Bigger, Better, Faster: The Changing Nation
Railroad building grew from 35,000 miles in 1865 to nearly 200,000 miles by 1897. People began to settle west. Fourteen new states were created. Cowboys and cattle Immigration The modern city
During 1862, people began to work on a railroad to connect one side of the country to the other. This railroad became known as the transcontinental railroad. The two companies that took on this task were the Union Pacific Company and the Central Pacific Company. The Union Pacific in the East already stretched as far as Omaha, Nebraska, and they continued to build more tracks to the west.
The Central Pacific started in Sacramento, California, and many Chinese immigrants were hired to help. On May 10, 1869, the two railroads officially met. The city was Promontory Point, Utah. To celebrate their success, they put a gold spike into the last rail.
Originally, people did not stop in the Great Plains when moving out west because they thought it would be hard to grow food there. In 1862, Congress passed the Homestead Act to entice people to move out west and make homesteads (a settler s home and land). The settlers were offered 160 acres of land for a cheap price, and all they had to do was farm the land for five years to make it theirs.
African-Americans began to move and settle west as farmers too. They became known as the Exodusters because they were making their exodus out of the South into the West where they hoped to find a place of safety from racism and poverty.
Immigration is moving from one country to another. The largest number of immigrants came from northern Europe and Canada, and they too helped to settle the West. In North Dakota in 1890, 45 percent were immigrants.
The Native Americans were being forced to move out of their native lands. They were usually moved to Indian reservations that had the least valuable lands. Many died of starvation and disease. Many Indians fought back, but they couldn t win.
The collapse of the Native Americans resistance also had an impact on the native buffalo. Indians respected them, and used every part. White men would shoot them for fun, and leave them there to die. By the mid-1880s the herds were nearly extinct. (p.249)
Now that the buffalo were becoming less and less present, cattle began to take over the western plains. Some of the cattle were decedents of those brought over by Spanish settlers. Cattle that were left behind by soldiers that went away to fight the war multiplied rapidly. They adapted into a new, hearty breed of cattle called the Longhorn. At the end of the Civil War, five million cattle roamed the grasslands.
Cattle were not worth much out west. There were too many to go around. ($4 each) However, to the east and north, cattle were in high demand (to want to buy a lot). ($40 each!) Cowboys began to herd the cattle and take them north and east to be sold for a higher profit (the amount of money that is made). 1/3 of the cowboys out West were Mexican or African-American. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidassetid=2fd52d50-6be4-4017-81d1-5b116241e2a7&productcode=us&cfid=879731&cftoken=58281868
Freed slaves teamed up with the fellow blacks that were already out West. The Black Cowboys of Texas were African- Americans that took up the cowboy way of life. http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidassetid=a1928d89-37cb-4a38- B599-98A2D18B4CC7&blnFromSearch=1&productcode=US
Cowboys lived a rough life listen to story from Black Frontiers.
Chaps- Made of tough leather, they were worn for protection in rough country from rocks, branches, or the longhorns of cattle. They also offered a layer of warmth in the winter.
Bandana- a large piece of cloth that served a number purposes; to protect from dust, wind, rain, and sun; to wet and cool the neck; to chase flies away; to tie on hat in wind; as a bandage; as a water filter; or to add a flash of color when going to town. Silk or cotton were popular, in solids or calico prints.
Spurs and Quirt- Spurs were made of plain metal or fancy silver, with a large rowel to roll up and down the flank of the horse. The quirt was hand braided of leather, rawhide or horse hair. They were used to get the horses' attention. These items were especially useful when saddling and riding a stubborn horse first thing in the morning.
Bridle- part of the tack or harness of a horse consisting of headstall, bit and reins.
The west was an open range there were no fences to separate properties. Cowboys would brand their cattle so that could know whose was whose. To brand cattle, the cowboys would use a branding iron. This would permanently burn a symbol on the cow to claim it.
Some cowboys would drive cattle across the western United States for months at a time. They were moving the herd to cities along railways to ship the cattle to the northern and eastern states where they could sell the cattle for a much larger profit. Some of the cattle trails were about a thousand miles long. They would have to stop and let the cattle rest and graze, so they would only travel about 10-15 miles a day. A herd of cattle being moved along a trail sometimes stretched as long as a mile.
From 1820 to 1930, more than 37 million people came to the U.S. this was the largest movement of people in the history of the world. About 21 million immigrants came to the United States just between 1870 and 1910. Most of these immigrants were coming from Southern and Eastern Europe. The immigrants arrived at ports all over the United States by boats. This mixing of cultures has helped to make America what it is today.
Most could not afford first class or cabin passage.
Some people wanted religious and political freedom, The U.S. was a land of opportunity anyone could work hard and earn a living for his family, and Every child had the possibility of a good education.
Ellis Island was a major port in New York that processed large groups of immigrants every day. These immigrants were questioned and checked for diseases. http://www.history.com/videos/ellis-island-inpictures#passing-the-medical-inspection-atellis-island http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigra tion/tour/stop1.htm
Quote from immigrant: "I remember my grandfather always telling me how he knew he could be rich in America because he saw riches in the architecture of Ellis Island. He felt that if they let the poor in such a gorgeous hall then life in this country would be wonderful." Courtesy: Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/CMP
What hopes did the immigrants have when entering the U.S.? What fears did they have? What difficulties did the immigrants face when entering the U.S.?
Before 1870, fewer than 25% of the people in the United States lived in cities. The rest lived in small towns/villages and on farms. With all the immigrants arriving, cities began to grow larger. Cities were places that immigrants could find jobs with all the new industries forming. By 1910, 45% of the people in the United States lived in cities.
Many of the immigrants settled in large cities like New York and Boston, or San Francisco on the west coast. They often lived in neighborhoods where their countrymen settled. Many helped build up the cities. Lots of immigrants also built railroad lines. (see p. 226)
America is often called a melting pot because many different customs and cultures are all blended together to make a new unique country. Tacos-Mexico Corn- Native Americans Christmas Tree-Germany Shampoo-India Birthday Candles-Ancient Greece Pizza-Italy Soccer-England Bongo drum-africa