Warm-up for 13-1 Musical- Bob Marley- Buffalo Soldier What are your images of cowboys like? How have movies and novels influenced those images? How true do you think those images are to the reality of life on the open range?
Great Plains- grassland that extends through the central portion of NA Plains Indians had developed a distinctive culture horses brought by the Spanish in late 1500 s increased mobility increased mobility led to hunting buffalo & war parties buffalo provided many basic needs family structure- small extended groups w/ ties to other bands tribes ruled by counsel, not force land could not be owned
Plains Indians and Buffalo 1. Meat- main food source 2. Hides- used for clothing, blankets, robes, shoes, and teepees 3. Bones- arrow tips, knives, tools and farming implements 4. Tendons- used to thread or string bows 5. Fat- cosmetics 6. Bladder- water bags 7. Buffalo droppings- used as fuel and burned Hunting 1. Piskin method- funneling buffalo together in a V to kill or drive them off cliffs 2. Horseback- using speed as weapon Nomadic Tribes 1. Teepees- portable tents easy to dismantle 2. Travois- used to transport possessions White Man and Buffalo 1. Buffalo tongue- a delicacy in eastern restaurants 2. Hides- used to make leather 3. Shooting became a sport
Settlers push Westward believed Indians had forfeited rights to land by not settling it lure of silver & gold attracted thousands onto Indian land Government restricts Native Americans railroads influence govt. to clearly define specific boundaries for Indians Treaty of Fort Laramie (2 nd )- 1868 -forced Sioux reservation along Missouri River Sitting Bull- Sioux leader, never signed treaty (prophesized George Custer s attack)
Treaty signing by William T. Sherman and the Sioux at Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Photo by Alexander Gardner, 1868.
George A. Custer Colonel in the 7 th Cavalry (youngest general in the Civil War at 23; he led the cavalry at Gettysburg saving the Union flank) reported that the Black Hills had gold (E Montana territory) famous last stand at Little Bighorn River- 1876 Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull outflanked & killed all 7 th cavalry troops (268 killed- Americans outraged over incident) Sioux later defeated
assimilation- govt. plan under which Indians would give up their beliefs and way of life and become part of the white culture Dawes Act- 1887 law intended to Americanize Indians by distributing reservation land to individual owners extra land sold to settlers w/ $ to go to Indians 2/3 s of land taken by whites, no $ was ever given to Indians
destruction of buffalo was major blow to tribal life 1800; ~65 million buffalo roamed the plains 1890; fewer than 1000 remained 1900; a single herd remained in Yellowstone National Park ~500,000 today Ghost Dance- Sioux ritual thought to be a way to restore lands & way of life Battle of Wounded Knee- 1890 massacre of 300 unarmed Indians at Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota *marks an end to the Indian Wars *
Cattle & Cowboys Cattle & horses flourish as buffalo disappear longhorns- breed of cattle brought by Spanish to Mexico & suited for dry conditions of the SW American cowboy s clothes, food, & vocab heavily influenced by Mexicans (chaparreras-chaps, ranchoranch, bronco caballo-bronco, corral & rodeo) growing populations & cities after Civil War demand increased beef production
Chisholm Trail- major cattle route from San Antonio to Kansas folklore & legend depict cowboy as white; 25% African American, 12% Mexican cowboy work was difficult & non-stop long drive- overland transport of cattle; could last up to 3 months legends of the west include Wild Bill Hickok & Calamity Jane (Buffalo Bill s Wild West Show) *neither ever dealt w/ cattle Late 1880 s Cattle frontier comes to an end due to overgrazing of land, bad weather, & barbed wire Dead Man s Hand
Warm-up for 13-2 Musical - Old Chisholm Trail Describe what you think life on the Great Plains (prairie) was like for a typical family in the late 1800 s along with the roles of each family member. Do you think you would have wanted to move west? Explain.
fed govt. made huge land grants to the railroad companies (received 10-20 square miles of public land for every mile of track laid down)
Gov. also supported settlement Homestead Act- 1862 offered 160 acres to any citizen or intended citizen who was head of household & would cultivate land for 5 yrs. exodusters- African Americans who moved from post-reconstruction S to Kansas 1889 land giveaway in Oklahoma attracted thousands more 2 million acres claimed in less than a day, some claimed sooner than they were supposed to; Sooner State 1872- govt. created Yellowstone National Park to preserve land 1890- Census Bureau declared the frontier no longer existed Emerald Pool
Life on the Plains hazards- droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, locust plagues, outlaws, & Indians soddy- home built of blocks of turf small, stuffy, allowed little light, inviting to snakes & insects, & leaked women worked alongside men while caring for children reaper, plow, barbed wire, corn binder, grain drill make more grain available to a wider market In 1830, producing a bushel of grain took ~183 minutes. By 1900, it took only 10 minutes.
