Cotton Cattle And Railroads I can understand the connection of political, social, and economics of Cotton cattle and Railroads in Texas.

• Buffalo – The U.S. army hired people to exterminate the buffalo which was the main resource for the Indians. This factor as well as the army forced the Indians onto reservation and made it safe for settlers to move west.

• Longhorn – Longhorns were a profitable business • Longhorn – Longhorns were a profitable business. This profitable business drew people to West Texas.

• Barbwire - Barbwire was a cheap material for fencing that was easy to use to fence the frontier and allow farming and ranching to co-exist.

• Cotton – Cotton could be grown in most regions of Texas • Cotton – Cotton could be grown in most regions of Texas. This drew people to expand the frontiers of farming in Texas to areas with long growing seasons

• Railroad – Railroads connected remote areas of Texas to markets and larger cities.

Cotton Political • Increased taxes • State colleges were built • State sponsored research to improve agriculture

Cotton Economics • Tenant farming and sharecropping • Brought businesses like the railroad to Texas • Farms increased from 61,000 – 350,000

Cotton Social • Large number of settlers came from outside of Texas • Things were made out of cotton. • Most people lived in rural Texas.

Cattle Political • The government stopped range wars. • The capital was built because of the sale of the XIT ranch. • The U.S. government removed Indians from the Texas Plains to allow cattle to be taken to market.

Cattle Economics • Largest ranches in the world • Texas cattle were worth double what they were worth in Texas if they could get them to market. • Cattle trails were used to get cattle to the railroad to be taken to market.

Cattle Social • Made cowboys a part of Texas culture • New technologies created to improve life • Most cowboys were African or Mexican-Americans

Railroads Political • The government gave land grants to railroads companies to build railroads • The government gave railroads cash to build railroads. • Recovered from Reconstruction faster than other southern states

Railroads Economics • Influenced the growth of a town if a railroad stopped there. • Farmers and businesses were able to sell their goods in and outside of Texas. • Influenced the growth of the cotton and cattle industry

Railroads Social • Movement of ideas and people from the outside of Texas to Texas • New type of transportation • Increased the population of Texas