The West Flashcards
Comstock Lode
one of the richest silver mines in the world, located in Nevada
Boomtowns
towns that developed around mining sites; they lasted as long as the mines were profitable; often places with few laws and a lot of violence
Homestead Act
law that gave up 160 free acres of land to a settler who paid a $10 filing fee and stayed on the land for 5 years
Dry Farming
plant seeds deep in moist ground
Reservations
tracts of land set aside for Native Americans where they’d be forced to live by Army
Cooperatives
stores where farmers bought products from each other: similar to an outlet store
What were two effects of railroads?
(Any two): thousands of workers, boosted steel and coal industries and construction companies, many towns sprung up, timezones were invented to adjust the train schedule in 1918, different cultures were exposed to each other
What were two farming challenges?
(any two): flooding, droughts, brush fires, winters, wind, tornadoes, men, women and children had to work on the farm
What were the Apache Wars?
located in AZ, the Apaches were pushed to a reservation. Their leader, Geronimo, fled, then led a number of attacks in AZ. They surrendered in 1886, and were one of the last N.A. groups to fight.
What was the Populist Party?
- “People’s Party of USA”
- Said the gov’t should own railroads & telegraph lines
- Said they wanted to replace gold based money and make it silver based because they thought silver $ would give farmers & debtors more opportunities to pay back debts
- wanted to limit power of president and VP to 1 term, directly elect senators and have secret ballots
- worker’s rights: shorter working hours, national income tax
- lacked $ and organization, but was supported
What were long drives?
cattle were valuable and needed to be herded from TX to missouri. they would then be sent on railroads to northern cities (over 1000 miles). Conditions were tough: dust storms, rain, “rustlers”. Eventually ranching replaced cattle driving.
What were 2 problems farmers faced unique to the time period?
The price of crops dropped while the cost of transportation and equipment rose. They hated railroads for charging too much to move crops. They hated manufactures for charging too much. They hated bankers for charging high interest rates.
