The Western Frontier & Industrialization

How did ethnic, racial and cultural prejudice affect western society?   

• Migration to the West happened in large numbers in the late 1800’s, creating a greater diversity. This caused a clash of cultures creating some prejudices and discrimination.

• Native Americans negotiated treaties with the US government to maintain all their original lands. No one else was eligible to get this land; only Native Americans ever lived on these lands.  

• In the Southwest, Anglo-Americans were discriminated against as they lost their lands to new immigrants from Mexico.  

• The Chinese were discriminated against through employment bans and even officially banned from immigration and citizenship by the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. 

How did the new settlement of large numbers of Americans transform the economy of the West?     

• Railroads provided for the rapid expansion and development as they not only transported migrants and goods, but also allowed for easier access to eastern markets.

• New strikes led to a rush of miners into a new territory which could lead to either a boom or bust. Sometimes the area quickly developed and became large cities with big economies that still thrive today. Other times the areas turned into ghost towns.

• The cattle industry quickly became profitable as ranchers freely grazed their cattle on the western plains and then used long drives to take them to rail stations to access eastern markets for beef.  

• The cattle industry has always maintained its profitable boom in the West due to a lack of competition and high demand.

How did the romantic image of the West impact American culture? 

• The American West was portrayed in various artworks showing the rugged beauty of the West.  

• Images of the West led to legal protection of precious areas and thus kept all tourists out of these areas to protect the environment.  

• Wild West shows, dime novels and paintings always portrayed the reality of the west really well, thus giving people an accurate idea of what the West was like.

• Americans felt that if the Western frontier (and their imagined ideals of it) continued to exist, then there was always a chance to start life anew and control their own destinies. Again, the reality was different.  

How did actions and policies of the federal government affect the fate of Native Americans in the West? 

• In the late 1800’s, the government began a new policy of making treaties with tribes which treated them as independent nations. These treaties protected the tribes.  

• Bison were a critical food source for Plains Indians and were thus protected by the federal government.

• Conflict decreased between the army/settlers and Native Americans.  

• The government turned to a policy of assimilation with Native Americans, expecting them to become more like Anglo-Americans to fit into society, including requiring boarding schools for Native American children.

Which of the following describes the experiences of early American farmers in the Great Plains?  

• Railroads took advantage of farmers in the West by raising prices on them for transport and storage.

• Barbed wire was invented as a practical fencing solution helping farmers fence in their land.  

• Irrigation always provided a cheap and easy solution to water challenges so farmers did not struggle. 

• Farmers started to produce too much food, prices dropped & farmers struggled. Commercial farming replaced independent farmers.   

Which of the following were causes of industrialization?   

• A shift in the country from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing one

• Innovations in technology    

• Labor unions form to protect the rights of workers    

• Urban areas struggle to provide basic government services 

What connection did railroads have to time?    

• They invented time.   

• They started the use of clocks.   

• They implemented a standard method of keeping time from one community to another.   

• They created four time zones across the US.   

What was the impact of corporate America in the late 1800's? 

• Corporations developed in America, keeping companies small as they did not have the larger amounts of capital needed to fund bigger projects.   

• Tycoons like Andrew Carnegie dominated the steel industry through vertical integration in which he bought all businesses needed to produce and sell steel.   

• J.P. Morgan purchased Carnegie's steel business and several other steel businesses. He then formed US Steel with them, an example of horizontal integration.

• John D. Rockefeller formed Standard Oil Company which became one of the largest and most powerful monopolies in the world as he had almost exclusive control of supply and trade.   

How did the expansion of industrialization impact workers?

• It created more demand for highly-skilled workers. This created an increase in wages but less jobs.

• More people flooded into cities resulting in greater diversity in the workforce. Sometimes this led to tension when new workers were willing to work for less, & thus replaced old workers at their jobs.

• Less women & children were needed in the workplace, which made society happy.

• More labor unions formed to try to improve working conditions. Large scale strikes occurred, but some turned violent, thus giving labor unions a bad reputation to the public.

What were some effects of industrialization during the Gilded Age in the US?  

• Monopolies grew and corrupted the government.  

• Working conditions in factories were very good as employers tried hard to convince new employees to work for them. The employees had a lot of power.   

• As people rushed to obtain factory jobs, cities urbanized quickly creating struggles to provide basic services.

• Many businesses closed due to the lack of markets and workers as well as expensive prices.