Homesteaders - American west
- Created by: Katie
- Created on: 18-02-14 15:00
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- Homesteaders
- Why did they want to settle on the Great Plains?
- Government action
- They realised that the West needed populated so the Homestead Act was introduced in 1862.
- It encouraged people to go as each family was allowed 160 acres of land, free of charge as long as they lived and farmed on it for five years.
- The Timber Culture Act of 1876. Families were allowed a further 160 acres of land as long as 40 acres was used for trees.
- The Desert Land Act of 1877. Gave settlers the right to buy 640 acres of land cheaply in areas that lacked much rainfall.
- This made thousands of men and women grasp the opportunity and become homesteaders.
- The end of the American Civil War
- The American Civil War lasted four years (between 1861 and 1865) between the slave-owning southern states and the anti-slavery nothern states.
- At the end of the war, thousands of men were left injured, and along with their families they were looking to rebuild their lives.
- Thousands of newly freed black slaves were also looking to start life again.
- They looked at moving West as the East didn't seem suitable, therefore, they became the homesteaders, cowboys and miners that transformed the West.
- The building of the Transcontinental Railroad
- In the 1860s two companies started building a raliroad, one starting in the East and the other starting in the West, they finally meet in Utah.
- This made it easier for homesteaders to get to the West, as there were no wagon trains to cause problems.
- Land was also being sold cheaply as the Railroad companies were selling the land from either side off cheaply.
- Government action
- Push and Pull Factors
- Push
- In Europe good farming land was wanted but there was none available.
- People wanted to escape from poverty and unemployment
- People wanted to escape from religious persecution.
- There were little opportunities after the Civil War.
- Ecoomic Problems
- Pull
- The offer of free land
- The chance of a new life
- Advertising by the railroad companies
- Letters home from those who had already gone West.
- The Railroad companies later on made the journey quicker
- The Indians had been moved on to reservations
- Push
- The Problems and solutions faced on the Great Plains
- Water was scarce making it difficult to sometimes keep both people and clothing clean.
- This could lead to the total failure of crops, leading to bankruptcy and starvation.
- The second solution was dry farming. The farmers would plough their land when there had been heavy rain or snow. This left a thin layer of dust over the surface which trapped and preserved the moisture in the soil.
- In 1874, Daniel Halliday developed the windmill would could be used to pump water from underground.
- Water was scarce making it difficult to sometimes keep both people and clothing clean.
- This could lead to the total failure of crops, leading to bankruptcy and starvation.
- The second solution was dry farming. The farmers would plough their land when there had been heavy rain or snow. This left a thin layer of dust over the surface which trapped and preserved the moisture in the soil.
- In 1874, Daniel Halliday developed the windmill would could be used to pump water from underground.
- By using a high-powered drill to get down to the water then the wind pump would be fitted.
- In 1874, Daniel Halliday developed the windmill would could be used to pump water from underground.
- The second solution was dry farming. The farmers would plough their land when there had been heavy rain or snow. This left a thin layer of dust over the surface which trapped and preserved the moisture in the soil.
- This could lead to the total failure of crops, leading to bankruptcy and starvation.
- By using a high-powered drill to get down to the water then the wind pump would be fitted.
- Water was scarce making it difficult to sometimes keep both people and clothing clean.
- In 1874, Daniel Halliday developed the windmill would could be used to pump water from underground.
- The second solution was dry farming. The farmers would plough their land when there had been heavy rain or snow. This left a thin layer of dust over the surface which trapped and preserved the moisture in the soil.
- This could lead to the total failure of crops, leading to bankruptcy and starvation.
- There was no wood to protect the crops by creating fences. Making it easy for buffalo and stray cattle to eat the crops.
- This would sometimes also lead to land disputes as they couldn't clearly mark out their land.
- In 1874, Joseph glidden invented barbed wire.
- This would sometimes also lead to land disputes as they couldn't clearly mark out their land.
- Extreme weather made life on the Plains difficult. The Indians would move around each season, whereas, the homesteaders stayed rooted in one spot.
- The drought in summers and cold in winter could damage and destroy the crops
- The climatic conditions on the Plains were similar to those of the Russian steppes, so introduced hard winter wheat from Russia proved effective.
- The drought in summers and cold in winter could damage and destroy the crops
- There was no wood to burn for heating or cooking so buffalo 'chips' had to be used.
- The grass of the Plains had dense, tangled roots and the early cast-iron ploughs needed constant repairs. Making ploughing the crops hard.
- John Deere invented a strong plough which could deal with the tough grass roots. This was known as the 'sod-buster'.
- Dirt and disease was common as the houses had earth floors, roofs and walls which were hard to keep clean.
- As there was no wood it was also difficult to build homes, therefore, houses had to be built out of earth.
- Natural Hazards were also a problem as prairie fires could easy start after a dry summer. Grass hoppers could also easily eat the crops.
- Many pieces of machinery had been developed including reapers, binders and threshers which could be easily transported on the railroads
- Water was scarce making it difficult to sometimes keep both people and clothing clean.
- Role of the women
- They would help on the farm
- They would be the teachers for the young children on the surrounding land
- Why did they want to settle on the Great Plains?
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