Westward Expansion

Economical

100

This act provided funding for institutions that promoted agricultural research. Inventions made by scientists funded by this act made farming cheaper and easier. Hybrids of produce decreased the cost of buying said produce. Farmers had a bigger industry, which created more competition.

What were the economic effects of the Morrill Land Grant College Act?

200

This act created a timber industry. It provided timber for railroad tracks and future homes. Also, it kept the environment green.

What were the economical effects of the Timber Culture Act of 1873?

300

This act allotted land to Native Americans. The Natives lost over half their land and it was turned to surplus. Natives that received land didn't have enough money to pay for farming/ranching supplies. When there were multiple heirs to split the land between, it resulted in plots too small to farm/ranch on.

What are the economical effects of the Dawes Act?

400

This act increased the amount of farming/ranching equipment bought. Also the government gained revenue from families filing their "proved-up" documentation. There was more economic opportunity for African Americans.

What were the economical effects of the Homestead Act?

500

This act connected major cities across the country with a railroad. The government gained money from taxes placed on goods. Also the act opened up jobs for immigrants. This railroad made trade easier and more efficient.

What were the economical effects of the Pacific Railway Act?

People/Ideas

100

This person worked to help Native Americans move comfortably into the civilian way of life. In her later years she became involved with archaeology, which finally led her to the Omaha Indian tribe. She pushed the allotment of Nez Percé's because she knew if the tribe didn't buy the land that whites would come in and take over. But most of the Nez Percé's refused to separate the land because they believed land belonged to everyone. All the land that the Nez Percé's didn’t claim was considered surplus and was distributed in the Homestead Act.

Who is Alice Fletcher?

200

This organization prompted farming families to band together and further the economic and political wellness of the community and agriculture. The organization was founded in 1867 to advance methods of agriculture. A surge of membership was caused by the financial crisis of 1873, falling crop prices, increase in shipping fees on the railroad, and Congress’s decrease of paper money. Sayings like “I pay for it all” established the fact that agriculturist were the base of the economy.

What was the Grange (National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry)?

300

The author of this idea said that America's strength was they always had extra land available to expand westward onto. The way America was developed was affected by the factor that there was always a western frontier. People saw the frontier as opportunity and freedom, so having it there kept the people content.

What was the Frontier Thesis (Turner Thesis)?

400

This person taught herself photography after finishing her nursing career during in the civil war. She was asked to join Fletcher on her expedition into the Nez Percé's culture, Gay served as the official photographer. She documented all of the important interactions with her photos, showing how different the native culture was.

Who is Jane Gay?

500

This organized movement opened land to the public on April 22,1889. It opened 2 million acres of land to white people that use to only be available to Native Americans in a southern territory. Some people, known as "sooners", wanted the best land. They entered early and hid out until the legal time of entry. Federal officials were often considered "legal sooners" due to working for the government. The most notorious to take advantage were U.S. marshals and their deputies. People gathered around the border of the territory and on April 22 at noon, signals were given at many points of entry such as: military officials firing their gun or their trumpeter trumpeting, civilians firing their pistol, or in some places a cannon. Many had to contend with others for same land in court and many lost their land because of this. Families stayed at the border cheering on father, husbands, etc. waiting for them to build a home or dig a well on their plot of land. This led to the creation of a new territory under the Organic Act of 1890. Congressman William Springer from Illinois amended the Indian Appropriations Bill on March 23, 1889 to authorize President Benjamin Harrison to open up the 2 million acres to everyone.

What was the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889?

Social

100

This act helped to settle the West with white people. This act suffocated slavery because the government only let northern non-slave holders move west. The movement made by this act created African American towns in the West.

What were the social effects of the Homestead Act?

200

This act made it easier to travel and settle the West. The railway created connected major cities. Along the railroad was also a major place of settlement.

What were the social effects of the Pacific Railway Act?

300

This act reduced the want for slavery in the West. It made life easier by providing resources to build homes. It also increased the want for a green environment.

What were the social effects of the Timber Culture Act of 1873?

400

This caused a break in Native American tribes. The point of this act was to convert Native Americans to citizens of the United States and rid their uncivilized way of life. It was an attempt to turn Native Americans to a "civilized" way of life like the whites.

What were the social effects of the Dawes Act?

