Social unit 6

• The West provided opportunities for entrepreneurship and remained untouched until settlers were attracted, leading to the development of territories like Nevada and Colorado
• The Great American Desert, located between the Mississippi River and California, posed challenges due to its arid conditions and scarcity of water and timber
• The Western Promise entailed individualism, economic opportunities, and freedom, attracting settlers to the West
• Mineral deposits, like the Comstock Lode with the largest gold and silver amounts near Gold Hill, lured people to the West
• Mining in the West became a mass production industry as individual prospectors sought riches, leading to larger scale operations with bigger investments
• The Transcontinental Railroad opened the western half of the nation to economic development by connecting raw materials to factories and retailers, creating an interconnected national market
• Railroad construction in the West was primarily funded by selling railroad bonds to American and foreign investors, with the Pacific Railroads Act providing federal subsidies and land grants to companies
• The Homestead Act divided millions of acres into sections, allowing settlers to acquire public land by living on it for 5 years and improving it
• New machinery, like the Sodbuster developed by James Oliver, made hard work on a homestead easier by easing the task of breaking tough grass roots of plains
• The invention of the refrigerated car by Hammons and Gustavus Swift allowed cattle to be slaughtered in the Midwest and the meat to be shipped east to west
• Joseph Glidden's invention of the first effective barbed wire fence at a lower cost than traditional materials led to its widespread use by ranchers and farmers
• Overproduction in farming led to increased output, drops in prices, and economic distress for farmers, resulting in the expansion of commercial farming and the replacement of independent farmers
• Farmers alliance groups like the Grange and Farmers Alliance aimed to regulate charges in railroads and warehouses, with the latter being more inclusive and fostering a sense of community amongst isolated farmers
• Migration to the West from Mexico, Europe, and China, particularly from northern Europe (Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Canada), transformed the patterns of western culture and society
• Chinese immigrants initially joined the gold mining industry but later worked on the transcontinental railroad due to their willingness to work, acceptance of low wages, and harsh working conditions
• Black migration to the West, including the Exodusters, occurred due to the collapse of Radical Republican rule in the South, with African Americans seeking safety from racism and poverty in states like Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma
• Cattle ranching was an important element in the Far West's economy, providing vast grazing areas on the Great Plains for cattle raisers
• Challenges for the cattle industry included the transportation of animals from the range to the railroad systems, leading to long drives where cowboys and cattle ranchers herded cattle from Texas to Missouri
• Black churches


  • Provided a hub for Black community life, used for worship and various activities including social gatherings, club meetings, and political activities
• Women's clubs

  • Engines of social service in their communities, caring for the aged, the infirm, and orphanage, creating homes for single mothers, and providing nurseries for working mothers
• Middle class black women


  • Formed a network of thousands of racial-uplift organizations across the South and around the nation
• Black entrepreneurs


  • Provided services to the black community including insurance and banks
• Black Reformers


  • Excluded, made their own culture, had self racial pride
• Men roles in churches

  • Leadership roles, political status, fostered racial pride and personal dignity
• National Association of Colored Women


  • The first organization meant to combat racism and segregation
• Ida B Wells


  • Black activist born into slavery, outspoken critic, fought against discrimination, launched a crusade against lynching, and promoted women's suffrage
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

  • Founded by Ida B Wells, worked to promote women’s suffrage
• Booker T Washington


  • Had directly opposing views on accommodationist ideals and wanted progress to be slow
• Web du bois


  • Criticized Washington’s ideas, argued for education of blacks everywhere, challenged segregation and discrimination through political action
• Booker T Washington at the Atlanta Cotton States: 'Prove your worth through actions'
• Booker T Washington background

  • Born in Virginia, foremost black educator in the nation, argued for an assimilation approach
• Dispute


  Divided the tensions that would decide the civil rights movements, military vs conciliation, separatism vs assimilation, social justice vs economic advancements