Lawlessness and Settlement Flashcards
reasons for lawlessness in the West? (6)
- new crimes, such as claim jumping
- social factors= alcohol/ gambling/ prostitution
- mass settlement
- racism tensions from immigration
- isolated communities over vast areas
- mining camps a criminal’s target
what was the main cause of lawlessness in the West?
such a rapid rise in population meant that existing law enforcement could not cope
what was claim jumping?
one man took over a promising claim made by someone else
what were common issues in mining camps that caused lawlessness: (5)
- located in the mountains, far from law enforcement
- violence fuelled by alcohol/bad luck/fights over women
- prejudice against Chinese immigrants + other racism increased
- conmen targeted those who made money and tricked the less fortunate into making claims with false promises of gold
- claim jumping
how did San Francisco’s population grown by 1849?
1000 people- 25 000
what was the main threat and danger in San Francisco by 1851 and why? (2)
San Francisco gangs- few local policemen couldn’t cope or were bribed
- murder/violence/theft were commonplace
what was the citizens response to San Francisco gangs in mining camps?
set up a vigilance committee to control gang violence
what factor lead to an increase in Chinese immigrants? How many by 1852?
famine in China- 20 000 immigrants
what were set up sometimes by miners to help settle claims?
miners’ courts
what is a vigilance committee?
group of ordinary citizens that decides to punish lawbreakers themselves instead of relying on the official justice system
name and date of railroad act
Pacific Railroad Act (1862)
why did the government encourage the growth of railroads? (6)
- troops could be moved around to control indigenous American uprising
- keep all in touch, creating national unity
- help fulfil manifest destiny by allowing more areas to be secured around the country
- promote settlement of the west
- law enforcement could be improved
- transport of goods to the west
why was the Pacific Railroad Act initially not able to be passed, and then what changed to allow it to be passed?
- proposed route blocked by southern states as it did not benefit the south- only north
- it was then passed because southern states temporarily left the union in 1861
which 2 companies were involved in building the first transcontinental railroad?
Union Pacific and Central Pacific
what was the government support like for the first transcontinental railroad? (3)
- massive federal financial support
- $61 million in loans ($16k per track laid $48k in mountains)
- 45 million acres of land for railroad companies to sell to settlers
when was the first transcontinental railroad completed?
1869
significance of the spread of the railroad network? (9)
- easier for federal law enforcement to travel to deal with trouble
- more immigrants settle in the west
- railroad companies sold plots of land along their routes (200 million acres by 1880)
- gov agreed treaties with indigenous peoples to move to reservations
- connection of East and West
- towns were set up near railroads by the companies which increased settlement
- increased access to goods
- disrupted migration routes of the buffalo
- encouraged ranching with cow towns
what was the act that encouraged family farmers to settle west?
Homestead act
when was the homestead act passed?
1862
what is the federal government?
government of the whole of the USA
what was the aim of the homestead act? (2)
- encourage settlement of the west by individual family farmers
- wanted families to work the land to turn it into good farm land
how did the government use the Homestead Act to make the settlement in the west for farmers appealing? (3)
- provided land cheaply- $10
- allowed citizens to file a claim for 160 acres of land
- had to stay on it for 5 years and improve it in order to keep it and then pay $30 to own if fully after that
what rule was put in place to prevent rich landowners from buying lots of plots for cheap?
homesteaders could only have one claim
what were the impacts of the homestead act? (6)
- 6 million+ acres was homesteaded by 1876
- 80 million acres were homesteaded by the end of the act
- promise of free land was a huge pull factor of immigration
- very significant in encouraging settlement, homesteaders made Nebraska a state and made up half the settled land
- gave many soldiers an opportunity to take time out from the army
- increased the amount of small family farms and they became more important, especially after the civil war
what were the limitations of the homestead act? (4)
- high dropout- 60% of claims never improved as there were problems with farming
- 160 acres not big enough to support families
- the railroad companies selling 300 million acres to settlers was more significant in settlement than this act
- rich landowners still found many ways to buy land by using employees names or claiming abandoned plots
what were the problems with farming on the plains under the homestead act? (8)
- lack of timber
- lack of water
- hard land where crops wouldn’t grow
- natural disasters and pests
- plots too small
- disease and lack of medical care
- lack of education
- isolation
how did people overcome lack of timber on the plains? (3)
- built sod houses
- barbed wire was mass produced
- dried buffalo and cattle dung was used for fuel
how was the problem of lack of water on the plains overcome?
drills were developed to find underground water and wind pumps built to bring it to the surface
how was the problem of land being hard to grow crops on overcome on the plains? (2)
- stronger machinery was mass produced from eastern factories
- dry farming technique and using Turkey Red wheat, which grew well
how was the problem of natural disasters and pests overcome on the plains?
