Chapter 13, sec.3, Critical Thinking

What do you think were the most significant factors in bringing an end to the populist party. Think about:

• Monetary policy
• Third-Party status
• Source of the popular support
• Popular participation policy

The most significant factors in bringing an end to the populist party were as follows. First of all was the party's monetary policy. They believed in bimetallism which a majority of the industrial middle west were afraid of inflation,which would end up making the value of money decrease. (pgs 428 & 429)

Another factor was the source of the popular support. The party's support was farmers and people who wanted inflation, which was less than the amount of people opposing the populist party. Their policy was popular participation, which was appealing to the farmers and not as much to the nation as a whole. (pg.429)

One last thing that helped bring an end to the populist party was the fact that they were a third party. Inorder to keep thier identity as a party they nominated thier own vice presedent for the election. Since they did this they became less strong and popular as a party.

Chapter 13, sec.2, Critical Thinking

How successful were government efforts to promote settlements of the great plains? Give examples to support your answer. Think about:

• The growth in population on the Great Plains
• The role of railroads in the economy
• The homestead act

The governments efforts were successful in promoting the settlements of the great plains. First railroad companies were given 17 million acres in land grants, which lead to five transcontinental railroads making it so goods could be shipped from one side of the country to the other. The rail road companies sold some of their land to farmers which increased the settlements in the west. (pg 421)

Another thing the government did was passed the homestead act. The homestead act gave 160 acres of free land to the head of the household who was a citizen or a intended citizen. Up to 600,000 families came and took the free land in the time span of 1862-1900. Then in 1889 the government added to the homestead acts by giving land away in Oklahoma. Two million acres of land was claimed in one day. (pg 421)

One other thing that the showed that the governments efforts were successful was the growth of population in the great Plains. In 1850 1%of the nations population lived in the west of the Mississippi River, and then almost 30%of the nations population lived there by the turn of the century. (pg.422)

Chapter 13, sec.3, guided reading

The following questions deal with events of the Jeffersonian Era.


1. What problems did many Plains farmers face during the late 1800s?

Many farmers face the challenges of trying to find enough money to pay to keep their harvesting going. They had to put up mortgages on their houses, and many had their houses foreclosed. Also the railroads increased the prices for shipping grain.

2. What was the Grange’s plan for improving conditions for farmers?
The Grange's plan for was to provide a social outlet and an education forum for the isolated farmers and their families. Most of their attention was turned towards fighting the railroads. They taught members how to organize, how to set up farmers' cooperatives, and how to sponsor state legislation to regulate railroads.


3. What did the Populist Party platform call for?
The populist party called for an increase in money supply, which would create an increase in prices received for goods (helping the farmers), a graduated income tax, federal loan program, single terms for the president and the vice president, a secret ballot to end fraud, and a 8 hour workday and restrictions for immigrants.


4. What were the consequences of the Panic of 1893?
People started trading in their paper money in for gold, stocks fell rapidly. The prices of silver then plunged, which led to the closing of silver mines. At the end of that year 15,000 businesses closed and 500 banks.

5. What was the difference between the “gold bugs” and the “silverites”?
The difference between the "gold bugs" and the "silverites" are that the gold bugs wanted money to be backed by gold which would increase the value of money, make prices fall, and less people would have, money. The silverites wanted money to be backed by gold and silver which would decrease the value of money causing deflation, and making it so that more people have money

6. How did the presidential election of 1896 bring an end to populism?
Since Bryan lost the election and he was representing the farmers and populism, Mckinley became presedent. Mickinley did not support the populism party and so with his election the populism party ended.

Chapter 13, sec.2, guided reading

A. As you read this section, note how each of the factors listed below (Causes) helped to settle the West and turned the eastern Great Plains into the nation’s “breadbasket” (Effects).


