Take notes Only take notes on new material

New material will be in blue

_____ land that rose gradually from _____ to west

Land eroded by _____ and _____

_____ rainfall Frequent _____

storms

FLAT

EAST

WIND

WATER

LOW

DUST

* Before the Civil War the Great Plains was seen as a treeless wasteland* After the Civil War new technology changed this view of the Great Plains and it was considered a vast area to be settled

____________was used to keep cattle in and predators out

A ______________ would make it possible to cultivate the hard soil

_______________ was perfect for crops like wheat and barley

Since there was no wood, houses in the Great Plains was made of _______________.

Because of the _______________, people no longer had to depend on water ways as the only means of fast, cheap travel.

_______________ were used to pull water out of the ground for animals and people.

Large amounts of _______________ could be raised and shipped back east for processing.

People had a variety of reasons to move west Opportunities to own land through the

__________ Act. The possibility of finding __________ in California

and the Rocky Mountains The feeling of discovery and __________ __________ wanted a fresh start away from the

discrimination in the east New __________ made it easier to live out west

Homestead

Gold and Silver

Adventure!!

Former Slaves

Inventions

The Homestead Act, passed in 1862, promised 180 acres of land to anyone that would farm it for ??? years Small filing fee FREE LAND!!

Problems with Homesteading Immigrants and easterners rushed west for

free land Not many had the money to move west

and start a farm Only about 20% of the land actually went

to small farmers Most of it went to large companies who sold it

at high prices

Exodusters African Americans

Moved west to escape discrimination they faced in the south at the end of Reconstruction

A large group moved to Kansas in 1879

40,000-70,000 moved by 1881

Named themselves Exodusters after the chapter in the Bible, Exodus

Last major rush took place in Oklahoma Government forced the Natives to sell

their land and move Farmers could claim free homesteads in

Oklahoma, but not until noon on April 22, 1889

100,000 people lined the OK boarder A gunshot sounded at noon and people

took off! “Boomers” (those who left at noon) arrived

to find the “Sooners” had snuck over the boarder in the night and claimed the much of the best land

Shelter Very little trees so

farmers began building housed out of sod, soil held together by grass roots

Sod houses had problems

Leaked when it rained Snakes damp

Sodbusting The sod that covered the Great Plains

could crack a wood or iron plow A new steel plow allowed farmers to bust

through the sod and plant their fields That’s why they are known as “sodbusters”

Windmills helped bring up water that laid deep underground

Reapers, threshing machines and binders helped harvest crops.

Surviving the Climate Dry climate was a threat

Could kill crops Fire that could travel “as fast as a horse

could run” Grasshoppers Horrible winters that buried people and

animals inside their homes

Women on the Plains Had to be strong Made everything by hand

Soap Clothes Candles Preserved food for winter Other goods

Women on the Plains Most school teachers were women Tended to the sick if there were no

doctors Lived miles apart

Church, picnics, dances, and weddings were big deals!

The Category is REGIONS? Question: What region would former

slaves leave?

The Category is Westward Expansion: the Video.

During the Westward Expansion rap, we learned that Native Americans had to adapt to the white American culture. What vocabulary term means “to adapt to another’s culture?” Hint: It begins with the letter “A”