Clashing Cultures on the Great Plains 5.2

BIG IDEAS MAIN IDEA: Settlers on the Great Plains transformed the land despite great hardships. WHY IT MATTERS NOW: The Great Plain region remains the breadbasket of the United States.

Culture on the Plains Great Plains Family Life Land west of the Mississippi is comprised of grasslands Horse and Buffalo were key for survival Small extended family groups Young men focused on hunting and war Women helped butcher, prepared camp life Communal way of life

Plains Tribes Women could occasionally choose their own husbands Elected Councils ran the tribes Children were educated through stories, myths, games, and positive examples Land belonged to everyone

Settlers Push Westward Looking to own land Believed the west was “unsettled” Discovery of gold in Colorado (1859) Boomtowns develop; government restricts Native Americans

Railroads in the West 1850-1871 170 million acres of land granted to rail roads 400 million acres of land settles by U.S. citizens Central Pacific and Union Pacific Rail Companies employ Civil War Veterans Rail Companies sell their land for $2-$10 an acre

Cattle Become Big Business Longhorns replace the buffalo on the open plains of TX and were raised, roped, and branded by American cowboys Traditions carried over from the Spanish and learned in Mexico Post Civil War and the growth of railroads increased the demand for beef in the country Chisholm Trial is the economic center for cattle trade for the country

Life of a Cowboy 10-14 hr days 25% African American; 12%Mexican Age 15-40 Round up: herding, sorting, and branding Long Drive: over land transport of cattle

Government Support for Settlement Homestead act: 160 acres of land to any free or indentured citizen who is the head of a household 600,000 families move west Exodusters: African Americans who move from the post reconstruction South

Challenges on the Plains Western frontier is plagued with droughts, floods, fires, blizzards, and attacks Soddys, homes made by stacking blocks of prairie turf, were most common Women worked along side men as well as playing the role of doctor, school, educator, and church Morrill Act: government funded agricultural education

Farmers and Debt Farming equipment was expensive Rail companies charging high prices to ship from the west Bonanza farms growing singular crops only exemplify the debt situation