites gradually undermine

Indians in the Great West?

or What were some of the factors that

led to financial trouble for farmers?

Indians Lose the West

1. How did Whites gradually undermine Indians in the Great West?

2. What convinced Indians to settle on federally assigned reservations?

Whites began arriving before Civil War

brought smallpox, cholera, etc. shrank bison pop by grazing their own

livestock on prairie dwindling bison led to greater conflict

between tribes Treaties designed to pacify Indians, led to

reservation system

By 1860, two main reservations: “Great Sioux reservation” in Dakota Terr. Indian Territory of OK

Indians agreed to reservations if left alone and provided with food, clothing and supplies

Whites went against promises in innumerable ways

Constant battles between whites and Indians

Nez Perce lost 90% of their reservation land when

gold was discovered there; tried to join Sitting Bull, but sent to Kansas where 40% died

Apache fought hard under Geronimo in New Mex and Arizona, but they finally gave up after their women shipped off to Florida

Major factors in Indian “extinction”: railroad (and subsequent settlers, soldiers, etc.) disease and alcohol near extermination of buffalo (Plains Indians)

3. Which two massacres showed the most vicious tactics of both sides, and what was the larger result of each?

Sand Creek (CO) massacre, 1864 Col Chivington’s militia cruelly massacre about

400 Indians, including women and children, who believed they had been promised immunity

Led to attack on Fetterman Fetterman Massacre, 1866

Sioux trying to block Bozeman trail massacred Fetterman and his 81 soldiers and civilians

Led to govt granting Indians the huge “Great Sioux reservation”

4. How did Helen Hunt Jackson influence American thinking about Indians?

During the 1880’s some begin to question treatment of Indians

Helen Hunt Jackson wrote two influential books A Century of Dishonor about govt cruelty and

dishonesty with Indians Ramona, novel with an inter-racial romance

5. What long term federal Indian policy was established by the Dawes Severalty Act? Forced-assimilation doctrine Dissolved many tribes as legal entities, got rid of tribal

ownership of land; gave Indian family heads 160 free acres, and promised them citizenship if they behaved well for 25 yrs

Ignored tribal basis of most Indians Forced Indian children into “civilizing” schools separate from

their tribes Reservation land not given to Indians went to RRs & settlers Indian population did begin to increase (from 243,000 in 1887

to 1.5 million in 1990) Became basis of federal policy till New Deal, 50 years later

What was the Ghost Dance? “Ghost Dance” cult began with Paiute tribe,

then spread to Dakota Sioux Represented belief that the Indians’ god

would destroy the White Man, and restore land to Indians

Wild dancing frightened white settlers Wiped out in Battle of Wounded Knee (150-

200 Indian men, women & children killed)

6. What was the importance of the Mining Frontier to late 19th century America? 1858: gold in Colorado led to “Pike’s peak or Bust”

Many stayed to mine silver or grow grain 1859: “Fifty-niners” in Nevada after discovery of

Comstock Lode ($340 million) After surface gold was picked up by miners, wealthier

corporations came in with expensive machinery to scrape out more gold

Though short-lived, the “gold rushes” of the west sped up western migration

More Mining Frontier Women had many opportunities in West

not all opportunities were “legal”! got vote earliest in western states

Settling the mining frontier brought Financing for Civil War Building of railroads New sources of silver & gold: helped Treasury

resume specie (coin) payments in 1879 “Silver senators” American folklore (Mark Twain, Bret Harte)

7. What was the reality behind the cowboy myth? Early Texas longhorns raised for hides not meat Tech. improvements created new meat industry

Railroad, industrialized meatpacking, refrigerator cars

Long cattle drives to railroad terminus points (cow towns) began to disappear Replaced by settlers who put up barbed wire fences Overgrazing & harsh winters also hurt cattle industry

Cattlemen adapted by focusing on enclosed ranches and fewer, meatier cattle

8. How did the Homestead Act differ from previous federal land policy?

Homestead Act of 1862 Settlers could acquire up to 160 acres of land by living

on it for 5 years, improving it, and paying a small fee, $30

OR they could buy the land for only $1.25 an acre after only 6 months’ residence

Previously, public land was sold for revenue, now it was being sold to fill up the empty plains and encourage the family farm

“The backbone of democracy”--very Jeffersonian

9. Why did many settlers fail with their homesteads?

Failure: 160 acres not enough in barren western lands often forced out by drought

9. cont: How was the Homestead Act abused?

Fraud: promoters got 10 times more land than true homesteaders by setting up “dummy” homesteaders Five times as many settlers bought land from

railroads, land companies or states than from federal govt.

It took years to undo abuses

10. What solutions finally provided some success for farmers in dry western lands?

Central plains looked barren, but the sod was fertile West of 100th meridian rainfall dropped dramatically ”Dry farming” technique developed—frequent,

shallow cultivation that created a pulverized (powder-like) surface soil Long-term disaster: helped create the Dust Bowl of the 30s

More drought resistant grains were more successful wheat from Russia, sorghum instead of corn

11. Why did barbed wire become important in the West?

Barbed wire replaced wooden fences on prairies where wood was scarce

But it was the dams of the 20th century that truly transformed the arid desert lands thanks to hydraulic engineers

12. Why did Congress usher in a slew of new states in 1889-1890?

New states formed to increase Republican votes: 1876: Colorado 1889-1890: N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Montana,

Washington, Idaho, Wyoming

Former Indian land made available in OK for land rush (“sooner state”)

13. Who was Frederick Turner Jackson? Frontier line no longer existed as of 1890 Closing of frontier inspired Frederick Turner

Jackson’s essay, “The Significance of the Frontier” helped to immortalize and mythologize the frontier

Realization of disappearing frontier led to first national parks: Yellowstone (1872), and Yosemite & Sequoia (both in 1890)

