Westward expansion- part two Flashcards
Give three farming developments
- 1831- McCormick’s mechanical reaper, allowed grain to be harvested effectively. 2. 1837- John Deere’s steel plough. 3. 1874- Joseph glidden’s barbed wire, made cattle easier and ended the open range system.
Give two more farming developments
- Deep drilled wells and windmills for dry farming. 5. Dry farming which enabled some crops to be grown with very little water.
Give two statistics to show the impact of farming
- Minnesota- Texas became the breadbasket of Europe, grain output increased from 1.2b liters to 7b liters. 2. Population of Minnesota- Kansas area grew from 1m in 1860 to 7m in 1900.
What was the importance of Texas longhorn cattle?
5 million roaming freely on Texas’ grasslands, worth $4 in the west, $40 in the east.
How did cattle farming develop?
1866- railhead opened at Abilene Kansas and quarantine laws were relaxed. 1867- quarantine reimposed and entry for cattle limited to a few months during the winter. Number transported rose from 35,000 in 1867 to 700,000 in 1871.
How did cattle farming increase westward expansion?
Led to the development of cities like dodge city and Chicago, which became the meat packaging center of the USA 1866-88 after the union stockyards opened in 1865.
What happened to the ranching industry?
- Severe winters 1885-87 killed 90% of the herd and ended the open range system. 2. Sheep farming grew, by 1900 there were over 25m on the plains.
What was the importance of steamboats?
First launched on the Hudson River in 1807, reduced the time/cost of transporting goods. Numbers on the Mississippi rose from 17 in 1817 to 361 in 1836.
What was the importance of canals?
Reduced transport costs, Erie Canal reduced the time taken from buffalo to New York from 20 to 8 days and increased the economic prosperity of the region. ‘;
What was the importance of the mail service?
Allowed contact/business to be conducted across the country. Post office was the USA’s biggest employer. 1860-61, pony express crossed the plains in 10 days.
What was the background to the transcontinental railroad?
1862- pacific railroad act chartered the central pacific and Union Pacific to build two lines to meet each other. It was completed at promontory point in 1869.
Give four ways railways increased westward expansion
- Led to the creation of branch lines, 80,000miles of them west of the Mississippi by 1900. 2. Made it safer/quicker to go west. 3. Connected the country and allowed people to stay in contact. 4. Railway companies offered short term accommodation and attractive long term loans.
What was the background to the Mormons?
Founded by Joseph smith who planned to form a city of god in Kirkland Ohio. Driven out after an economic collapse in 1837 and settled in commerce Illinois in 1838.
Describe the early days of the Mormons
When smith announced he was running for president and that god had told him that certain Mormons could practice polygamy, he was short dead. He was replaced by Young who took the Mormons to Utah in 1845.
What happened in Utah?
USA gained it in 1845. 1857 saw the army sent in against the Mormons over concerns they were arming the natives. They fled to the salt lake region.
