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Questions and Answers
What year was the last state added to the Union mentioned in the table?
What year was the last state added to the Union mentioned in the table?
Which of the following was NOT a factor discouraging settlement in the Western Plateau?
Which of the following was NOT a factor discouraging settlement in the Western Plateau?
Which state was not part of the Western region as described in the text?
Which state was not part of the Western region as described in the text?
What year marked the beginning of the gold rush that helped settle the Western region?
What year marked the beginning of the gold rush that helped settle the Western region?
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What major event contributed to the dramatic change in the Great Plains conditions in 35 years?
What major event contributed to the dramatic change in the Great Plains conditions in 35 years?
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What can be inferred about the relationship between the West and other parts of the United States during this era?
What can be inferred about the relationship between the West and other parts of the United States during this era?
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Which of the following best describes the impact of the mining boom on the Native Americans in the West?
Which of the following best describes the impact of the mining boom on the Native Americans in the West?
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Based on the text, how did the settlement of the West impact the environment?
Based on the text, how did the settlement of the West impact the environment?
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What was one of the main outcomes of the discovery of the Comstock Lode?
What was one of the main outcomes of the discovery of the Comstock Lode?
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What change in mining methods occurred as the gold rush progressed?
What change in mining methods occurred as the gold rush progressed?
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Which act restricted immigration based on nationality in the United States?
Which act restricted immigration based on nationality in the United States?
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What was the significance of the cattle drives initiated by ranchers post-Civil War?
What was the significance of the cattle drives initiated by ranchers post-Civil War?
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How did mining towns typically evolve during the mining booms?
How did mining towns typically evolve during the mining booms?
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What did the Homestead Act of 1862 aim to achieve?
What did the Homestead Act of 1862 aim to achieve?
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Which group primarily made up the labor force in mining towns during the 1860s?
Which group primarily made up the labor force in mining towns during the 1860s?
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Which economic activities emerged in cow towns along the railroads?
Which economic activities emerged in cow towns along the railroads?
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What role did Carl Schurz play in the protection of federal lands?
What role did Carl Schurz play in the protection of federal lands?
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Which of the following inventions contributed to the growth of the 'New South' economy?
Which of the following inventions contributed to the growth of the 'New South' economy?
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Which movement aimed to preserve natural areas from human interference?
Which movement aimed to preserve natural areas from human interference?
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How did the Forest Management Act of 1897 contribute to environmental preservation?
How did the Forest Management Act of 1897 contribute to environmental preservation?
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Which statement best describes the economic condition of the South by 1900?
Which statement best describes the economic condition of the South by 1900?
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Which state became the capital of the nation’s tobacco industry?
Which state became the capital of the nation’s tobacco industry?
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What was a characteristic of the conservation movement in 1900?
What was a characteristic of the conservation movement in 1900?
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What did Henry Grady advocate for in the 'New South' vision?
What did Henry Grady advocate for in the 'New South' vision?
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What was the primary focus of Ida B. Wells' activism?
What was the primary focus of Ida B. Wells' activism?
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Which organization did Bishop Henry Turner form in 1894?
Which organization did Bishop Henry Turner form in 1894?
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What was Booker T. Washington's approach to racial issues?
What was Booker T. Washington's approach to racial issues?
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What factor largely contributed to the influx of families farming the Great Plains between 1870 and 1900?
What factor largely contributed to the influx of families farming the Great Plains between 1870 and 1900?
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What trend occurred in the agricultural sector by the end of the 1800s in the United States?
What trend occurred in the agricultural sector by the end of the 1800s in the United States?
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What factor contributed to the falling prices of agricultural products by the end of the 1800s?
What factor contributed to the falling prices of agricultural products by the end of the 1800s?
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What was a significant challenge faced by the first 'sodbusters' on the Great Plains?
What was a significant challenge faced by the first 'sodbusters' on the Great Plains?
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Which of the following was a significant economic challenge faced by farmers in the late 1800s?
Which of the following was a significant economic challenge faced by farmers in the late 1800s?
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What invention is Joseph Glidden known for that helped farmers on the Great Plains?
What invention is Joseph Glidden known for that helped farmers on the Great Plains?
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What impact did the Homestead Act have on the farming landscape of the Great Plains?
What impact did the Homestead Act have on the farming landscape of the Great Plains?
