The farming industry began with mechanization and one crop farming. Mechanization is the use of machines in farming. One-crop farming is producing large amounts of only one crop. Before farming became an industry, farmers produced many crops in small amounts. They only grew enough for their families or for their communities. As more people left farming, one crop farming helped farmers not not only make a living, but help feed a working nation.
The farming industry got its start when the Homestead Act of 1862 was passed. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. This Act was intended to settle the Great Plains Region of the United States, which was considered to be a "treeless wasteland". Innovations in growing crops allowed industrial farmers to turn this land known as a "treeless wasteland" into the "American Bread Basket".
U.S. Marshals played a big part in building the towns and cities of the West. They served as the law enforcement officers for federal courts, congress, or the president. They enforced federal policies by serving subpoenas, making arrests, and handling and transporting prisoners.
And though these are the most well-known of their tasks, they had numerous others as well, including the disbursement of money. The Marshals paid the fees and expenses of the court clerks, U.S. Attorneys, jurors, and witnesses. They rented the courtrooms and jail space and hired the bailiffs, criers, and janitors. They made sure the prisoners were present, the jurors were available, and the witnesses were on time.
But this was only a part of what the Marshals did. The Marshals have also taken the responsibility for a number of other tasks over the years, such as taking the national census through 1870, distributing Presidential proclamations, registering enemy aliens in times of war, capturing fugitive slaves, and protecting the American borders.
In the second half of the 19th century, the U.S. Marshals became synonymous with the "Wild West" as they made their mark on history in the many lawless frontier towns. In many of these places, the marshals were the only kind of law that was available, and knowing this, numerous outlaws made their livelihoods in these fledgling towns that had not yet become structured enough to provide for their own authorities. Here, in "wicked" places like Deadwood South Dakota;Tombstone, Arizona; and the plains of Indian Territory, U.S. Deputy Marshals became famous as they pursued such notorious outlaws as Billy the Kid in New Mexico; Dalton Gang, Belle Starr, and the Rufus Buck Gang in Indian TerritoryJesse James in the Midwest; and Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in Wyoming; and hundreds of others.
And though these are the most well-known of their tasks, they had numerous others as well, including the disbursement of money. The Marshals paid the fees and expenses of the court clerks, U.S. Attorneys, jurors, and witnesses. They rented the courtrooms and jail space and hired the bailiffs, criers, and janitors. They made sure the prisoners were present, the jurors were available, and the witnesses were on time.
But this was only a part of what the Marshals did. The Marshals have also taken the responsibility for a number of other tasks over the years, such as taking the national census through 1870, distributing Presidential proclamations, registering enemy aliens in times of war, capturing fugitive slaves, and protecting the American borders.
In the second half of the 19th century, the U.S. Marshals became synonymous with the "Wild West" as they made their mark on history in the many lawless frontier towns. In many of these places, the marshals were the only kind of law that was available, and knowing this, numerous outlaws made their livelihoods in these fledgling towns that had not yet become structured enough to provide for their own authorities. Here, in "wicked" places like Deadwood South Dakota;Tombstone, Arizona; and the plains of Indian Territory, U.S. Deputy Marshals became famous as they pursued such notorious outlaws as Billy the Kid in New Mexico; Dalton Gang, Belle Starr, and the Rufus Buck Gang in Indian TerritoryJesse James in the Midwest; and Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in Wyoming; and hundreds of others.
Unit 1 - The Gilded Age
Topic 1 - Industrialization
Topic 1 - Industrialization
LESSON 1: WESTWARD EXPANSION
FOCUS ACTIVITY
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Manifest Destiny
After the Civil War, Americans spread into the West in large numbers. There were many reasons for this great migration. These reasons for moving west all began before the Civil War, in the early 1800s, many Americans felt that the United States was destined to expand across the entire continent. This ideas was known as Manifest Destiny.
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"Manifest Destiny" painting shows an American woman in the sky guiding pioneers westward.
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Over the next few decades, the U.S. gained the land of the West in several different ways. The Louisiana Purchase was and still is considered to be the greatest real estate deal in history. The United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France at a price of $15 million, or approximately four cents an acre. This doubled the size of the U.S.
Soon, Texas joined the Union and the U.S. won California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming from Mexico after the Mexican-American War. This increased the the size of the U.S. by twenty-five percent. In the Gadsden Purchase, the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for the remaining parts of Arizona and New Mexico.
The U.S. bought Alaska from Russia and annexed Hawaii. The United States had grown from the east coast to the west coast. People could now go westward to start new lives.
Opportunities in the West
There were many reasons Americans chose to go out west. It was full of opportunities. Some people went for the opportunity to strike it rich mining gold and silver. Others went for the opportunity to own their own land to farm. Entrepreneurs went to start businesses. Immigrants flocked in to help build the Transcontinental Railroad and Transcontinental Telegraph Cable. Former slaves fled the South to start new lives. Many young men went simply for the adventure of it.
There were many reasons people went out West, and some people had multiple reasons for going. No matter what the reason, migration west caused several events to happen that helped the U.S. industrialize.
