Unit 6: Topic 2 - Westward Expansion: Economic Development Flashcards
Give an example of technological innovations in agriculture during the period 1865-1898.
Examples of technological innovations include the mechanical reaper; the combine harvester, combining both a reaper and a thresher; and the gasoline tractor. All allowed for increased harvest yields and less labor needed to produce food.
During 1865-1898, what two crops primarily contributed to the expansion of western agriculture?
Corn and wheat.
As to technological innovations, the amounts of corn and wheat produced increased significantly during this period. Farmers increasingly focused on selling wheat and corn as cash crops rather than relying on subsistence.
How did prices affect the economic development of the United States during the period 1865-1898?
The prices of agricultural products, particularly food crops, decreased significantly following the developments in agricultural production and the expanding market. Although more people had access to food, farmers found it difficult to make profit from selling crops.
However, the prices of manufactured goods remained high, allowing industrialists to make bigger profits.
Railroad shipping prices were very high, which meant that it was often difficult for farmers to export their crops to the market. It was sometimes less expensive for farmers to burn their crops than to ship them along the railroads.
What was the Grange?
The Order of Patrons of Husbandry, or the Grange, was a cooperative organization of farmers calling for increased railroad regulations and collective buying and selling of equipment and produce.
In the late 1870s, an even larger cooperative organization of farmers, the Farmers’ Alliance, spread among southern and western farmers.
What was the Commerce Act of 1886?
The Commerce Act of 1886 was a law among the so-called Granger Laws pushed by midwestern states to protect farmers. The Commerce Act required railroad rates to be reasonable and established the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate them.
What was the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862?
The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 granted railroad companies more than 100 million acres of land to complete a transcontinental railroad.
The act was passed in the midst of the Civil War. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, and it reduced the time taken to travel across the United States from five months to six days.
Describe the impact of railroads on westward expansion and economic development in the United States during the period 1865-1898.
Railroads allowed for faster movement across the country. Farmers in the west became connected to international markets. Railroads also allowed for easy access to formerly remote lands and increased settlement by Americans.
The length of railroads in the United States tripled during the period 1860-1880, facilitating rapid westward expansion and economic development in the west.
What was the Homestead Act of 1862?
The Homestead Act of 1862 granted 160 acres of land, for free, to anyone over the age of 21 who had never taken up arms against the U.S. Government as long as they made improvements to the land within five years.
More than 1.5 million Americans took a land grant from the Homestead Act, which served to facilitate westward expansion.
What were boomtowns and ghost towns?
Boomtowns were towns founded in the American west by gold and silver prospectors. They were called boomtowns due to the speed of their foundation. However, these towns rarely lasted long, as people only stayed as long as the mineral reserves lasted. Boomtowns quickly turned into ghost towns after being completely abandoned.