Important Points to Remember Settling the West and the Gilded Age

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1 General Characteristics of Westward Expansion Events leading to the settlement of the west 1 Westward Expansion, after the Civil War, actually refers to the settlement of the west that occurs after the Civil War comes to an end in 1865 and as Reconstruction continues from 1865 to Westward Expansion originally started in the early 1800s with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory, expands with the San Francisco Gold Rush of 1849, and continues until California is annexed in However, the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 made it difficult for the west to get settled and the country really got settled once the war was over. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1896 expands the population in the west as people moved to the west and Canada in order to try and capitalize on gold found in northwestern Canada. 2 Henry Comstock discovered a huge amount of silver in Six-Mile Canyon, Nevada which allowed the town of Virginia City, Nevada to become a boom town over night. Unfortunately, when the silver ran out, the town became a ghost town just as quickly. The find of silver became known as the Comstock Load. 3 During the post-reconstruction era, mining grew throughout the west in areas like Colorado, the Dakota Territories and the Rocky Mountains. Cattle drives across vast areas of grasslands known as the open range helped improve the cattle industry, particularly with long drives where cattle were driven north and sold for 10 times the price of what they would be sold for in the south. Chisholm Trail went from Texas to Abilene, Kansas. Barbed wire puts an end to the open ranges because ranchers fence off huge chunks of land so that they can keep track of their cattle 4 Homestead Act (1862) a person could file for a homestead (tract of public land available for settlement) with $10 and live in it for five years, then get a title for the land. This makes it so that people are motivated to settle the land and work it. 5 Wheat withstood drought better than other crops so it became the most important crop of the Great Plains. Dry farming was used to plant seeds deep in the ground where there was enough moisture for it to grow and farmers who plowed the soil in the Great Plains were known as sodbusters. Large farms of wheat were known as bonanza farms. 6 The Pacific Railway Act passed by Abraham Lincoln before his death allowed for the expansion of railroad systems throughout the U.S., particularly between the Union and Pacific Railway systems who were offered land along the way (land grants) as they built the transcontinental railroad. Railroad investors bribed congressmen in order to get them to pass more land grants because they could make more money that way. When the Union and Pacifica Railway systems merged, the Transcontinental Railroad was created and towns began to spring up around the railway system, expanding the settlement of the west. Because people were able to move families from one area to another very quickly, mass transit became an important factor in settling the west and eventually the development of urban centers through urbanization. Political Policies toward Native Americans 7 Natives were being forced into reservations in the Great Plains. Chief Little Crow, Chief Red Cloud (Fetterman s Massacre), Chief Black Kettle (Sand Creek Massacre) lead several uprisings that lead to the development of the Indian Peace Commission by Congress, which ultimately proposed the development of additional reservations. 1 of 6

2 U.S. passes the Dawes Act in 1887 in an effort to assimilate (or absorb) Natives into American culture. They break up reservations into allotments in an effort to give Natives their own land. Many natives were put into Indian Schools with the attempt to get them to learn the American Way of Life and further their assimilation. The Dawes Act and assimilation fail because Natives did not want to assimilate and there were no real financial benefits to the allotments. 8 Many Native American tribes fought to maintain their sovereignty off of reservations because they did not want to accept assimilation. Battles between Union troops after the Civil War and Native tribes in the Southwest and Great Plains of the United States in what became known as the Indian Wars. A group of Lakota natives left their land to hunt in the Bighorn Mountains. General George A. Custer is sent out to follow the Natives and he and his troops are killed by the Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the Lakota Sioux. Sitting Bull and his natives fled to Canada after killing 264 soldiers. This event is known as Custer s Last Stand. Within two years, Crazy Horse was captured and many of the Sioux were forced onto reservations. In 1890, a group of 300 Sioux men, women and children were killed by machine guns in Wounded Knee, South Dakota. This became known as the Wounded Knee Massacre. General Characteristics of the Gilded Age Industrialization, Urbanization, and Immigration 9 The Gilded Age refers to a time period between 1870 and 1900 when crime increased, political machines and party bosses contributed to corruption between government and business, fire and pollution developed in cities, contaminated water and improper sewage contributed to epidemics like cholera and typhoid fever, and yet there was a time of growth in the country. Gilded refers to something being golden on the outside, yet rotten on the inside. 