Developing the American West (US History EOC Review - USHC 4.1)

Summary

The U.S. government's expansionist policies during the 19th century aimed to connect the East and West, fostering a national market. Key actions, like the Homestead Act and Pacific Railway Act, spurred westward settlement and the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, but at the expense of Native Americans, whose way of life was disrupted. The Indian removal policies and the resulting conflicts, such as the Battle of Little Bighorn and the Wounded Knee Massacre, marked the painful journey of Manifest Destiny. Meanwhile, government subsidies to corporations like railroads raised concerns over corporate influence and corruption in the post-Civil War era.

Takeaways

• 😀 The U.S. government's policies in the 19th century aimed to create a national market by connecting the East and West through infrastructure, like the Transcontinental Railroad.
• 😀 The Civil War played a crucial role in shifting U.S. economic policy from a Jeffersonian laissez-faire approach to a Hamiltonian model that favored government intervention and industrialization.
• 😀 The Republican Party of the time, although focused on 'free soil,' also supported industry and big business, aligning with the Hamiltonian vision of internal improvements.
• 😀 The Homestead Act (1862) encouraged westward migration by offering 160-acre plots of land to settlers who could improve the land, resulting in the settlement of hundreds of thousands of families.
• 😀 The Pacific Railway Act (1862) provided government subsidies to corporations to build railroads, marking the first instance of the federal government giving money directly to private companies.
• 😀 Federal land grants were used to incentivize railroad construction, where railroads would receive land to sell and fund the project, speeding up the connection of the East and West.
• 😀 The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad helped establish a national market, linking the industrial East to the resource-rich West and transforming U.S. economic and territorial dynamics.
• 😀 Despite the economic benefits, there were scandals like the Credit Mobilier scandal, where railroad companies exploited government subsidies for personal gain, leading to public mistrust of corporate-government relationships.
• 😀 Native American tribes, particularly Plains Indians, were displaced by U.S. expansion, as their land was viewed as an obstacle to westward development, leading to policies like the Dawes Act.
• 😀 The near extinction of the buffalo by 1870 drastically disrupted the way of life for Native Americans, who relied on buffalo for food, clothing, and tools.
• 😀 The Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) marked the end of armed resistance from Native American tribes, symbolizing the final phase of U.S. expansion and the completion of Manifest Destiny.
• 😀 The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to assimilate Native Americans by dividing tribal lands into individual parcels, breaking up communal land holdings and making Native Americans U.S. citizens in the process.
• 😀 Boarding schools like the Carlisle Indian School were established to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white culture, often through practices that sought to erase their native identities.

Q & A

What was the primary objective of the U.S. government in granting land and subsidies to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad?

The primary objective was to connect the East and West, facilitate trade, and create a national market. The government aimed to stimulate economic growth by linking the resource-rich West with the industrial East, supporting the development of infrastructure and promoting expansion.

How did the Homestead Act contribute to the settlement of the American West?

The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 acres of land to settlers willing to farm it, encouraging millions of families to move westward. This facilitated the development of agriculture and expanded the U.S. population in the western territories, particularly in places like Kansas and Nebraska.

What role did the Pacific Railway Act play in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad?

The Pacific Railway Act, passed in 1862, provided federal land grants and subsidies to private companies for building the Transcontinental Railroad. This was the first instance of the U.S. government directly funding private corporations to complete a national infrastructure project, marking a significant shift in government-corporate relations.

How were Native Americans affected by the expansion of the Transcontinental Railroad?

The expansion of the railroad led to the displacement of Native American tribes, as settlers and railroad companies moved onto their lands. This contributed to the erosion of Native American cultures, as their way of life was based on hunting buffalo, which were nearly driven to extinction during this period.

What was the significance of the Credit Mobilier scandal in the context of U.S. history?

The Credit Mobilier scandal exposed corruption in the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Railroad companies formed fake construction firms to double-dip on government subsidies, leading to public outrage and distrust in the relationship between the government and big business.

What was Manifest Destiny, and how did it influence U.S. expansion policies?

Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. This ideology drove U.S. policies like the Homestead Act, the Pacific Railway Act, and the displacement of Native Americans, all aimed at fulfilling this vision of territorial expansion.

What were the economic and social goals of the U.S. government during the Civil War, and how did they differ from Jeffersonian ideals?

During the Civil War, the government shifted toward a Hamiltonian approach, which advocated for government intervention in the economy to promote industrial growth and infrastructure development. This contrasted with Jeffersonian ideals of limited government and a focus on agrarianism. The Republican Party, influenced by Hamilton’s ideas, implemented policies like internal improvements and subsidies to support economic development.

What was the Dawes Act, and what was its impact on Native Americans?

The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to break up tribal land holdings by distributing parcels to individual Native American families. The goal was to assimilate Native Americans into U.S. society by encouraging them to adopt farming and private property practices, but it also resulted in the loss of large amounts of tribal land to white settlers.

How did the U.S. government justify the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands?

The U.S. government justified the removal of Native Americans by claiming that their lands were in the way of progress, particularly the expansion of the railroad and the discovery of resources like gold. The ideology of Manifest Destiny framed Native American displacement as necessary for the advancement of American civilization.

What was the significance of the Battle of Little Bighorn in U.S. history, and how did public perception of Custer change over time?

The Battle of Little Bighorn, where General George Custer's forces were defeated by Native American tribes in 1876, was a significant moment in the Indian Wars. Initially, Custer was seen as a heroic figure, but over time, his reputation has been reevaluated, and he is now viewed more critically in light of his role in the U.S. military's violent campaigns against Native Americans.