Westward expansion

WESTWARD EXPANSION

Standard 5-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the continued westward expansion of the United States.5-2.1 Analyze the geographic and economic factors that influenced westward expansion and the ways that these factors affected travel and settlement, including physical features of the land; the climate and natural resources; land ownership and other economic opportunities

5-2.2 Summarize how technologies (such as railroads, the steel plow and barbed wire), federal policies (such as subsidies for the railroads and the Homestead Act), and access to natural resources affected the development of the West.

5-2.3 Identify examples of conflict and cooperation between occupational and ethnic groups in the West, including miners, farmers, ranchers, cowboys, Mexican and African Americans, and European and Asian immigrants

5-2.4 Explain the social and economic efforts of westward expansion on Native Americans, including opposing views on land ownership, Native American displacement, the impact of the railroad on the culture of the Plains Indians, armed conflict, and changes in federal policy.

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OBSTACLES OF THE WEST

Mountain Ranges, rivers, and deserts formed obstacles

OBSTACLES OF THE WEST

Why do you think

these were

obstacles?

Pioneers traveled to beginning points which became known as the “Gateway to the West.” St. Louis was a famous starting point.

From there they traveled by covered wagons across trails that Native Americans had used.

COVERED WAGONS

PHOTOS OF THE DIFFICULTIES TRAVELING

WESTCan you imagine?

Explorers and mountain men followed the Native American trails and wrote guidebooks to help show the way to pioneers who came afterwards

These trails were traveled often, which created a well defined trail.

After the Civil War, the transcontinental railroad provided a way for those who had the money to travel to the West.

OTHER WAYS OF TRAVELING WEST

The first Transcontinental

Railroad

Migrants first settled on the west coast and skipped over the Great Plains.

The Great Plains were called the “Great American Desert,” because it was flat and dry land. Migrants did not realize the potential for farming.

DISCUSS WITH YOUR GROUP:

How were people able to travel to the West?

Travelers to the West had to travel the plains, major rivers, and the Rocky Mountains.

The major river systems of the West:MississippiColumbiaColoradoSnake River

RIVERS IN WEST

Trails through the mountains were often impassable during spring rains and winter snows, so travelers had to leave St. Louis in time to avoid these conditions

The climate of the West was also a challenge to both travelers and

settlers. Weather was unpredictable (storms, tornadoes).

OBSTACLES CONTINUE

ONCE IN THE WEST

Cause EffectHot, dry summers Drought, dust

storms, tons of insects

Snowy winters Spring floodsEarly snow or late spring hailstorms

Crops would ruin, lives destroyed

CLIMATEWinterBitter cold

Deadly blizzard

SpringTornadoe

sHailstorm

sFlooding

SummerBlazing

heatLittle rain

FallDried

grassesFires

When would you have wanted to

travel to the west? Why?

Talk with a friend!

Based on what you, your partner, & the class discussed, respond in writing… but think a little deeper this time.

When would you have wanted to travel to the

west? Why?Discuss the weather and challenges

you may have faced. How would you have gotten there? Explain in detail.

You have 10 minutes for a quick write.

RESPOND IN YOUR NOTES WITH THIS QUICK WRITE:

TECHNOLOGY OF THE WEST

Let’s create a chart for “Technology of the West” to use

for the next slides.Technology What it did How it

helpedPicture

RailroadsSteel Plow

WindmillMechanical Reaper

Technology helped create the plains into the “Breadbasket of the country.”

The development of plows and irrigation systems helped with farming.

Development of Railroads

TECHNOLOGY

Let’s come up with a motion to remember

this

STEEL PLOWhelps cultivate the hard

packed earth


this

WINDMILLbrings scarce water to the

surface


this

MECHANICAL REAPER

gathers the crops at harvest


this

Windmill

Steel Plow

Railroad

Mechanical Reaper

MATCH THEM UP!Gathers the crops

at harvest

Helps cultivate the land

Brings water to the surface

Helped people travel to the west and import/export cattle, people, or

crops

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD



encouraged trade and economic growth

provided western farmers with a means of getting their crops to market

Cash crops(corn and wheat) became profitable as did the raising of cattle and hogs

transported products to processing centers

helped major industries (flour milling) and meat processing develop in cities

WHAT WERE SOME EFFECTS OF THE TRANSCONTINENTAL

RAILROAD?

