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Causes and Nature of White American Exploitation of the Plains - Railroads…
Causes and Nature of White American Exploitation of the Plains - Railroads, Ranches and Cow Towns
The New Transcontinental Railroad United the Eastern and Western States of America
From the 1840s, the idea of 'Manifest Destiny' became common in the US. This was the idea that God had given North America to the US so they could promote freedom, democracy and progress.
This neglected to tell the story of slavery or the presence of Native Americans in lands that the White Americans sought to take control of.
Between 1861 and 1869, a great project was carried out to build a railroad line to connect the East and West of the United States.
During the 1860s and 1870s, the Plains became a battleground between Native Americans and White Americans.
The American Government had been exploring the idea of building a Transcontinental Railroad (one which had crossed the whole country) since the 1850s.
In 1862, Abraham Lincoln approved a Pacific Railroad Act. It promised to provide money to companies willing to build a railroad connecting the East and West of the country.
Railroad companies were given land on either side of the tracks (to sell on) and money to construct the railroad lines.
The Union Pacific company built from the East towards the West. The Central Pacific company built from the West towards the East.
The line was completed in 1869, by which time both companies owned more land than the whole state of Texas.
The railroad would enable White Americans to farm on the Plains.
Railroads had Both Positive and Negative Impacts on Groups in the USA
Impact on railroad companies and investors
Railroads made these companies and people associated with them very wealthy.
In 1864, $50 million was made available to encourage companies to start building.
Impact on Native Americans on the Plains
The railroads cut through Native American lands and disrupted the buffalo hunting grounds. They also encouraged more settlers and cattle ranchers to settle on Native American lands on the Plains
White Americans came to dominate the Plains
Impact on workers
Thousands of workers were needed to build the lines. Over 12,000 workers were Chinese immigrants (people coming to the USA from China). They received little pay and worked in dangerous conditions. Accident rates among all workers were high, especially when blasting through the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains.
Impact on the USA
New towns were created on railroad lines. Many of these could be violent, drunken and unruly. However, towns soon grew and law and order improved. The first railroad inspired the building of other lines across the West. By the 1880s, the journey across the USA could be made in days instead of months.
The Cattle Industry Grew Thanks to Railroads and Grass on the Plains, Although There Were Conflicts
The American Southwest was full of Texas Longhorns (hardy cattle). As early as the 1850s, some ranchers in Texas had kept and sold these cattle for money. The cattle roamed freely on the 'open range' - cowboys would round them up and drive the cattle to sell.
After the Civil War, many Texan (confederate) soldiers returned home to find their cattle stocks had grown hugely while they had been away at war.
Some people realised they could make money by driving the cattle to railroad stops and then selling the beef to cities or to the agents of Native American reservations.
In 1866, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving made $24,000 by selling 2,000 cattle. They hired 18 cowboys to help them make the journey.
Taking cattle over the Plains to be sold became known as the long drive. Soon many people were attempting to make money from it.
The long drives caused conflicts with Native American tribes whose hunting grounds (buffalo hunting lands) were disrupted by the cattlemen.
Some Pioneering Americans Tried to Make Even More Money by Setting Up New Towns and Cattle Ranches
Cow towns
Located on railroad lines. They became places where cattle were bought and sold. One of the first was Abilene (Kansas).
Cowboys could rest and spent their wages at cow towns.
Cow towns were located along the Chisholm Trail - examples were Abilene, Ellsworth, Newton, Dodge City, Wichita (all in Kansas), Cheyenne (Wyoming), Omaha (Nebraska), Dallas (Texas).
Early cow towns were violent and drunken places but by the 1870s many of them had developed their own laws and hired sheriffs (police).
Cattle ranches
Located on the Plains. They were set up so that cattle did not have to be driven all the way from Texas.
One of the first cattle ranchers was John Illiff, who bought his cattle from Charles Goodnight and emigrants on the Oregon Trail.
Cattle roamed free and cowboys were needed to stop the cattle from roaming too far - there were sometimes clashes between ranchers and Native Americans.
Cattle ranches needed a lot of grass and water. Overgrazing was a big problem.
Homesteaders
Homesteaders were the first farmers who tried to turn the Plains into rich farmland.
They began settling in the early 1860s.
Thousands of 'homesteaders' headed West in the 1860s and 1870s.
During the 1870s, half a million homesteaders moved to just one of the states in the mid-West, Kansas.