There were many reasons people went out West, and some people had multiple reasons for going. No matter what the reason, migration west caused several events to happen that helped the U.S. industrialize.
The Mining Industry
The Gold Rush
On January 4, 1848, gold was discovered at Sutter's Sawmill in what is now Sacramento, California. This discovery began the Gold Rush. Soon, people from all over the United States and the world were rushing to California. People arrived expecting to strike it rich. By 1850, gold mining areas had become quite populated.
Immigrants came to the mining regions as well. Some immigrants mined like everyone else. Others started businesses and trading posts where they imported goods to sell to miners, farmers and ranchers. By the mid-1850s gold was becoming very difficult to find. More people were making fortunes from selling supplies to miners, than the miners themselves. Levi Strauss was a perfect example of this.
Levi Strauss was an immigrant from Bavaria and a tailor by trade. He came to strike it rich like everyone else. When he was unsuccessful, he then planned to manufacture tents and wagon covers. Again, he was unsuccessful. Strauss used the canvas he had bought for the covered wagons to make really durable pants. Miners began buying these pants up as fast as he could make them. Soon, he opened a factory. He switched from the canvas material to a heavy blue denim material called genes in France. These pants came to be called "blue jeans" in America and these jeans made him very wealthy!
The Silver Rush
In 1859, silver was discovered in Nevada. The discovery came to be known Comstock Lode. A lode is a vein in rock that is filled with a mineral like silver. Comstock Lode ended up being the largest silver strike in American history and started the silver rush, bringing people in droves to Nevada. A railroad was quickly built and boomtowns popped up. A boomtown is a town that experiences a sudden growth in business and population. Soon, the area became one of the most heavily industrialized areas in the West.
Virginia City was right on top of the lode. Its population soared from 4,000 in 1862 to 25,000 in 1874. The town's six-story hotel had the only elevator west of Chicago, and downtown had 110 saloons and 20 theaters and music halls. Virginia City's population boom led the U.S. government to create the Nevada Territory. Nevada became a state 3 years later. By the 1870s, over $230 million had been produced by the mines, helping to finance the Civil War. When the silver began to run out, Virginia City's population declined until only 500 people still lived there in 1930.
Industrial Minerals
Silver was found in other places, but silver soon began running out. The Gold and Silver Rushes led to the mining of other minerals. Entrepreneurs began mining coal, zinc, copper, limestone, and iron ore. These minerals are called industrial minerals because they provided the raw materials for constructing factories and producing goods. They also provided the energy sources needed to run the machines in factories. Mining of these materials did not stop, but continued to thrive. Any company that excavated minerals became a part of the mining industry.
Farming
The Homestead Act of 1862 was one of the major reasons for westward migration. The Homestead Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862. The law was intended to settle the Great Plains Region of the United States.
The Homestead Act gave settlers 160 acres of public land for a small filing fee and agreeing to live on the land for five years. After the five year period, the land belonged to the homesteader. After living on the land for six months, homesteaders were given the option to purchase the land from the government for $1.25 per acre. By 1900, eighty million acres of land had been given to homesteaders.
Ranching
Railroads
Logging
Solving Problems
Native Americans
Improving Production
Helping the Worker
Lesson Toolbox
Unit Resources
Words to Know
boomtown: a town that experiences a sudden growth in business and population
Comstock Lode: the silver strike in 1859 in Nevada that was the largest silver strike in American history and started the silver rush
entrepreneur: a person who starts a business and is willing to risk losing money in hopes to make money
excavated: to uncover something by digging and removing the earth that covers it
Gadsden Purchase: when the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for the remaining parts of Arizona and New Mexico
Gilded Age: the period of U.S. history in the late 1800’s of great change including: settlement of the West, industrialization, urbanization, and immigration; when the U.S. developed a thriving economy; railroads and telegraphs were first built; and there was much corruption in business and politics
Gold Rush: when people from all over the United States and the world were rushing to California o search for gold after it was discovered at Sutters' Mill
immigrants: a person who comes to a country from a foreign country to live there.
industrial minerals: minerals like coal, zinc, copper, limestone, and iron ore that provided the raw materials for constructing factories and producing goods and the energy sources needed to run the machines in factories.
industrialization: when the people of the nation leave farming as their major way of making money and begin producing things in industries as their major way of making money
Levi Strauss: a tailor and an immigrant from Bavaria who came to strike it rich in the gold rush, but won his fortune by inventing blue jeans instead
lode: a vein in rock that is filled with a mineral like silver
The Louisiana Purchase: the U.S. purchase of the Louisiana territory from France at a price of $15 million, or approximately four cents an acre. This doubled the size of the U.S.
Manifest Destiny: the belief that the United States was destined to expand across the entire continent from the east coastline to the west coastline
Mexican - American War: war between Mexico and the U.S. that resulted in a U.S. victory where Mexico had to give up Mexican lands to the U.S. including: California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming
migration: when large numbers of people move from one region to another region within a nation
mining industry: the business of excavating minerals from the earth and refining these minerals into raw materials so they can be used to produce goods that people can use
opportunities: a situation in which there is a chance for a person to advance or do better
Silver Rush: when people from all over the United States and the world were rushing to Nevada to search for silver after Comstock Lode was discovered
Transcontinental Railroad: first railroad that connected the east coast and the west coast in the U.S.
