Consolidation: forging the nation

• consequences of emancipation for North:

  • new federal banking rules + bank notes - increased investment + 1000s of new jobs
  • rapid economic growth - jobs -> immigrants from Europe -> many wars + tension opposition from protestant USA to catholic immigrants
  • transcontinental railroad - connect farming + mining. bring raw materials, food supplies + farming export
  • new taxes to pay for war after 65 - gov to help economy. 72 stopped collecting taxes from people's wage
• consequences of emancipation in south:

  • WA income fell by 40% after war - free people income increased
  • cotton remained main export - after war cotton prices fell. other countries started selling cotton, 11 ex-confederate states remained poorest for next 100 years
  • 75000 - 100000 confederate soldiers died 200000 wounded - fewer people to farm 1/3 of land stopped being farmed
  • euro-americans refused to accept black americans - discrimination + persecution continued. slavery abolished but explotation continued
• emancipation proclamation didn't mean slaves were free:

  • war would have to be won to ensure s states give up slavery
  • war ended, Lincoln wanted to introduce new law 13th amendment outlaw slavery across USA
  • all states returned from confederacy to union had to agree to amendment
  • President Lincoln assassinated shortly after 13th amendment passed
• 14th amendment:

  • state inserted 14th amendment - had to intervened in matter such as the rights of citizens (states considered concerns)
  • s states got a pardon + property returned by taking oath of allegiance - ex-confederate gov officials + those with taxable property worth $20000 excluded from pardon
  • debts incurred during rebellion clause of 14th amendment said neither US or individual states are responsible for debt incurred to aid rebellion against union. farmer slave owners can't claim compensation for loss of slaves
• civil rights

  • politicians thought slaves needed to be re-employed to help S economy
  • plantation owners had huge manpower shortages
  • Mississippi black code was trying to achieve equality - terms harsher for WA as had more + needed to be forced to do things
  • purpose of civil rights - protect rights of ex-slaves to make citizens
  • pre-war officers who supported confederacy excluded from politician office
  • 67 - Congressional Reconstruction Act - overturned state gov formed under Lincoln + Johnson - Johnson vetoed + hindered enforcement by replacing military officers
• 15th amendment:

  • vote couldn't be denied based on race or colour or previous enslavement
  • S states got around it legalisation didn't prohibit restrictions on voting such as property requirements or literacy tests
• Carpetbaggers + scallywags:

  • carpetbaggers - outsiders who meddled with other state affairs - without military presence of north they fled south
  • scallywags - those in the south who had been unionists + now came forward to join political battles - hated by confederates.
• homesteaders act 1862:

  • pesident lincoln passed - allowed people to file a claim for 160 free acres of public land if they stay there for 5 years
  • over 21 or head of household
  • citizen of USA or were going to be
  • paid $12 fee for filing claim
  • built home on land + farmed for 5 years
  • 1000s took opportunity
• transcontinental railroad - homesteaders

  • completed in 1869
  • railroad companies granted huge area of land by gov
  • posters exaggerate good life on the plains
  • many people could safely, quickly and cheaply make the long journey across the plains
• American Civil War - homesteaders

  • war N vs S states over slavery
  • N won + slavery ended
  • many ex-soldiers moved west to become homesteaders
  • 1000s of ex-slaves moved west to escape discrimination + make better life
• reservations - homesteaders

  • indians been largely cleared from land, defeated by US army + confided to reservations pushed further west
• manifest destiny - homesteaders

  • god given right to spread west + settle over entire continent
  • doing god's work by taking I land + building homestead
• problems for living on the plains:

  • water shortages - live without much water
  • fuel shortages - no wood to burn heating + cooking, buffalo dung
  • growing + protecting crops - couldn't mark lands, fights
  • lack of materials - wood expensive, used soil + blocks of earth, windows doors fitted, roof grass, walls plastered in clay, leaked
  • extreme weather - hot summer, cold winter, winds, low rainfall
  • dirt + disease - sod houses with earth floor hard to keep clean, fleas, white wash coat walls. short water supply so disease spread
• problems for farmers on plains:

  • water shortages - failed crops, starved, bankrupt, no rivers or lakes, digging expensive might not find water
  • growing + protecting crops - no fence to stop animals eating crops, maize + wheats not suited to plains conditions, ploughs can't break land
  • hazards from nature - fires from dry grass destroy crops, plagues of grass hoppers destroyed crops 1856
  • difficulty ploughing - couldn't break through hard dense, tangled roots, broke
  • extreme weather - lack of rain, drought, cold destroyed crops. kansa no rain between jan 59 and nov 60
• solving farming problems:

  • water shortages - windmills - Daniel Halliday 1874, self-propelled activated by wind, drilled to find water, pressure -> pump bring water to crops
  • natural hazards - harvest before pests arrived
  • growing crops - plough land after rainfall cover with dust to trap moisture. russian immigrants brought turkey red wheat could grow on plains conditions
  • ploughing - John Deere - strong steel plough 1837 could tear roots
  • protecting crops - Joseph Gliddenin 1874 new fencing system, barbed wire, cheap
  • building material - timber brought on railroads from west, cheap
• exterminators:

