the frontier (undeveloped area) had reached the pacific ocean once california became a state the...
TRANSCRIPT
The frontier (undeveloped area) had reached the Pacific Ocean once California became a state
The discovery of gold and silver led to the sudden growth in the West (boomtowns)
Mining companies used the growing railroad network to bring precious metals to the East
In 1859, miner Henry Comstock discovered a huge deposit of gold and silver in Nevada
Comstock Lode began the mining boom
Cattle Kingdom = the Great Plains from Texas to Canada where many ranchers raised cattle
Texas longhorn led to the rise of the Cattle Kingdom because of its little need for water and ability to survive in harsh weather
Cowboy = someone who drives cattle to the plains for grazing Chisholm Trail = one of the most popular cattle drives for cowboys
and ram from Texas to Kansas
1860 – system of messengers carried messages west on horseback
The telegraph put the Pony Express out of business
It was meant to connect the eastern United States to the West The federal government granted railway companies millions of acres
of public land that they could sell for cash May 10, 1869 – the “golden spike” connected the Union Pacific and
Central Pacific railroad lines in Promontory, Utah The transcontinental railroad increased the economy and population
of the West
Sioux leader Treaty of Fort Laramie = first major treaty
between the U.S. and the Plains Indians 1866 – he criticized the U.S. for breaking treaty
promises when the country demanded land from the Sioux
They survived by hunting buffalo The Treaty of Medicine Lodge (1867) established reservations for
Plains Indians Reservation = public land set aside for Native Americans Federal government established reservations so they could use
their land for mining and ranching Plains Indians fought against establishment of reservations because
hunting was not allowed on them
Buffalo soldiers = Plains Indians nickname for African-American cavalry
Lieutenant George Armstrong Custer demanded the Sioux to give up their land in the Black Hills of the Dakotas since his men found gold there in 1874
Battle of the Little Bighorn = Sioux forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull surrounded and defeated Custer and his troops
Bighorn was the worst defeat the U.S. Army suffered on the Great Plains
1887 – This act tried to give private land ownership to Native Americans
It promised, but failed to deliver, U.S. citizenship to Native Americans
Homestead Act = gave government-owned land to small farmers
Morrill Act = granted more than 17 million acres of land to the states to be used for colleges that would teach agriculture and engineering
Dry farming = Plains farmers grew crops that did not need irrigation, such as read wheat
Former slaves who made a mass exodus/migration (departure) from the South
Panic was a result of a shortage of gold and failing railroad companies
Many people began to support Populists as a result of the Panic
National Grange = organization created on behalf of farmers
Farmers who supported economic reform (change) They wanted the government to own railroads They gained workers’ votes by supporting a 8-hour workday and limits on
immigration They were mad that farmers had to compete with immigrants for jobs Populists supported William Jennings Bryan because he favored free
coinage of silver (Do not copy) – People would be able to deposit silver bullion at a Federal Mint and in
return receive nearly its weight in silver dollars and other currency.
Populism failed when Democrats lost the election of 1896 Republican William McKinley won the election and became the 25th
President
Oklahoma Land Rush = settlers claimed more than 11 million acres of former Indian land
This land originally belonged to the Creek and Seminole Indians
This was a period of rapid growth in U.S. manufacturing during the late 1800s
Invented by Henry Bessemer in the mid-1850s This was a way to manufacture steel quickly and cheaply Process = blasting hot air through melted iron to quickly
remove impurities
New technologies in the steel industry led to increased productivity in the railroad industry during the late 1800s
Main effect of the expansion of railroads = rapid growth of cities
Telephone (1876) – invented by Alexander Graham Bell The telegraph differed from the telephone because telegraphs
could carry only coded messages Light bulb (1879) – invented by Thomas Edison First lightweight airplane powered by gas (1903) – invented by
Wilbur and Orville Wright Invention of the airplane led to the demand for oil
Introduced the Model T automobile in 1908 He also introduced the assembly line which
greatly reduced the cost of building a product (this made cars more affordable)
Corporations = businesses that sell portions of ownership called stock shares
Stockholders = people who invest stock in a corporation and can sell their shares at any time If a corporation fails, stockholders only lose the money they
invested; they are not responsible for business debts
Steel-making tycoon (businessperson of great wealth and power)
He expanded his business by buying out competitors when steel prices were low
He kept production costs low through vertical integration (owning the businesses involved in each step of the manufacturing of steel)
Oil refining tycoon By the age of 31, he owned the country’s largest oil refining
company (Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company) He expanded his power through horizontal integration (purchasing
all of the businesses in a certain field t control production) Vertical and horizontal integration were strategies designed to
eliminate competition
Many business leaders justified their methods through this belief
It was a view of society based on scientist Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection
They believed in “survival of the fittest” – only the fittest individuals would succeed in society
Trust = a legal arrangement grouping together a number of companies under a single board of directors; trusts tried to get rid of competition to make more money
Monopoly = total ownership of a product or service; critics argued that monopolies raised prices and reduced the quality of products
In 1890, Congress passed this act and made it illegal to create monopolies or trusts that restrained trade
The act was difficult to enforce, so businesses still grew
During the Second Industrial Revolution of the late 1800s, skilled craftspeople were replaced with unskilled machine operators
Working conditions declined because there was an emphasis on high profits and efficiency
Factory specialization = workers repeating the same step over and over again
Injuries increased, and work became boring and tiresome
Labor unions formed to help workers increase their bargaining power in getting better wages and working conditions
Knights of Labor (1870s) = fought for an eight-hour workday, end of child labor and they accepted skilled and unskilled workers
American Federation of Labor = organized individual national unions of skilled workers only; Samuel Gompers was the first president
Collective bargaining = idea that laborers acting together as a group could improve working conditions
Haymarket Riot (1886) – weakened the Knights of Labor due to excessive violence; workers wanted an eight-hour workday (Do Not Copy) - a bomb wounded police and killed eight; police fired
into the crowd Homestead Strike (1892) – violent strike at Carnegie’s steel factory in
Pennsylvania; 16 people died from gunfire Carnegie locked workers out of the factory and hired strike breakers
Pullman Strike (1894) – railroad strike which stopped traffic on many lines Homestead and Pullman strikes were ended by federal troops