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13:2 Settling on the Great Plains

13:2 Settling on the Great Plains. RR Expansion helps settle the West. Federal Land Grants to RR companies Central Pacific & Union Pacific met at Promontory, UT- 1 st Transcontinental RR 1869. Workforce on the RR. Central Pacific- 90%Chinese Union-Irish/Civil War Vets

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13:2 Settling on the Great Plains

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  1. 13:2 Settling on the Great Plains

  2. RR Expansion helps settle the West • Federal Land Grants to RR companies • Central Pacific & Union Pacific met at Promontory, UT-1st Transcontinental RR 1869

  3. Workforce on the RR • Central Pacific- 90%Chinese • Union-Irish/Civil War Vets • Harsh conditions-avalanches • Low pay

  4. 1862 Homestead Act Federal support for westward settlement • 150 acres per family-FREE

  5. Exodusters • African Americans moved from post-reconstruction south to farm in KS

  6. OK-The Sooner State • Major land grants • Thousands of settlers claimed 2 million in 1 day • Some claimed “sooner” than should have

  7. Challenges of living on the Plains Locust! Flood, fire,blizzards,etc.

  8. Housing • Soddies • Dugouts

  9. Women Pioneers • Isolation • Farming, livestock, make clothing, haul water, make soap, candles, can food, doctoring, schooling, etc .

  10. Barbed Wire 1874 • Joseph Glidden • Ended era of cowboys and wide open plains • Fenced in ranches produced higher grade livestock

  11. Steel Plow 1837 • John Deere • Made planting more efficient

  12. Mechanical Reaper 1847 • Cyrus McCormick • Made harvesting more efficient

  13. Federal Support for Agricultural Education • Morrill Land Grant Acts 1862, 1890 • Hatch Act 1887

  14. Farmer Debt • Overproduction = Low wheat prices • High debt-mortgages, equipment • RR-charged high prices to ship crops

  15. Bonanza Farms • Enormous single crop farms • 15,000-50,000 acres • Died out when drought hit and they couldn’t diversify as easily as small farms

  16. Railroads effect on farmers • Charged higher prices to ship in the west than in the east • Charged more for short hauls than long hauls

  17. 13:3 Farmers and the Populist Movement

  18. Farming Becomes Unprofitable • Falling wheat prices • High mortgages/debt • RR costs

  19. Deflation • Period of falling prices caused by a decrease in the amount of money in circulation • Good for consumers=cheap stuff • Bad for farmers-wheat prices too low, aren’t earning enough to pay debt

  20. “Cheap Money” • Borrowing money at low interest rates • Puts more money into circulation • Causes prices to rise (inflation)

  21. What do farmers need? • More money in circulation • Government regulation of the RR

  22. Problems with RR • Lack of competition=high prices • RR, Grain brokers, and merchants worked together to manipulate the market price of crops

  23. Farmer Cycle of Debt Low wheat prices High RR prices Work harder to produce more wheat. (this only causes the price of wheat to drop further) Can’t pay farm bills Buy more land/supplies on credit (at high interest rates) in order to make more money

  24. The Grange • Oliver Hudson Kelly • Organization that fought for reform • Sponsor state legislation to regulate the RR • Set up farmers’ cooperatives to keep wheat prices high

  25. Farmers’ Alliances • Goals • How to get lower interest rates on loans • Push for Government regulation of RR • Push for Government regulation of banks • Largest: Southern Alliance • Colored Farmers’ National Alliance

  26. Populist Party/People’s Party • Economic/Financial Reforms: • Increase money supply • Graduated Income Tax • Federal loan program

  27. Populist Party/People’s Party • Governmental reforms • Popular Election of U.S. senators • Single terms for President/Vice President • Secret ballot

  28. Populist Party/People’s Party • Labor Reforms • Eight hour work day • Immigration restriction

  29. Panic 1893 • Causes • Farmers can’t pay debt=banks fail • RRs expanded faster than the market for them=RR companies fail • People withdraw savings=banks fail • Stock market crashed

  30. 1896 Presidential Election • Republicans-McKinley • Business owners, bankers • Northeast • goldbugs • Democrats-William Jennings Bryan • Farmers, laborers • South, west • silverites

  31. Most important campaign issue • Silverites-farmers/laborers supportedbimettalism, use both gold and silver to back up paper currency to put more money into circulation and drive up prices • Goldbugs-bankers/business men supported maintaining the gold standard to back up paper money with only gold to limit the amount of money in circulation and keep the value of the dollar high

  32. William Jennings Bryan Cross of Gold Speech • Gold Standard is America’s burden

  33. End of Populism • William McKinley elected • Legacy of Populist Era: • Downtrodden could organize and have a political impact • Reforms will be adopted by the Republican party and enacted in the 1900s.

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