The first patent in the United States for barbed wire was issued in 1867 to Lucien B. Smith, who is regarded as the inventor. Joseph F. Glidden, received a patent for the modern invention in 1874 after he made his own modifications to previous versions. Barbed wire was the first wire technology capable of restraining cattle. Wire fences were cheaper and easier to erect than their alternatives. Barbed wire fencing requires only fence posts, wire, and fixing devices such as staples. It is simple to construct and quick to erect, even by an unskilled person. There are over 530 patented barbed wires, approximatlety 2,000 variations and over 2,000 patented barbed wire tools.
Morrill Act- 1862 & 90 gave federal land to states to build agricultural colleges expensive farming machinery causes debt bonanza farmsenormous farms created by railroad companies & investors on which a single crop is grown bad weather & rising shipping costs led to bankruptcy small farms flexible in their crops survived but still struggled
Warm-up for 13-3 If you were going to create a new political party for the middle class, concentrating on economic reform, what would be the party s platform?
Farmers dealt w/ many problems in the late 1800 s 1. falling crop prices (price of wheat drops from $2 a bushel to 68 cents between 1867 and 1887) 2. indebted to banks (govt. withdrew greenbacks after the war increasing value of the $ in circulation which meant those who had to repay debts paid higher prices) 3. railroads charged outrageous shipping prices (more expensive to ship from Dakotas to Minneapolis by rail than from Chicago to England by boat)
Grange (Patrons of Husbandry) social outlet/ organization started by Oliver Hudson Kelly in which farmers attempted to fight the power of the railroads by sponsoring legislation Farmers Alliance- groups of farmers that educated people on agricultural, rural issues, banking & loans, & govt. controlled railroads
Populism (People s Party) late 19 th century political movement that sought to advance interests of farmers & laborers giving people a greater voice in govt. Platform Economic- increase $ supply, a graduated income tax, & a federal loan program Political- Senators elected by popular vote, single term for P & VP Social- 8hr work day, restrict immigration *programs became platform of the Democratic Party- idea that govt. responsible for social reform*
Panic of 1893 farmers overextended railroad construction expanded faster than markets (Erie, Union Pacific, Santa Fe, & Reading Railroad went bankrupt) paper $ traded for gold, which led stock prices to drop 1/5 of population lost their job
Silver v. Gold becomes important issue bimetallism- $ system in which the govt. used both silver & gold (Democrats) gold standard- $ system that backed paper $ only w/ gold (Republicans) Populist party supported bimetallism William Jennings Bryan- Democratic nominee for 1896 election (famous speech at convention known as the Cross of Gold ) populist supported Bryan William McKinley- Republican nominee- becomes 25 th U.S. President populism collapsed, but legacy of organizing & reform lived on This political cartoon, sympathetic to the Silverites, prophesied that a gold standard would destroy prosperity by 1894. A severe economic depression did indeed hit the US in 1893, but as with all things political, the causes of the downturn were hotly contested
Gold Bugs Silverites Who were they Bankers and businessmen Farmers and laborers What they wanted Why Effects Gold standard Less $ in circulation Loans would be repaid in stable $ Deflation Prices fall Value of $ increases Fewer people have money Bimetallism More $ in circulation Products would be sold at higher prices Inflation Prices rise Value of $ decreases More people have money
Frank Baum (1900) Allegory- figurative treatment of one subject under the disguise of another. Conveys a message other than the literal. Movie is a child s tale, but is also a sophisticated commentary on the political and economic debate of the Populist platform. 1. Dorothy -American people -good natured and naïve 2. Scarecrow -Western farmer -felt inferior and had self doubt -scared of the realities around them 3. Tin Man-Industrial workers of the NE -a machine for Eastern capitalists -dehumanized unemployed worker, yet with a few drops of oil he can continue his duties 4. Cowardly Lion-William Jennings Bryan -all bark and no bite -Pacifist and anti-imperialist 5. Munchkins -Slaves to the Eastern bankers and industrial interest -workers who did not vote for Bryan
6. Wicked Witch of the East -Nature (hardships) -killed by the house during a tornado 7. OZ -The abbreviation for an ounce of gold 8. Yellow Brick Road -Gold standard -leads to the Emerald City (White House) 9. The Wizard -President McKinley -promises everything to everyone, but its all smoke and mirrors 10. Wicked Witch of the West -Populist movement -the wizard wants Dorothy to kill the witch 11. Water -precious commodity of the West, which the drought-ridden farmers on the plains needed badly 12. Flying monkeys -Plains Indians -at one time they were free, but the Wicked Witch had captured them 13. Dorothy s slippers -Silver in the book -the key to help the farmers