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What effect did deflation in the late 1800s have on farmers?
What effect did deflation in the late 1800s have on farmers?
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What was a common response to the high prices charged by railroads and other corporations?
What was a common response to the high prices charged by railroads and other corporations?
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What was Turner’s Frontier Thesis primarily concerned with?
What was Turner’s Frontier Thesis primarily concerned with?
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Which group of American Indians primarily farmed and lived in permanent settlements?
Which group of American Indians primarily farmed and lived in permanent settlements?
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What legislation aimed to reorganize and support Native American tribes in 1934?
What legislation aimed to reorganize and support Native American tribes in 1934?
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Which historical figure is associated with the founding of the Sierra Club?
Which historical figure is associated with the founding of the Sierra Club?
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What environmental adaptation did surviving homesteaders adopt due to farming challenges?
What environmental adaptation did surviving homesteaders adopt due to farming challenges?
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Which of the following factors contributed to the rise of the mining frontier in the West?
Which of the following factors contributed to the rise of the mining frontier in the West?
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What did Turner view as a potential threat to the United States at the closing of the frontier?
What did Turner view as a potential threat to the United States at the closing of the frontier?
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What was the primary aim of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
What was the primary aim of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882?
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Which event is most directly associated with the conflicts between American settlers and Native American tribes?
Which event is most directly associated with the conflicts between American settlers and Native American tribes?
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What agricultural strategy became prominent in the arid regions of the West to maximize water usage?
What agricultural strategy became prominent in the arid regions of the West to maximize water usage?
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Which term refers to the economic system where farmers worked land owned by someone else for a share of the crops?
Which term refers to the economic system where farmers worked land owned by someone else for a share of the crops?
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What concept emphasizes the importance of the frontier in shaping American identity, as proposed by Frederick Jackson Turner?
What concept emphasizes the importance of the frontier in shaping American identity, as proposed by Frederick Jackson Turner?
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Flashcards
Post-Civil War Industrialization
Post-Civil War Industrialization
The period after the Civil War where rapid industrialization occurred in the Northeast and Midwest, while the South and West primarily supplied raw materials and consumed manufactured goods.
American Society as a Frontier
American Society as a Frontier
The concept that American society is constantly being reinvented by new opportunities and experiences, particularly from the frontier.
The Western Frontier
The Western Frontier
The vast expanse of land including the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Western Plateau, which was considered inhospitable before the 1860s.
Transformation of the Great Plains
Transformation of the Great Plains
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Cattle Drives
Cattle Drives
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The Mining Frontier
The Mining Frontier
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Pike's Peak Gold Rush
Pike's Peak Gold Rush
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Impact of Western Expansion on Native Americans
Impact of Western Expansion on Native Americans
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Deep-shaft mining
Deep-shaft mining
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Boomtown
Boomtown
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Ghost town
Ghost town
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Chinese Exclusion Act
Chinese Exclusion Act
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Cattle frontier
Cattle frontier
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Cow towns
Cow towns
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Homestead Act
Homestead Act
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Challenges of Great Plains Farming
Challenges of Great Plains Farming
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Oklahoma Land Rush
Oklahoma Land Rush
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Turner's Frontier Thesis
Turner's Frontier Thesis
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Frontier as a Safety Valve
Frontier as a Safety Valve
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End of the Frontier
End of the Frontier
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Native American Diversity
Native American Diversity
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Navajo and Apache
Navajo and Apache
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Preservationism
Preservationism
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Conservationism
Conservationism
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New South Movement
New South Movement
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Henry Grady
Henry Grady
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Birmingham
Birmingham
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Memphis
Memphis
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Richmond
Richmond
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Continued Poverty in the New South
Continued Poverty in the New South
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Black Newspapers and Racial Injustice
Black Newspapers and Racial Injustice
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African American Migration to the North
African American Migration to the North
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Booker T. Washington's Philosophy
Booker T. Washington's Philosophy
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W.E.B. Du Bois' Response to Washington
W.E.B. Du Bois' Response to Washington
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Commercialization of Farming
Commercialization of Farming
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Falling Crop Prices
Falling Crop Prices
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100th meridian
100th meridian
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Great American Desert
Great American Desert
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Rising Costs for Farmers
Rising Costs for Farmers
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Great Plains
Great Plains
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Tariffs and Farmers
Tariffs and Farmers
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New South
New South
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Sharecropping
Sharecropping
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Dry Farming
Dry Farming
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Jim Crow Laws
Jim Crow Laws
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Study Notes
The Last West and the New South (1865-1900)
- American social development constantly restarts on the frontier
- Expansion westward with new opportunities shaped American character
- The true point of view in American history is the Great West, not the Atlantic coast.