  • Indigenous move out of way if 'interfered with progress' US wanted land
  • military force should be used to stop resistance
  • common in west, could take I land but scared of fighting back
  • didn't think gov should protect Indigenous rights or that they should have rights
• humanitarians:

  • inevitable indigenous way of life would disappear + US expansion was right
  • paternalistic - saw indigenous as children who had to be helped, disciplined + taught to behave
  • frustrated by settlers who used violence to drive indigenous off land
  • President Grant was a humanitarian
• hostiles:

  • what US army called indigenous people resistant to having land taken
  • 1869 General Sherman in charge of US army - job to protect transcontinental railroad from indigenous. had to track down bands of fast moving warriors. US troops destroyed their crops + resources, killed horses, burned down camps during winter + destroyed hunting weapons
• the US army was better prepared to campaign in the west:

  • new troops - many seasoned troops became available so army had superior numbers
  • forts - built to protect roots + observe reservations, served as a base soldiers could patrol. PI had never managed to capture a fort
  • total war - new strategies, successfully used by General Sherman + Sheridan in civil war, waging war against whole enemy population destroying food, shelter, animals. no choice surrender. demoralized indians
  • winter campaigns - 2nd strategy, heavy snow on plains when PI need stay in one place + conserve food supplies
• vicious circle:

  1. American gov + indians sin peace treaty
  2. Americans break treaty by taking land
  3. Indians attack settlers
  4. Army is sent in to protect americans - clash with indians
• battle of Little Bighorn background info:

  • 30s-70s Pl made agreements with US gov - Pl moved from spiritual land + promised protection, money
  • broke promise - gold discovered on Pl land 89-rocky mountains - Cheyenne refuse to move - 64 sand creek massacre
  • 68 gold found in Montana Bozeman trail through sioux lands - 66 red cloud's war
• events leading to battle of LBH:

  • railroads - 74 railroads close to traditional Sioux hunting grounds Custer in charge protect railroad builders
  • Custer's gold rush - gold in black hill, 6 months prospectors followed. broke flt
  • government negotiates - prospectors acess, gov buy hills $6mill or pay $400000 year mine
  • sioux response - rejected, raids, 1000 sioux + cheyenne left reservation join sitting bull + crazy horse
  • US demands - dec 75 sioux -> reservation 60 days Grant any sioux outside attacked
  • snow - impossible sioux return, spring 76 7000 sioux built lodges outside reservation
• battle of LBH:

  • LBH valley - Custer's scouts came across camp of 2000 Pl warriors, only 600 cavalry Custer was ordered wait for more men
  • Custer's attacks - ignored orders + was going to attack, 25th june led 2000 men to valley
  • sioux attacks - Custer + men spotted reported to sitting bull, women + children ordered to saftey, crazy horse + 2000 warriors led attack -> Custer + 200 men killed
  • Custer's defeat - Pl better armed + given repeating rifles, crazy horse planned attack carefully (new tactic) -> huge failure + humiliation for US army
• consequences of LBH:

  • return reservations - Pl followed + attacked by US army, surrendered rode reservation under gov control
  • change policy - gov aggressive, no negotiations follow policy assimilate or die
  • change attitude - demand revenge on Pl, seen threat
  • further settlement - US gov 2 army forts built sioux land + 2500, black hills open prospectors
  • starvation of sioux - move smaller reservations can't farm, starved no help reservation agency, forced sell black hills, live army rule
  • no more Pl resistance - may 4th 77 Sitting Bull escape Canada may 5th crazy horse surrendered
• aims of Dawes act:

  • break up tribal lands
  • assimilate Pl into american culture
  • take power from Pl
  • offer Pl to W settlers
  • free up more land for WS
  • encouraged families to farm
  • remove identity from tribe
• how lives of Pl changed under Dawes act:

  • Homestead Act aimed at Pl - signaled end of 'reservation' land for tribe + gave 160 acre plot to each Pl family
  • single Pl given 80 acres, orphans under 18 given 40 acres
  • Pl who took offer could legally become American citizen as long as didn't sell land or 25 years, once citizen responsible for paying tax.
  • freedom gave gov to sell millions of acres of land to each family
  • land sold at high prices to railroad companies + land speculator who wanted to build businesses + make profits
• impact of Dawes act:

  • Pl expected to become official american citizens
  • Pl struggled to farm land given - such poor quality land had to sell it
  • Pl council no longer had power or influence - took away unity of tribe turned Pl into individuals
  • reservations formed new states
  • areas of land natural beauty formed national park - Yosemite Park 1890
  • Pl turned to addictive substances to cope with change
  • Pl refused to own land given - sank into poverty + illness
  • Pl had to look for work
• extermination of buffalo background info

  • 1840s - 35 mill B on plains
  • Pl only killed what they needed to survive
  • as settlement increased number of B decreased
  • extermination of B - deliberate policy by US gov
  • mid 1880s - complained very few B
  • 1890 - number of buffalo less than 1000