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