Post-Civil War Era
- Most industrial development occurred in the Northeast and Midwest
- The South and West supplied raw materials and consumed northern goods
- Some in the South and West resented the apparent colonial status
- Geography, people, and cultures shaped regional characteristics
The West: Settlement of the Last Frontier
- After the Civil War, many Americans settled the vast West (Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, Western Plateau)
- Before 1860, these lands were considered the "Great American Desert".
- Few trees, usually less than 15 inches of rainfall yearly on the plains west of the 100th meridian
- The open plains supported 15 million bison (buffalo)
- Bison provided food, clothing, shelter, and tools to 250,000 American Indians in 1865
Cattle Drives
- The frontier largely vanished in 35 years
- Buffalo herds wiped out
- Western lands fenced by homesteads, ranches, crisscrossed by rails, and modernized
- Ten new states carved out of the "last frontier" (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma still territories)
- Buffalo extinction, environmental damage, and high costs for American Indians were consequences.
The Mining Frontier
- The 1848 California Gold Rush started a quest for gold and silver
- Gold and silver strikes in Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota, led to large migrations
- Early mining was placer mining (simple tools) transitioning to deep-shaft mining (capital intensive)
- Boomtowns (salons, dance halls) emerged but became ghost towns
- Some boomtowns developed into successful cities (e.g., San Francisco, Sacramento, Denver)
- The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 restricted Chinese immigration due to resentment
- Mining fueled Western settlement and redefined American economics and politics.
The Farming Frontier
- Homestead Act of 1862 offered 160 acres of free public land
- 500,000 families used Homestead Act but many bought land.
- Challenges of the plains included harsh weather, lack of water/wood, and grasshopper infestations.
- Barbed wire, windmills, and hardy strains of Russian wheat improved farming resilience.
- Irrigation and dams solved many water problems in the West.
Closing of the Frontier
- Oklahoma Territory opened in 1889
- 1890 census declared most of the frontier settled.
American Indians in the West
- Diverse cultural groups with varied lifestyles
- Plains tribes were nomadic
- Conflicts with settlers rose over land
- Federal policies of pushing Natives onto reservations
- Federal policies led to massacres and conflicts, such as the Sand Creek Massacre (1864) and Wounded Knee Massacre (1890).
Latino Southwest
- Spanish-speaking landowners faced displacement or loss of land after the Mexican War (1848)
- Hispanic culture persisted in certain regions
- Migrated to work in mines or on crops, especially sugar beets, railroads
Conservation Movement
- Concerns over deforestation, and preservationist/conservationist movements sparked by preservationists like John Muir and the Sierra Club.
- Forest Reserve Act of 1891, Forest Management Act of 1897
- Preservation of natural areas like Yosemite and Yellowstone.
The New South
- Recovery from the Civil War
- Increased industrialization and economic development with Henry Grady's speeches
- Efforts to create economic diversity and industrial growth (i.e., textiles, steel)
- Despite growth, the South remained largely agricultural and poorer than other areas.
Economic Progress
- Growth of cities and textiles
- South's railroad network improved
- Northern investors controlled southern economy and industrial growth.
Poverty and Segregation
- Many Southerners remained in traditional roles and poverty
- Increased cotton production did not raise incomes due to lower prices and high debt
- Southern farmers' organizations did not unite to address systemic poverty
Segregation
- Jim Crow Laws separated public facilities by race
- Discrimination and disenfranchisement targeted African Americans
- Some African Americans sought migration westward
Farm Problems
- Falling prices for crops (wheat, corn)
- Increased debts and foreclosures, leading to losses
- Rising costs of industrial goods and services
- Farmers sought collective action through organizations like the Grange and Farmers' Alliances.
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Description
Explore the transformation of America from 1865 to 1900, focusing on the settlement of the West and the dynamics of the Post-Civil War era. This quiz delves into how geography, culture, and economic developments reshaped regional identities and the American character during this pivotal period.