Topic 6 - Development and law

Question 1

What did the Timber Culture Act of 1873 offer?

Answer 1

It offered 160 acres of extra land if trees were planted on at least a quarter of this land

Question 2

What did the Desert Act of 1877 allow farmers to do?

Answer 2

allowed farmers to buy up to 640 acres of land in dry areas, for a cheap price, if they improved it over three years

Question 3

Give a pro and a con of the desert act and the timber culture act?

Answer 3

Pro:
- The Great Plains soon became important farmlands

Con:
- Much of the land was eaten up by rich speculators and big ranchers

Question 4

How did the spread of the railways assist homesteaders? Give 2 factors

Answer 4

1. It was easier to get to the Great Plains

2. Crops of homesteaders could be easily transported

Question 5

Give three reasons for the continued problem of lawlessness in the new settlement?

Answer 5

1. Settlements were quite far from each other and in remote places
2. The country was huge so it was difficult to track down criminals
3. Settlements were developing too quickly so it was difficult to find officials to keep order in them all

Question 6

Name and describe three lawlessness issues in the West during the period?

Answer 6

1. bank robbing - occured as towns/banks were set up.
2. Fence cutting - cutting the barbed wire that marked out land of specific farms/ranches
3. Violence and disorder in saloons - happened when cowboys were drunk

(lack of law enforcers to prevent them)

Question 7

What was the importance of the railways for law enforcements?

Answer 7

1. better and quicker communication for law enforcers

2. they brought the West closer to the centre of government, making it quicker to get criminals to trial

Question 8

Why did the federal government start to play a large role in law enforcement?

Answer 8

• they wanted to have more control over the far-flung territories of the country
• they wanted to expand the American Nation all across the nation, so they had to maintain law and order to do this

Question 9

Describe the role of the army in law enforcement and state who they were run by

Answer 9

• run by the government

- they would intervene if serious land disputes arose

Question 10

Describe the role of Marshals in law enforcement and state who they were appointed by

Answer 10

• appointed by the president

- they oversaw law in an entire state or territory

Question 11

Describe the role of local (town) marshals in law enforcement and state who they were appointed by

Answer 11

• appointed by marshals and deputy marshals

- they dealt with local (town-specific) issues

Question 12

Describe the role of judges in law enforcement and state who they were appointed by

Answer 12

• appointed by the president

- they carried out trials

Question 13

Describe the role of local deputy marshals in law enforcement and state who they were appointed by

Answer 13

• appointed by marshals

- they assisted marshals and worked in smaller areas within states

Question 14

Describe the role of sheriffs in law enforcement and state who they were appointed by

Answer 14

• appointed by townspeople

- maintained order in a particular town