R.Hayes 1877-1881

• Irish working mans party

  rampaged through china town destroying 25 chinese laundries in 1877
• nations union membership - 1877

  dropped from 300,000 in 1872 to 50,000 in 1877
• desert and land act 1877

  This gave settlers the right to buy 640 acres cheaply where lack of rainfall was a problem
• US population at 50 million in 1881
• national railroad strike 1877 


  this was dealt with through federal troop action (1,000 jailed and 100 killed)
• The Homestead Act of 1862 and other legislation that followed such as the desert and land act 1877 led to tensions with native Americans.
• homestead act 1862 - encouraged settlement in the west by giving 160 acres of land to anyone who settled there. by 1865 20,000 had settled in the plains at the expense of native americans.
• the timer and culture act 1873 gave homesteaders an additional 160 acres of land provided they planted trees on 40 acres.
• people moved to the plains because it was cheap land. moreover, it also allowed an escape from poverty and unemployment in the east. some moved due to religious reasons such as the mormons who faced persecution in the east. and some became cowboys e.g., african americans
• railroads were key during westward expansion as they allowed for the transportation of goods and people at a quicker pace than on foot or by carriage
• railways also stimulated the growth of iron and steel industries as they needed iron and steel to build the tracks