Cause: 1. Land grants given to the railroads.
Effect: It gave many job opportunities to civil war vets, Irish and Chinese immigrants, African Americans and Mexican Americans. After 15 years there was five transcontinental railroads

Cause: 2. The Homestead Act and related laws passed in the 1870s.
Effect: After the homestead acts happened up to 600,000 families and many African Americans came to take the free land. Government agents and private speculators took advantage of this too. miners claimed natural resources, cattlemen fenced up open land.

Cause: 3. Inventions and improvements in farm technology.
Effect: Because of the steel plow, reaping machine, spring tooth harrow, grain drill, barbed wire and the corn binder harvesting grain and keeping control of cattle and keeping pests away from the farmers grain became a lot easier.

Cause: 4. The Morrill Land Grant Acts and Hatch Act.
Effect: Federal land was given to the states in order to set up schools. Agricultural researchers came up with ways to plant grain for arid soil and better techniques for dry farming, this helped the land retain moisture.

B. What were some hardships faced by frontier farmers?
The farmers had extremely dry land to work on, making it hard for crops. Wood was scarce, they had to use mud and sides of hills to build homes. Also machinery was expensive and farmers had to borrow money to pay for them. Prices were never constant, they would go up and down and the profits from the grain was all the farmers had to rely on. Shipping grain prices were also going up. Lots of farmers went into debt.

C. Explain homesteader, soddy, and bonanza farm.
A bonanza farm is a enormous single crop spread of 15000-50000 acres.
A homesteader was a citizen who took advantage of the free land during the homestead acts
A soddy was a home built from blocks of prairie turf.

Chapter 13, sec.1, guided reading

A.1. How did the discovery of gold affect the settlement of the West?
The discovery of gold drew more settlers to the west which introduced more frontier towns, that had extremely filthy living quarters. Railroads were also set up. But because of the increase in the amount of settlers the government made it so the Native American tribes had specific defined boundaries. However these boundaries were not followed most of the time, which lead to fights with the settlers.

2. What happened at Sand Creek?
On November 29, 1864 there was an attack at sand creek by the U.S Army on the Cheyenne and Arapaho Native Americans. The Native Americans were peacefully returning to the Sand Creek Reserve for the winter, they assumed they were under the protection of the US government. However General R. Curtis sent a telegram to colonel John Chivington telling him "I want no peace till the Indians suffer more." Chivington sent his men then attacked and killed over 150 inhabitants out of 200 warriors and 500 women and children.

3. What were the terms of the Treaty of Fort Laramie? Why did it fail?
The terms for the Treaty of Fort Laramie where that the Bozeman trail would be closed down and the Sioux would live a reservation on the Mississippi River. It failed because miners started to look for gold in the Black Hills which contradicted to the Treaty and the Native Americans were not please about it, so fighting broke out again.

4. What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?
In June 1876 the Sioux and the Chyenne did a sun dance in which Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and Native Americans falling from their horses, they knew there was going to be a battle so they prepared for it. George A. Custer and all of his troops were killed.

5. What was the purpose of the Dawes Act?
The purpose of the Dawes Act was to "Americanize" the Native Americans. They gave individuals land, and sold off the remainder of the settlements.The money from theses settlements were suppose to go to the Native Americans, but it never did.

6. What happened at Wounded Knee Creek?
The Seventh Cavalry rounded up 350 starving and freezing Sioux and took them to Wounded Knee Creek. The very next day a shot was fired, but there is no evidence of which side it came from, and the soldiers shot open fire with cannons. 300 Native Americans were killed.

B. Identify Sitting Bull and describe how he tried to deal with the problems his people faced.
Sitting Bull was a Native American that had a vision of U.S soldiers attacking and killing his people while he was sun dancing. His people prepared for the battle and won. However in the late 1876, he then took his people into refuge in Canada, and they stayed there until 1881. He eventually did surrender though in order to save his people from starvation. His people started doing a dance called the Ghost Dance, Sitting Bull was then arrested, and killed.