10 As industry grew because technology such as the light bulb allowed people to work through the night, and corporate giants such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan and Vanderbilt continued to make a lot of money, they continued to hire people to work the factories in the cities. Industrialization, or the rapid growth of industry and business, usually as a result of technology and innovation. was one of the causes of urbanization, the rapid growth of cities. 11 Skyscrapers were built by people like Chicagoan Louis Sullivan because there was a demand for larger, taller buildings in cities due to living confinements. Meanwhile, there was a separation of classes in urban life. The wealthy tended to live in the heart of the city while middle class people like doctors, lawyers, and teachers lived toward the outer part of the city. The poorer people tended to live in tenements, or dark and crowded multi-family apartments. 12 Vaudeville (French theater that combined animal acts, acrobats, gymnasts, and dancers), ragtime music, amusement parks such as Coney Island, and watching sports such as baseball, football, and basketball all became more popular throughout the Gilded Age. 13 Immigrants moved into the U.S. in huge numbers between 1870 and 1900, nearly tripling from about 10 million people to about 30 million. The U.S. offered employment, few immigration restrictions, avoidance of military service, religious freedom, and the chance to move up the social ladder, all of which attracted immigrants to the United States in huge numbers. Ellis Island (New York) was the place on the East Coast where most people from eastern Europe ended up. Angel Island (San Francisco) was the place on the West Coast where most people from Asia ended up. Some faced the possibility of separating from family or possibly being sent back due to illness or disease. 2 of 6

3 14 Immigrants remained in the cities working long hours for little pay but the standard of living had gone up overall. Farmers also began moving to cities for better-paying jobs, electricity, running water, plumbing and entertainment; this also contributed to urbanization. Big Business, Economic Growth, the Government s Laissez Faire Attitude 15 Immigrants who learned English, adapted to American culture, skilled immigrants, those who had money, and those who lived among their own ethnic group tended to adjust more easily and successfully. Assimilation was an important step in helping immigrants become part of the American Way of Life. Those immigrants that assimilated quickly were more likely to get better-paying jobs and live a better quality of life. Those that did not struggled politically and socially. 16 Nativism was directed to Asian, Jews and Eastern Europeans in the early 1900 s, while it had been directed toward the Irish in the 1840 s and 1850 s. In 1882, Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act which barred Chinese immigration for 10 years and prevented Chinese in America from becoming citizens. It was renewed in 1892, made permanent in 1902, and not repealed until Huge industrial growth happens between 1865 and 1914 as the gross national product (GNP), or total value of goods and services produced by a country, is 8 times what it was at the end of the Civil War. Transcontinental railroad makes it easy to move resources from one place to another Entrepreneurs were people who risked their own capital in an effort to grow a business and make more money 18 Government did not interfere with industry (laissez-faire attitude), limited tariffs, and encouraged innovation and invention: Inventions such as the telephone (1876) by Bell, the phonograph (record player), light bulb, electric generator, Dictaphone (recorder), and motion picture by Thomas Edison, the power-driven sewing machine, and cloth cutters all helped industry grow. Integrated railroad cars help to shift the direction of a railroad car from one direction in the country to a different one. 19 Social Darwinism was the idea that human society evolved through competition and through competition society would become better and those who did not would eventually die out. Herbert Spencer applied Charles Darwin s Theory of Evolution and Natural Selection to human society, and said that society improved because the strongest would move forward. Realism was a movement in art and literature that portrayed people in realistic situations instead of ideal or romantic situations. 20 Industrial leaders, also known as Captains of Industry, agreed with Spencer s Social Darwinism and Andrew Carnegie was among the U.S. s industrial giants at the time. He had grown the U.S. Steel Company monopoly and had taken over the steel corporations through deals and contracts. John D. Rockefeller created Standard Oil through by building a trust that merged businesses without breaking laws. J.P. Morgan made most of his money through banking and combining industrial corporations at the time. Cornelius Vanderbilt built most of his wealth through industry in the railroad companies and shipping of materials through the use of his railroads. People who generally opposed these industrial giants methods for becoming wealthier called them robber barons because they took advantage of others (robbed others) to get their wealth. 3 of 6