14. What was the true “safety valve”? Few city-dwellers moved to western frontier,

more often it was those from the older frontier closer and more prepared for frontier life

Though all that open land did create a psychological safety valve for the nation…

the true safety valve was cities like Chicago and SF where failed farmers and miners could make a go of it

15. How did farming begin to change after the Civil War, especially in newly settled lands?

High food prices led farmers to focus on single cash crops no longer grew their own food or made their own products

Mechanization of agriculture required expensive equipment & good business skills, which farmers didn’t always have tended to blame their problems on others (banks, RRs)

Larger, successful farms remained, becoming “factories” of immense food production (some 15,000+ acres)

16. How were California farms unique?

On average early Calif farms were 3 times larger than most US farms Central Valley, from Spanish-Mexican land

grants & railroad holdings

Refrigerator cars arrive in 1880s to take Calif fruits and vegies to East Coast. Already using underpaid Mexican & Chinese

farm workers

17. What were some of the factors that led to financial trouble for farmers?

Cash crop farmers vulnerable to changes in world food prices (like South)

Main concerns of farmers: low prices and a deflated currency

Not enough dollars in circulation brought prices down (deflation)

18. Who did farmers blame for their problems?

Blamed increasing debt on banks really a condition brought on by the world grain market

Deflation led to unending cycle of hard work and more debt for farmers worst in 1880s & 1890s

Some eastern loan companies did charge outrageous rates, from 8-40%!

Tenant farming also was spreading rapidly by 1880, 25% of US farms were tenant farmed

19. How did government hurt farmers in this era?

Natural droughts ruined many, BUT… Federal, state and local govts often took

advantage of farmers overassessment of land led to high taxes (no

way to hide their holdings)

Protective tariffs protected manufacturers while farmers suffered in the world markets

20. What businesses took advantage of farmers’ needs to gouge them?

Farmers were vulnerable to those who manufactured and sold harvesters, fertilizers, barbed wire, etc.

Railroad rates were often high but farmers were dependent on them

21. How did farmers attempt to protect themselves, and how successful were they?

The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry aka “The Grange”, organized in 1867 Started by providing social & educational

activities for lonely, isolated farming families picnics, lectures, concerts, etc—became hugely popular

Turned to collective efforts to protect themselves

Collective stores, grain elevators, warehouses

More on the Grange Became more political

influenced state legislation to regulate railroad freight and storage rates, as well as warehouse and elevator operators

Protecting the public interest by controlling private business was a key political goal Not all their legislation efforts were effective

Farmers’ Alliance Goals of Farmers’ Alliance, founded in Texas, 1870s

Nationalize railroads Abolish national banks Institute a graduated income tax Create a new federal subtreasury Farmers could take out govt loans against stored crops

Some success, but lots of internal divisions Excluded blacks and ignored tenant farmers’ needs Colored Farmers’ Natl Alliance formed

Leaders: Ignatius Donnelly, Mary Elizabeth Lease Success led to 4 governors, 40 Congressman plus

legislators in 4 states…precursor to Populist Party, people’s party to attack the northeastern establishment

22. What did “Coxey’s Army” want to achieve? Gold reserve sank to $41 million & Cleveland

gets JP Morgan’s help & Depression conditions worsened

“General” Coxey organized and led a small group of unemployed to Washington DC Demanding government help including a public works

program (would provide employment and increase inflation)

arrested for walking on grass; other protesting groups caused real damage

23. What caused the Pullman Strike, & how did the govt react? Pullman Palace Car Co. reduced wages by 1/3 but

kept rents up on company housing Under leader Eugene V. Debs, the American Railway

Union went on strike, paralyzing railways from Chicago to Pacific coast

Pres. Cleveland sent military in to stop strike Debs and others jailed for 6 mos for defying a federal

injunction against striking Debs’ reading in jail led him to become a leading leader of

socialist movement Federal actions led to more outrage among workers

and others, such as Populists, who saw “unholy alliance” between business and govt

25. How did William Jennings Bryan win the Democratic nomination in 1896? Populists & others saw silver as a cure-all, feared an

anti-silver conspiracy Powerful, anti-gold speaker William Jennings Bryan

gave inspiring “Cross of Gold” speech and won nomination for Democrats Platform: unlimited coinage of silver at 16:1 ratio (silver:gold)—

market ratio was 32:1 This would mean silver in dollar would be worth 50 cents Most Populists joined with Democrats

BUT…Hanna and eastern conservatives (“gold bugs”) “bought” the election for Republican McKinley through vast education/propaganda campaign

27/28. How did McKinley win the election, and what precedent was set? Thanks to fears of Bryan’s inflationary silver policies

eastern laborers joined unmortgaged farmers and eastern business to give Republican McKinley the White House unusually large election turn-out South & underpopulated West went to Bryan but East and northern Mississippi river valley (plus Calif

and Oregon) went to McKinley Election proved power of urban over agrarian voters Beginning of long Republican control of White

House (16 years; then 28 of next 38) Followed by decline in voting, weak parties, etc.

29. How did the Depression end? McKinley was a much better politician than

Cleveland had been worked well with Congress was cautious & conservative

Dingley Tariff Bill, 1897 Raised tariff again to average 46.5% Lots of influence from lobbyists

Depression ended coincidentally beginning in 1897 and Republicans took full credit

30. What finally led to inflation and an increase in the US money supply? Gold Standard Act was passed in 1900

most pro-silver Congressmen gone Expansion of US currency was an appropriate

goal to encourage business and help farmers but the silver proposal created too much fear of instability

Inflation and increased money supply finally came with… discovery of vast new gold deposits (Alaska, Canada,

South Africa and Australia) and new, cheap process for extracting gold from low-

grade ore