500

This act provided opportunities for African Americans to go to college. It made it easier to be an educated farmer and created larger farming communities. It also created an agricultural sciences community.

What were the social effects of the Morrill Land Grant College Act?

What's the Act?

100

These acts (the first established July 1, 1862 and the second in 1864) promoted the transcontinental railway. The 1862 act provided support from the federal government for the first transcontinental railroad, which connected Omaha,NE to Sacramento,CA. The 1864 act doubled land grants given in 1862 and allowed corporate companies to give out grants Establishing the railroad promoted expansion and settlement westward.

What was the Pacific Railway Act?

200

This first of the series of acts was passed by Congress in 1862. It provided for the establishment of a Land Grant institution in each state to educate citizens in the Ag. fields (Ag., home economics, mechanic arts). However, blacks were not permitted to go to the colleges in the South. A second act was passed in 1890 that catered to the blacks, creating colleges for them. The act provided funding to help train scientists to make advances in the Ag. field. Better farming equipment, hybrids of wheat and corn, and irrigation methods were created.

What was the Morrill Land Grant College Act?

300

This act was established on May 20, 1862 and was authored by Abraham Lincoln. Two hundred-seventy million acres of surplus land (from the Dawes Act) were claimed/settled by white northern families. This act was repealed in 1976, except in Alaska where it was repealed in 1986. The requirements were the head of the household or had to be 21 years or older, be a northener without slaves, and must "prove-up" after 5 years (Proving up - must live and farm on the land, must build a house, must make improvements to the farm for 5 years before being eligible. The family must get 2 neighbors to vouch for them and fill a document saying the family did do these things.) After being proved up, the president signs a document that officially grants that family their land (the family had to pay a $18 filing fee.)

What is the Homestead Act?

400

The author of this act was U.S. Senator Phineas W. Hitchcock from Nebraska. It gave settlers plots of land, and in return they grew trees to reshape the environment of West. Due to legal loopholes, most tree claims were never planted with trees. It was repealed on March 3, 1891, less than 20 years after being enacted. This was largely because of fraudulent claims and wild speculation; only 30% of the act's claims were successfully completed. This act was put in place because of the dry climate and treeless landscape; people believed planting trees would cause rainfall (they were wrong) and supply them with lumber and fuel. If a person planted and nurtured trees on 40/160 acres for 10 years they could claim the land as their own. Many trees were later removed for more farmland, but the act was responsible for many of the groves of trees in southwest Minnesota today. This act was amended in 1874 to restrict claimants to over the age of 21; claimants had 8 years to plant, protect, and keep 40 acres of timber in a healthy growing condition. Again it was amended in 1878 to the following requirements: no less than 27,000 trees were to be planted on each of the ten acres, and at least 675 healthy trees were required on each acre when the claimant applied for a deed after 8 years.

What was the Timber Culture Act of 1873?

500

This act was established on February 8, 1887 and is also known as the General Allotment Act.The author was Senator Henry Dawes from Massachusetts. In this act, each head of family received 1/4 of a section(160 acres), each single person over 18 received 1/8 of a section, an orphan under 18 received 1/8 of a section, and other children under 18 received 1/16 of a section. This only applied to Native American families.

What is the Dawes Act?

Political

100

The railroad that this act created required the Gadsden Purchase before it be completed. It helped unite the country and provide a common cause. Due to corporate control in the railroad, corporate control spilled over into the government.

What were the political effects of Pacific Railway Act?

200

This act abolished tribal governments the Natives had been going by for hundreds of years. Native Americans became citizens and it proved that the American government held power over all aspects of life.

What are the political effects of the Dawes Act?

300

Due to legal loopholes, claims were not planted with trees. The government had to make amendments to this act in 1874 and 1878. This act was repealed because of false claims and wild speculation. Overall, it was not a good act.

What were the political effects of the Timber Culture Act of 1873?

400

This act helped educate farmers so the understanding of political acts and their rights became deeper. This act created a debate over whether or not to extend it to African Americans.

What were the political effects of the Morrill Land Grant College Act?

500

This act created the opportunity for new states to be formed. Slavery was not promoted in the West because only non-slave holders and popular sovereignty voting. The South couldn't claim land during the Civil War because they didn't fit the requirements.

What were the political effects of the Homestead Act?