it wasn’t- homesteaders could become bankrupt from these disasters
how was the problem of not enough land in 160 acres overcome? (2)
- timber and culture act 1873 gave homesteaders another 160 acres if they planted trees on half of it
- desert land act 1877 let settlers buy 640 acres of desert land for cheap
how was the problem of lack of medical care overcome by homesteaders?
women cared for ill using their own remedies, and if a community was big enough, a doctor would arrive
how was the issue of lack of education on the plains overcome?
women taught the young and some schools developed as communities grew
how was the problem of isolation overcome on the plains? (3)
- railroads improved travel and supply access
- communities worked together to build schools and churches
- women formed valuable social networks
why was lawlessness increasing 1862-76 (after civil war)? (8)
- south had been defeated in American civil war so people from the south often resented the US government and laws
- civil war left many without jobs
- railroad towns gain gambling and drinking reputation
- cowboys would drink in cow towns which often led to fights
- trains made migration easier so settlements continued to grow
- trains were a target for robbers as they carried goods
- some traumatised from civil war turned to crime
- towns connected to railroads grew too fast to be controlled
in what years was the American civil war fought?
1861-1865
who was the american civil war between?
the northern states and southern states
how was lawlessness tackled?(2)
- cowtowns often banned firearms
- sherrifs and marshals were employed
what were US marshals?
- appointed by the president to be responsible for a state or territory
who were deputy marshals? (2)
- areas too large for only one marshal so deputy marshals were appointed
- assigned to specific areas
who were town marshals? (3)
- appointed by towns people on a yearly basis
- dealt with local outbreaks like brawls and shootings
- could appoint deputies if needed
who were sheriffs? (3)
- appointed in counties on a two-year period
- force local people to form a posse to chase local law breakers
- appoint deputies if needed
how did the federal government control law and order? (3)
- new territories in the west, such as California, were run by them
- decided on laws for the territory and appointed governors, judges and marshals to keep peace
- when a territory reached 60,000 people, it became a state with its own legal system
what were the challenges faced by federal government when enforcing law?
- did not have good communication
- did not spend much money on law enforcement making corruption through bribery more likely
- sheriffs did not always make the right choices which could lead to resentment towards law
- settlers disliked federal government and wanted nothing to do with their laws
why were there quarantine laws blocking texan cattle from missouri and kansas?
they were not immune to texas fever
what happened to cattle during the civil war?
population increase to 5 million
how much was cattle worth in texas vs the north?
$5 in texas, $40 in the north
which was the first cow town?
abeilene
what was built in abilene to make it a success? (4)
- stockyards and hotels
- new railroad branches for loading cattle onto trucks
- extending chisholm trail up to abilene
- spending $5000 on promoting the new route in texas
how did the Goodnight-loving trail come about?
Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving realise there are selling opportunities in the west for a good profit. They create a trail from Texas to new Mexico in 1866 and then expand in 1868 to Colorado and helped to grow the cattle industry significantly
what did John Iliff do?
became a millionaire by selling beef to miners in colorado, which was not on the railroad, by raising 26,000 cattle on the plains. This was the start of ranching on the Plains
who were cattle barons? 2 examples?
rich and powerful men who controlled the cattle industry.
- Charles Goodnight, John Iliff
how did changes in ranching affect cowboys? (3)
- development in ranching meant that cow towns became more profitable and long drives became a key part of a cowboy’s year
- as ranching became established on the plains, cattle drives became shorter
- despite this, there was more work to do on the ranch, especially rescuing cattle in winter
three changes in the roles of cowboys before and after ranches:
- Before: work was seasonal, spring round up, long drive in autumn
After: work was all year round and full- time but less cowboys needed - B: very dangerous- stampeding cattle/wild animals/ extreme weather
A: fewer dangers, but rustlers/ wild animals/ attack threat from indigenous peoples were still a threat - B: slept and cooked in open air
A: slept in bunkhouses and used cookhouses
what was the difference between a ranch and a homestead?
ranches= used the land to raise the cattle
homesteads= use the land to grow crops
why did open range farming need a lot of land?
large herds of cattle could roam around and have enough to eat
why did federal law say about livestock on public land?
anyone could take cattle on public land for free- ranchers did this
why was there conflict between homesteaders and ranchers
the ranchers used all the public land for open range ranching but then homesteaders came and claimed the land they were using
what tactics did ranchers use to block homesteaders from making a claim? (3)
- filing claims themselves to any land a homesteader may want
- buying and fencing enough land so that access to other plots were blocked
- taking homesteaders to court, knowing homesteaders were too poor to pay court fees
what sort of arguments were had over fencing between homesteaders and ranchers? (3)
- farmers wanted ranchers to fence off their land to prevent cattle roaming onto their crops
- ranchers said it was the farmers responsibility and the cattle had a right to roam
- arguments ended up in court, but outside of this there was lots of tension and sometimes open conflict
