The development of the Plains (1862-1876)

• What was the American Civil War?

  A conflict between northern and southern states
• What did the Union states want for new western states?

  They wanted them to be free of slavery
• What was the Confederate states' stance on slavery in new western states?

  They wanted slavery to be legal
• What happened in 1865 regarding slavery?


  Slavery was abolished
• What were the knock-on effects of the Civil War for the West?

  • Northern states passed the Homestead Act
  • Northern states passed the Pacific Railroad Act
  • Economic problems in the South encouraged migration to the West
• What did the Homestead Act encourage?

  Settlement and farming in the West
• What was offered under the Homestead Act?

  160-acre plots of land called homesteads
• What was the cost to register for a homestead plot?

  $10
• What was required of homesteaders under the Homestead Act?

  They had to live on and work the land
• Who could file a claim for a homestead plot?

  Anyone over 21 or head of a family
• What was the process to buy the land after proving up?

  Live and work the land for 5 years
• How many acres of government land became homesteads by 1876?

  Over 6 million acres
• What was a limitation of the Homestead Act?

  Only 16% of public land was homesteaded
• What percentage of homesteads were never "proved up"?

  60%
• What were some challenges faced by homesteaders?

  Needed savings and faced droughts
• What factors helped tackle the problems of homesteading?

  • Railroads improved access and trade
  • New inventions like windmills and barbed wire
  • New crops like "Turkey Red" wheat
• How did railroads benefit homesteaders?

  Made visiting relatives and ordering products easier
• What was the purpose of windmills invented in 1854?

  To pump water for crops
• What was the purpose of barbed wire invented in 1874?

  To fence off crops from livestock
• Who were the Mennonites and what did they do?

  A religious group that emigrated and farmed
• What did the 1873 act allow homesteaders to do?

  Claim more land by planting trees
• What was the Pacific Railroad Act's purpose?

  To encourage transcontinental railroad building
• Which two companies built the transcontinental railroad?

  Union Pacific and Central Pacific
• Where did the two ends of the railroad meet?

  Promontory Point, Utah
• What financial support did the government provide for railroad construction?

  Loans for every mile of track built
• What was the impact of the new railroad on farmers?

  They could transport crops to sell easily
• What were the national impacts of the railroads?

  • Made travel West quicker and cheaper
  • Integrated western territories into the East
  • Encouraged European immigration
• How did the railroads affect Plains Indians?

  They moved away from railroad routes
• What was one consequence of the railroad on buffalo populations?

  Declining numbers due to habitat destruction
• What did many people feel was achieved with the railroads?

  Manifest Destiny
• Match statements with the appropriate person regarding the Homestead Act and railroads.

  • A farmer on the Plains: "The Homestead Act could be my chance for a new life."
  • A wealthy businessman: "These homesteads are dirt cheap; there must be a way for me to buy up lots of land."
  • A Plains Indian chief: "The First Transcontinental Railroad is invading our land."
  • An ex-slave: "This new railroad is great; now I can trade goods."
  • The US government: "Thanks to this railroad, America is united."
• What were the first new towns created by the railroads called?

  "Hell on Wheels"
• Why was lawlessness prevalent in cow towns?

  Because cowboys celebrated after payday
• Who was the marshal of Abilene, Kansas?

  Thomas Smith
• What did Thomas Smith successfully ban in Abilene?

  Guns
• What happened to Thomas Smith in 1870?

  He was murdered
• What action did town leaders take after Smith's replacement was sacked?

  They banned cowboys from the town
• What happened to many ex-soldiers after the Civil War?

  They formed outlaw gangs
• What criminal activity did the Reno Gang engage in?

  Train robberies
• Who caught the Reno Gang?

  The Pinkerton National Detective Agency