Module 11—Note-Taking Guide

The American West

The Westward March

The Westward March

•          1845-1910—period of expansion __________________________________

•          Several factors were involved…

1. Immigration __________________________________

a.       __________________________________ turmoil overseas

b.      __________________________________ in port cities

c.       Haven for immigrants—__________________________________

2. Post Civil War migration

a.       __________________________________—especially the South

b.      No more slavery—__________________________________

c.       __________________________________ for work/land

3.       The Homestead Act of 1862

a.       People who __________________________________ got ownership of that land

b.      __________________________________ for ed.—Funds Land Grant colleges/public schools

c.       Intended to ease crowding/__________________________________

4.       Gold and Silver Strikes

a.       __________________________________ fueled curiosity and westward migration

b.      Strikes in Calif. (1848), Nev. (1852), __________________________________

c.       __________________________________—most failed

d.      Towns and businesses popped up near the mines and ______________________________

5.       Railroads and Expansion

a.       Were aided __________________________________

b.      __________________________________ expansion

c.       Created jobs for __________________________________

d.      __________________________________—completed in 1869 (Promontory Pt., UT)

e.       Main cargoes were __________________________________

f.        __________________________________ and business in the West

6.       Cattle Kingdom

a.       Source of cheap __________________________________

b.      __________________________________ grazing lands for the cattle herds

c.       __________________________________ were the source of the earliest herds

d.      Descendents of __________________________________ over time

e.       Were rounded up __________________________________

f.        __________________________________ the RR industry in America

·         Life in the Mining Camps

1.       __________________________________ and undisciplined

2.       High __________________________________

3.       Grew __________________________________ to keep up

4.       __________________________________ crippled miners’ ability to make a living

5.       By 1880’s Mining __________________________________ and the nation—controlled politics and economy

6.       As the __________________________________ people took control of life in the towns

7.       Many towns “dried up” __________________________________—no secondary source of income

·         Life of the Homesteaders

1.       Hard work __________________________________

2.       Most difficult of __________________________________—dependent on the weather

3.       __________________________________ so far from “the states”

4.       Good years in the __________________________________ and homesteading

5.       Bad years in __________________________________ many more out

6.       __________________________________ , and harsh weather had to be overcome to make the homestead successful

7.       __________________________________—especially hard on women and children

8.       New American way of life develops—__________________________________ regions

·         Life of the Cowboys

1.       “Cowboys” have been __________________________________

a.       __________________________________ herding cattle for farmers in rural colonies

b.      Term was often __________________________________ as well

2.       __________________________________ Spanish traditions of the SW and Mexico

a.       __________________________________; chaps; western spurs

b.      Much of the language/lifestyle __________________________________

3.       __________________________________—place to start a career

a.       Low-paying = __________________________________ skill levels

b.      __________________________________ = round-up/trail drive

c.       Best jobs were __________________________________—looked for a good place to “winter”

d.      Very hard work—__________________________________

e.       __________________________________ and constant change in scenery

4.       End the era

a.       Settlement of the west __________________________________

b.      Ranches became “corporate”— __________________________________

c.       __________________________________ , but not the same life

·         Enforcing the Law in the West

1.       __________________________________ of law enforcement

a.       City:  __________________________________

b.      County:  __________________________________

c.       State:  __________________________________

d.      Federal:  __________________________________ officers of the Federal Courts

e.       Vigilantes:  __________________________________ when no recognized authority was available

2.       Outlaws were common and __________________________________—some laws were loosely enforced

3.       __________________________________the region becomes more “civilized” and more “corporate”

4.       __________________________________articles about the west that were popular back east and in Europe—many were murderous psychopaths (Billy the Kid, Jesse James, etc.)