4 21 Corporations grew between the 1860 s and 1910 s. Corporations were owned by many people but treated by law as if it was a single person. Stockholders were people who own a piece of a corporation, each piece or share of ownership is called a stock. Corporations could produce more goods cheaply and efficiently. All businesses have two kinds of costs: fixed (which a company has to pay whether or not it is doing business such as loans, mortgages, taxes), and operating (that occur when a company is operating such as wages, shipping charges, and supplies). 22 There are different types of companies. Vertically integrated companies own all the different things related to one area of the company. For example, a meat company would own the trains to transport cattle, the trucks to transport frozen meat, the factories to pack the meat, etc. Horizontally integrated companies take lots of companies doing the same thing and combine them. For example, GM takes Saturn, Pontiac, Chevrolet, and other car companies and combines them. Monopolies occur when a company takes hold of an entire market. AT&T was once ruled a monopoly by the Supreme Court and was ordered to break up. Corruption in Urban Politics, and the Attempt at Civil Service Reform The Masses Respond to Inequalities in Industrialization and Urbanization 23 The Democrats and Republicans by the late 1800 s are well organized, while the Republicans win most of the presidential races between 1876 and 1896, the elections in 1876 and 1888 were so close that the presidential candidates lost the popular vote, but won the electoral votes. Republicans win most, Democrats control the HOR and Republicans who control the Senate don t necessarily agree with the president on most issues. 24 Something that contributed to the corruption in government were the political machines, an informal political groups designed to gain and keep power, provided essentials to city dwellers in exchange for votes. Party bosses ran the political machines. George Plunket, an Irish immigrant, was one of New York City s most powerful party bosses.the party bosses had tight control of the city s money. Many of the politicians became wealthy due to fraud or graft getting money through dishonest or questionable means. The most famous New York Democratic political machine was Tammany Hall also known as the Tweed Ring. During the 1860s and 1870s, Tammany Hall s boss was William M. Tweed. He was arrested for corruption and sent to prison in The spoils system is a system where people allowed others they knew to work for them, or patronage. This was, by the late 1870 s considered to be a form of corruption. By 1883, the Pendleton Act was passed and forced people to apply for government jobs by taking a test. These government jobs were known as civil service. People who liked patronage were called Stalwarts, while people who were in favor of reforming civil service were called Halfbreeds. 26 Unions formed in response to poor working conditions. Trade unions focused on specific skills while industrial unions combined skilled workers with laborers in one particular industry. To be blacklisted means to be put on a list of people who had been troublemakers; union organizers were often blacklisted If unions were formed, companies might use lockouts (keeping workers locked out without pay) or strikebreakers (people who would work in order to replace the labor strikers) in order to continue business as usual. 27 Marxism, based on the ideas of Karl Marx was popular in Europe because he believed that the class struggle between workers and owners would eventually lead 4 of 6

5 to a revolt that would implement socialism: the idea that everyone in a given society is responsible for producing through their own labor, receiving the benefits of their labor and making class structures disappear. 28 The first nationwide organized labor union, the Knights of Labor was formed in the late 1870 s. They demanded an 8-hour work day, a government bureau of labor statistics, equal pay for women, and end to child labor, and worker-owned factories. The wanted arbitration a process where an impartial third party helps mediate between workers and management. The Government Responds to Social Issues 29 The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was formed by 20 of the nation s trade unions with 3 goals: 1) get companies to recognize unions and agree to collective bargaining; 2) push for closed shops, where companies could only hire union members; and 3) to promote an 8-hour work day. The AFL grew to over 500,000 members. Samuel Gompers became a national figure as he led the labor union through huge growth and improved workers rights across the country. He worked for shorter hours and higher wages through collective bargaining, the idea that the corporation had to have one single contract for everyone working in one position to ensure equality and make sure there were standards for employment. 