Development of the West Growth of resources, Homesteads, and Inventions to aid settlement.

Economic Growth of the U.S. You will need several colors or patterns. Based on your knowledge of the U.S., color in the area of the country that will be based primarily on Industry one color or pattern. Based on your knowledge of the U.S., color in the area of the country that will be based on agriculture a second color or pattern.

Homestead In 1862 Congress passed the Homestead Act to encourage settlement on the Great Plains. This law gave up to 160 acres of land to any head of a family who paid a $10 filing fee and lived on the land for five years. Later laws increased the amount of land available. The policy brought farmers to the Plains to homestead—earn ownership of land by settling on it.

Who were the Homesteaders…. Lured by land, settlers by the thousands were willing to move west. Some of those settlers were women. Married women could not claim land, but single women and widows could acquire property through the Homestead Act. In Colorado and Wyoming, for example, 12 percent of all those who filed homestead claims were women. Some homesteaders were African Americans. They, too, were attracted by free land and opportunities for better lives. Many also hoped to escape the segregation and violence that followed Reconstruction. By 1881 more than 40,000 African Americans had migrated to Kansas. Legal immigrants could also file homestead claims, and thousands did. Many came from Scandinavia, a region of Northern Europe. Their influence remains strong in the Dakotas today.

Developments to Survive (Housing) Life on the Great Plains was not easy for new settlers. The first challenge was building a house. With few trees, not much lumber was available to build homes. There was, however, acre after acre of grass. Many settlers built "soddies." These were houses made of sod—densely packed soil held together by grass roots.

Developments of Survival (Farming) To cut through the tough layers of sod, they relied on a new invention—the steel plow. Old wooden plows would break against the tough, dry land of the west. Instead of using wood, they used newly invented barbed wire to build fences. Did not have many trees to create fencing to divide up land. Also barb wire was excellent at keeping cattle under control. Farmers also dug deep wells and used windmills to pump water from them. Many summers were very dry. Little rainfall meant many crops would die. This allowed farmers to water their crops all year long.

Developments of Survival (Self Defense) During this time period, there were few police forces in the west areas for people to protect themselves from each other as well as Native American Attacks. The development of the six shooter became the primary weapon in the west. This allowed for people to fire many rounds rather quickly.

Exit Ticket: Reflection At the bottom of the page answer the following: 1. If you lived back then, would you have taken up the offer of the Homestead Act. Why or why not? 2. Out of all the inventions that were developed to help with settling the west, which one do you believe had the greatest impact? Why did you pick that one?