Settlement of the West

Push Factors (left the east)

expensive land, more people, and industrialization.

Pull Factors (moved 2 west)

free land, jobs, and railroads.

Why move West?

Land was too expensive in the East, so people moved West for cheaper land.

Homestead Act

Gave settlers 160 acres of FREE land if they improved it and lived on it.

Transcontinental Railroad

Railroad connecting the East and West.

Pacific Railway Act

Law where the government helped pay for the railroad.

Union Pacific

Built the railroad from East to West.

Central Pacific

Built the railroad from West to East.

Subsidy

Government help in the form of money or land.

Cowboy Myth

Cowboys had exciting, fun lives.

Cowboy Reality

Cowboys had hard, boring jobs with little pay.

Texas Longhorn

Cattle moved from Texas to the North.

Cattle Drive

Moving cattle from one place to another.

Long Drive

Moving cattle from Texas to Kansas, riding 15–16 hours a day.

Cattle Barons

Rich people who owned huge cattle ranch.

Barbed Wire

Sharp wire used to keep cattle off farms and protect crops.

Miner Myth

People thought they would get rich quickly from gold and silver.

Miner Reality

Mining was hard, and most miners did not get rich.

Pikes Peak or Bust!

Slogan of people hoping to find gold in Colorado.

Comstock Lode

Large discovery of silver in Nevada.

Who got rich from mining?

Store owners and people selling miners supplies and equipment.

Homesteader

Farmer who got land through the Homestead Act.

Farmer Myth

Farmers were independent and succeeded on their own.

Farmer Reality

Farmers worked hard but struggled with debt.

Soddie

House made from grass and dirt (sod).

Dry Farming

Breaking up soil deeply to help water reach plant roots.

Plains Indians

Native Americans who lived on the Great Plains and depended on buffalo.

Nomadic

Moving from place to place.

Why were buffalo important?

They provided Native Americans with food, clothing, and shelter.

Why did Native Americans and settlers fight?

Native Americans needed land and buffalo; settlers wanted farmland.

Sand Creek Massacre

American soldiers killed hundreds of Native Americans.

Massacre

Killing a large group of people.

Battle of Little Bighorn

Native Americans defeated General Custer and his U.S. soldiers.

Reservations

Land where the government forced Native Americans to live.

Ghost Dance

Dance hoping buffalo would return and white settlers would leave.

Wounded Knee

1890 massacre where U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Lakota Sioux.

Dawes Act

Divided Native American land to force them to adopt white American culture.

Assimilation

Adopting another group's culture and way of life.

Native American Boarding Schools

Schools that separated Native American children from families and taught white American culture.

Buffalo and Western Settlement

Buffalo were nearly wiped out, hurting Native Americans.

National Parks

Land protected by the government for nature and wildlife.

Frederick Jackson Turner

Historian who said the West shaped American independence and democracy.

Frontier Thesis

Idea that settling the West shaped American identity.

Rugged Individualism

Belief that people succeed through hard work and independence.

What did Turner ignore?

Immigrants, Native Americans, and other marginalized groups.

Buffalo Bill

Showman who made the West seem exciting through Wild West shows.

Farmers' Problems

Debt, low crop prices, and expensive railroad costs.

Deflation

Money becomes worth more; prices go DOWN.

Why did deflation hurt farmers?

Crop prices went down, but farmers' debts stayed the same.

Inflation

Money becomes worth less; prices go UP.

Why did farmers want inflation?

Higher crop prices made debts easier to pay.

Gold Bugs

People who wanted money backed ONLY by gold.

Gold Standard

Money backed by gold.

Silverites

People who wanted money backed by silver to increase the money supply.

Why did farmers support silver?

More money meant inflation and easier debt payments.

Grange

Local group where farmers worked together.

Populist Party

Political party created to help farmers and workers.

What did the Populist Party want?

A hands-on government that helped farmers and controlled businesses.

Interstate Commerce Act

First major federal law regulating railroads.

Why was the Interstate Commerce Act important?

It started government regulation of businesses.

William Jennings Bryan

Populist leader who supported silver and lost the 1896 election.

Why did Bryan support silver?

He wanted inflation to help farmers pay their debts.

Why was the Populist Party important?

It got the movement for a more hands-on government started.