39 A second increase in industry resulted in a need for better-trained workers; this increased the amount of education being offered. The number of colleges, libraries and grammar schools (now divided into 8 grades) increased dramatically during this time. Booker T. Washington founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in The Morrill Land Grant Act gave federal land grants to states for the purposes of establishing agricultural and mechanical colleges. 31 Christian movements also made their way through reform attempts. The Social Gospel movement aimed to improve social problems through Christian Law. The idea of the movement was based on bettering conditions in the city through charity and justice such as gyms, social programs and daycare. Jane Addams was part of the settlement house movement, which aimed at providing better living conditions to the poor by providing many homeless a place to live. Hull House was the name of the Addams settlement house and provided medical care, recreation programs, and English classes. 32 Andrew Carnegie wrote the Gospel of Wealth, an article aimed at convincing people that society must take care to avoid having money fall into the wrong hands. In his article, Carnegie states that philanthropy, or giving back to society based on extensive wealth, was an important responsibility of the wealthy. He felt that the rich must make sure that the money that they earned be given back to society in some way. As a result, Carnegie established libraries, the Carnegie foundation, which uses charity to give money back to society based on specific goals, and artistic venues such as Carnegie Hall Wabash v. Illinois Demos and Republicans believe that govt. should not interfere in corporations property rights (laissez-faire), Supreme Court rules that the state of Illinois could not restrict rates charged for interstate commerce, only the federal govt. could Interstate Commerce Commission is signed into law. 34 Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 makes trusts (making a company that represents another business with the intent of developing a monopoly) illegal, but the court 5 of 6

6 does little to enforce it. 35 Populism a political belief or philosophy aimed at defending the interests of common people against self-serving elite, begins to take hold, particularly among farming communities in the 1890 s. Inflation amount of money being distributed grows quickly while there are not as many goods for sale. The money is not as important and the prices of products go up. Deflation Congress stops making silver coins, stops making greenbacks, and country doesn t have enough money to meet the supply needs, value of money goes up and prices on things go down. 36 Farmers organizations such as the Grange (which was not that strong) and the Farmers Alliance work to organize large cooperatives for the purpose of forcing farm prices up and making loans for farmers at low interest rates. 37 The People s Party, or Populists, worked to help farmers solve their problems. They held their first convention in 1892 and wanted a graduated income tax, a tax that taxes higher earnings more heavily. The Panic of 1893 caused by the bankruptcy of Philadelphia and Reading Railroads resulted in a stock market crash, closing of many banks and by 1894, a deep depression. 38 William McKinley wins the election of 1896 by promising workers a full dinner pail and business leaders liked him because he didn t like the idea of using silver as the country s currency. Major gold strikes in Alaska and Canada make the use of silver outdated and so the Populist Party also dies out. 39 African Americans were repressed, discriminated against and given barriers after the 15 th Amendment had been put into play. Black Codes were sets of laws that described the role of African-Americans as inferior to whites and oftentimes made it impossible for them to progress socially and economically. Racism was a means to get the poor white vote in southern states 1890 Mississippi imposes a poll tax which required people to pay a tax before they could register to vote. They also required a literacy test and because African Americans were given no education, they did not pass the tests other states followed African American and poor whites voting numbers dropped dramatically. Segregation (separation by race) was imposed by the Jim Crow Laws laws that allowed separate but equal but equal was never the case. Plessey v. Ferguson another important court case where the Supreme Court endorsed separate but equal facilities for African Americans legal basis for discrimination 50 years 1883 Supreme Court rules that private organizations and businesses were free to practice segregation 100 s of lynchings took place in the south, (executions without proper court proceedings) most were African Americans Booker T. Washington African American educator who believed AAs should focus on achieving economics rather than political or legal goals W.E.B. Dubois challenged Booker T. in said Blacks should demand their rights, especially voting rights to gain full equality. 6 of 6