Transcontinental Telegraph Cable: the first telegraph wires that allowed communication by telegraph from the east to the west coast
Westward Expansion: when people moved to the new territories in the American West and established homes, farms, businesses and towns there.
Comstock Lode: the silver strike in 1859 in Nevada that was the largest silver strike in American history and started the silver rush
entrepreneur: a person who starts a business and is willing to risk losing money in hopes to make money
excavated: to uncover something by digging and removing the earth that covers it
Gadsden Purchase: when the U.S. paid Mexico $10 million for the remaining parts of Arizona and New Mexico
Gilded Age: the period of U.S. history in the late 1800’s of great change including: settlement of the West, industrialization, urbanization, and immigration; when the U.S. developed a thriving economy; railroads and telegraphs were first built; and there was much corruption in business and politics
Gold Rush: when people from all over the United States and the world were rushing to California o search for gold after it was discovered at Sutters' Mill
immigrants: a person who comes to a country from a foreign country to live there.
industrial minerals: minerals like coal, zinc, copper, limestone, and iron ore that provided the raw materials for constructing factories and producing goods and the energy sources needed to run the machines in factories.
industrialization: when the people of the nation leave farming as their major way of making money and begin producing things in industries as their major way of making money
Levi Strauss: a tailor and an immigrant from Bavaria who came to strike it rich in the gold rush, but won his fortune by inventing blue jeans instead
lode: a vein in rock that is filled with a mineral like silver
The Louisiana Purchase: the U.S. purchase of the Louisiana territory from France at a price of $15 million, or approximately four cents an acre. This doubled the size of the U.S.
Manifest Destiny: the belief that the United States was destined to expand across the entire continent from the east coastline to the west coastline
Mexican - American War: war between Mexico and the U.S. that resulted in a U.S. victory where Mexico had to give up Mexican lands to the U.S. including: California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming
migration: when large numbers of people move from one region to another region within a nation
mining industry: the business of excavating minerals from the earth and refining these minerals into raw materials so they can be used to produce goods that people can use
opportunities: a situation in which there is a chance for a person to advance or do better
Silver Rush: when people from all over the United States and the world were rushing to Nevada to search for silver after Comstock Lode was discovered
Transcontinental Railroad: first railroad that connected the east coast and the west coast in the U.S.
Transcontinental Telegraph Cable: the first telegraph wires that allowed communication by telegraph from the east to the west coast
Westward Expansion: when people moved to the new territories in the American West and established homes, farms, businesses and towns there.
Concept Maps are when you categorize the main ideas and important details of a reading into groups and subgroups to understand how important details come together to make a main idea.
DIRECTIONS: Look at the concept map of the reading below. You may have to zoom in and scroll around to read everything. What relationships do you see in the reading and the concept map? How did I choose what to put in the concept map? Why did I put these things in the concept map?
DIRECTIONS: Look at the concept map of the reading below. You may have to zoom in and scroll around to read everything. What relationships do you see in the reading and the concept map? How did I choose what to put in the concept map? Why did I put these things in the concept map?
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Making Concept Maps
Making your own concept map shows your understanding of a topic by drawing how you formed your ideas and made connections with a reading. There are many types of concept maps. Some include: hierarchies, chains of events, cause and events, similarities and differences, etc....
DIRECTIONS: As a small group, refer to the concept map and discuss the following question. Be ready to share what your group discussed with the whole group.
What other ways could you construct this concept map to show the same thing?
What other ways could you construct this concept map to show the same thing?
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY
Lesson Chronicles
A Lesson Chronicles Activity is an individual activity where you prove that you accomplished the lesson mission. Lesson Chronicles require you to keep a notebook or journal with a table of contents. Each entry should be dated. First, you write the lesson mission. Then you prove you "can do" whatever the mission says by answering the essential question of the lesson in PQA format. Remember PQA format means "Put the Question in the Answer".
DIRECTIONS: Below you will see today's lesson added to the Lesson Chronicles' Table of Contents and today's entry set up in PQA format. Work by yourself to prove you have completed today's mission successfully by answering the following question using what you learned today.
What is Industrialization and what are the major factors that led to U.S. industrialization in the Gilded Age?
What is Industrialization and what are the major factors that led to U.S. industrialization in the Gilded Age?
Lesson Chronicles Table of Contents
1. Unit 1: The Gilded Age
2. Topic 1: Industrialization
Name Date
Topic 1: Industrialization
Lesson Mission: I can define Industrialization and list the major factors that led to U.S. industrialization in the Gilded Age.
Industrialization is __________________________________________________________________. The major factors that led to industrialization in the United States were _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
HOMEWORK
Family Time
Remember, you have homework every night in Social Studies. Your homework is to show your Lesson Chronicles to your family and tell them what you learned today. Not only will this give you quality time with your family but it will help you review for your unit test.
END OF TOPIC 1 MODULE
Congratulations! You have completed Topic 1 Module!