Transcontinental Railroad

tracks had an impact on natural environment

coal burning engines required more and more fuel

led to an increase in mining

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENVIRONMENT?

Pollution –As industries developed, smoke from factories and wastes from processing

plants polluted the air.

Conflict in the West

Ranchers & CowboysEuropean ImmigrantsAfrican AmericanMexican ImmigrantsAsian ImmigrantsNative Americans

DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN THE WEST

RANCHERS AND COWBOYS

Cooperated to develop the cattle industry

Ranchers owned the animals, cowboys drove the

herdsCowboys drove herds:- Across open plains- To the nearest railroad to

ship cattle to processing plants in the east

Rustlers – people known for trying to steal cattle from cowboys

Townspeople didn’t care for the cowboys & ranchers

After Civil War – farmers settled &

fenced in their land and animals (which

messed up the cattle drives)

Cowboys hated fencesSome fences were made from barbed

wire

Eventually the idea of “cattle

drives” died out while farming became a top

priority

Southwestern part of US and California coast had both belonged to Spain and then Mexico until the Mexican War in the 1840s

Mexicans - owned propertyAfter war, Mexicans were discriminated against & many lost title to their land

MEXICAN AMERICANS

discrimination in the Southeager to move westAfter the Civil War, many moved west in hopes of owning their own land

Exodusters - encouraged to move to Kansas

primarily settled in Nicodemus, Kansas

AFRICAN AMERICANS

many were too poor to move to the West and stayed in industrial cities of the East and Midwest

Many settled with others from their home countries

EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS

• resented by those who had been born in the

United States (nativism)• formed communities that

engaged in cooperative activities, such as barn

raisings• helped each other to be

successful in this new land

searching for gold built transcontinental railroads

Chinese workers laid rails from west to east paid less discrimination at work sites because of their unique culture presence was tolerated attempted to compete with white men in mining and services competition for scarce resources and jobs led to increasing

prejudices against the Chinese

………………………………………………………………………………………………... US government would later pass a law excluding the Chinese

from entrance as immigrants to the United States

ASIAN IMMIGRANTS

In the early stages, Native Americans welcomed and cooperated with explorers of the West.

It all changed when rich mineral deposits were discovered on some reservations. This drove more settlers out West.

NATIVE AMERICANS

Native Americans tried to resist/fight back these groups that were on their land, but conflict eventually led to a series of Indian Wars

Native Americans said the land was not suitable for farming & wanted to keep their traditional way of life

In the second half of the 1800s, farmers and miners claimed the land of Native Americans that they believed was theirs.

Native Americans were pushed onto smaller reservations and some tribes went to war against the settlers and soldiers.

Sand Creek Massacre was one that claimed the lives of Native American women and children.

Once silver was discovered in the Black Hills, the Native Americans were driven out.

Social and economic effects

of westward expansion

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THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD





iron rails became damaged by herds of bison

owners of the railroad hired riflemen & shot animals doing damageThe bison population

decreased, which greatly affected the life of the

Native Americans because they depended heavily on

the animal!!


What all do you see in this picture?

FINAL THOUGHTS OF

SOCIAL/ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF

NATIVE AMERICANS

The treaties between the US government and Native

Americans granting them reservations on their tribal

land were often not honored or recognized by the

government.

The Battle of Little Bighorn resulted in Native Americans being forced off their

land due to the discovery of gold. This war was between the Native Americans and

the US army, which created public support for a much larger military that crushed Native American resistance in the area.

BATTLE OF LITTLE BIGHORN

One tribe tried to flee to Canada until the US Army

had them surrounded. They were promised to be allowed to return to Oregon, but the

Army did not keep their promise and they were

forced to Oklahoma.

In Wounded Knee, South Dakota, the US soldiers killed 300 men, women, and children.

Native American tribes sent to new reservations had trouble adapting their culture to the new lands.

Poverty, starvation, and depression were common on the reservations.

Reformers tried to make Native Americans give up their ways and adopt the “white man” culture.

They turned these reservations into farms and they failed.

Reformers also believed the children should learn the ways of the “white man.” They were taken from their families and sent to boarding schools far away. They were taught to speak English and their hair was cut.

As a result of a civil rights movement among the Native

Americans, the culture is being preserved and their rights honored. Life is still very hard and many Native Americans live in poverty.

Education

Westward expansion