History Chapter 16 Flashcards

Study Notes

Homestead Act of 1862

Encouraged Westward settlement by offering 160 acres for a $10 filing fee.
Required settlers to live on the land for five years.
Land was often taken by speculators, undermining the act's intent.

Morrill Land-Grant Act

Transferred over 140 million acres of federal land to states for agricultural college development.
Land often ended up with speculators who profited from sales.

Exodusters

African Americans fleeing violence in the South, approximately 50,000 migrated to Kansas.
Encountered hostility from groups like the Ku Klux Klan in their new settlements.

Transcontinental Railway

Completed in 1869, it connected the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Facilitated movement, trade, and migration across the continent.

Buffalo

The construction of railroads contributed to a dramatic decline in buffalo populations, as many were killed for sport.
The buffalo's decline severely impacted Native American tribes reliant on them for sustenance.

Comstock Lode and Pikes Peak

Notable gold and silver strikes that attracted miners and prospectors to the West.
Comstock Lode located in Nevada; Pikes Peak in Colorado.

Mining Frontier

Attracted tens of thousands of prospectors, with many unsuccessfully seeking wealth.
Many prospectors ended up working for mining companies instead of striking it rich.

Effects of the Mining Frontier

Some mining towns became ghost towns, while others like San Francisco and Denver thrived.
Strikes led to statehood for areas such as Nevada.
Increased precious metal supply caused political currency debates.

The Cattle Frontier

Cattle ranching thrived post-buffalo decimation due to rising beef demand and open grasslands.
Railways facilitated the transport of cattle to markets.

Cowboys

Cowboys managed cattle herds across the plains, leading them to rail towns for shipping.
The cowboy demographic included primarily white cowboys, with 25% African-American and 12% Mexican.
The cowboy era lasted from 1866 to 1886.

End of the Cowboy Era

Ended due to droughts, severe blizzards in 1887, and the invention of barbed wire restricting grazing lands.

Farming Frontier on the Great Plains

Homesteaders faced harsh conditions: extreme weather, isolation, water scarcity, and pest infestations.
Many farms failed, as the agricultural sector became increasingly commercialized.

Reservation

In 1834, the Great Plains were designated as a reservation for Native Americans by the US government.

Reservation Policy

Federal government assigned specific lands to Native American nations, causing conflicts due to nomadic lifestyles and unrecognized treaties.
Encroachment on traditional hunting lands led to clashes between settlers and Native Americans.

The Sand Creek Massacre

Occurred in Colorado, where Colonel John M. Chivington's militia killed over 400 Cheyenne men, women, and children.

Defeat of the Sioux

Notable conflicts arose between white settlers and the Sioux nation, marking significant tensions during this period.

Description

Explore key concepts from Chapter 16: The Closing of the Frontier, covering pivotal legislation such as the Homestead Act and the Morrill Land-Grant Act. These flashcards will help you understand the impacts of these acts on westward expansion and land settlement in the United States during the late 19th century.