chapter 5 section 2 settling the great plains
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Chapter 5 Section 2 Settling the Great Plains. Railroads 170 million acres = ½ billion 20 square miles – 1 mile of track (territory) 10 square miles – I mile of track (state) Sell excess land (immigrants) Union Pacific vs Central Pacific (race!) UP – moved W, CP – moved E - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Chapter 5 Section 2Settling the Great Plains
• Railroads• 170 million acres = ½ billion • 20 square miles – 1 mile of track (territory)• 10 square miles – I mile of track (state)• Sell excess land (immigrants)• Union Pacific vs Central Pacific (race!)• UP – moved W, CP – moved E• 1884 = 5 transcontinental railroads
• Homestead Act• 160 Acres• 600,000 families participated• Exodusters – African Americans (S to Kansas)• Only 10%, rest to big business
• 1 day – 2 million acres (Ok)
•Think, Pair, Share• What hardships do you think were encountered by the frontier settlers?
Think Pair Share•What would you do? Would you go?
1) Spouse, 2 children ages 4 & 2
2) Spouse
• 1872 – Yellowstone National Park• Dept. of the Interior – forced railroads to give
up property (NY, NJ, PA, DE, ML, & VA) • Frontier is closed
• Challenges• Droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, locus
plagues, raids (outlaws & NA)• 1850 – W of the Miss. = 1%• 1900 – W of the Miss. = 30%
• Duggouts & Soddies
• Women• Doctors, teachers, cook, farmer, etc…• Families had to be self sufficient
• Agricultural Technology• 1890 - 900 manufactures of farming tech.• 1830 – Bushel of grain = 183 mins.• 1900 – 10 mins.
• Morrill Act• Agricultural colleges
• Hatch Act 1887• Agricultural experiment stations (new grains &
techniques)
• “Breadbasket of the Nation”
• Farmer Debt• Borrowing , Prices , Shipping Costs
Chapter 5 Section 3
Crops prices down
Farmers mortgage their
farms to buy more
Rich soil becoming
scarceBanks Foreclose
Railroads taking advantage
• Greenbacks – 500 million paper money (couldn’t be exchanged for gold or silver)
• Hard money – coins, paper $ in yellow ink• After the war, govt. stops greenbacks• Increases value of the hard money
• Farmers• Had to pay back loans in dollars worth more• Receiving less $ for crops• Wheat - $2 to . 68 cents
• Railroads• RRs make agreements with grain brokers• Could influence the price of crops
• Farmers mortgage farms for more credit• Suppliers – high rates of interest
• Oliver Hudson Kelley• Patrons of Husbandry• The Grange• Social outlet and educational forum for farmers• Fought RRs• 4 million followers
• Populism• Movement of the people• “People’s Party”• Greater voice in govt. • Lift debt from farmers
• Platform – increase $ supply, graduated income tax, federal loan program, election of US Senators by popular vote, 1 term for Pres. and VP, secret ballot, 8 hour workday, restriction of immigration
• Populists evolve into the Democratic Party• Govt. is responsible for reforming social injustices
Think, Pair, Share• Is the federal
government responsible for reforming social
injustices. Why or why not?
• The Panic of 1893• Railroads expand faster than markets; some
go bankrupt• Government’s gold supply depleted, leads to
rush on banks• businesses, banks collapse• 15, 000 businesses collapse, 500 banks, 1894
– 20% unemployment
• Silver or Gold• Political divisions also regional:• Republicans: Northeast business owners, bankers• Democrats: Southern, Western farmers, laborers• Bimetallism—system using both silver and gold to back
currency• Gold standard—backing currency with gold only• Paper money considered worthless if cannot be
exchanged for metal• Silverites: bimetallism would create more money,
stimulate economy• Gold bugs: gold only would create more stable,
if expensive currency
• 1896, Republicans commit to gold, select William McKinley
• Democrats favor bimetallism, choose William Jennings Bryan (Cross of Gold)
• Populists endorse Bryan, choose own VP to maintain party identity
The End of Populism• McKinley (Reps) gets East, industrial Midwest;
Bryan (Dem/Pop) South, farm Midwest • McKinley elected president; Populism
collapses; leaves legacy: • the powerless can organize, have political
impact• agenda of reforms enacted in 20th century