We Made It!

Our last standard and benchmarks focused on the years after the Civil War that brought about a rapid move west by farmers, ranchers and miners. While the West promised new opportunities it also led to the destruction of the numerous Native American tribes.The federal government supported the population of the West with the passage of the Homestead Act, the Morrill Land Grant Act, and the Dawes Act. Individuals as well as big business were able to thrive in the West. The railroads, which were given huge tracts of land by the federal government, provided transportation for the people to populate the West as well as return transit for their crops and cattle. Rail companies even advertised in Europe in an effort to bring more settlers to the West and place a greater demand on the rails which of course led to higher profits.The first settlers of the West had to cope with Native American attacks as well as taming the land. The sod literally had to be busted and this led to mechanical innovations that eventually led to Bonanza farms. By the late 1870s, farmers were using steam powered equipment that made the harvesting season more efficient. Quality farming techniques were further supported with the establishment of Land Grant Colleges under the Morrill Act.The open range that helped the rancher was greatly curtailed with the introduction of barbed wire. While the wire clearly delineated farming land from grazing land, ranchers had less land for open grazing. This limitation combined with difficult winters forced many ranchers into bankruptcy.Mining also changed during this period as individual miners gave way to corporations. Big business could afford the specialized hydraulic equipment that was needed to go deep underground for the ore.The victims of this widespread movement west were the numerous Native American tribes. Indians were defeated in battles and forced onto reservations. Even though most Indian tribes were nomadic, the federal government tried to force them onto reservations and to offer farming as an alternative to using the buffalo as a source of food and other necessities. This new life style did not suit many Native Americans and led to further death and destruction of their culture.

Final Days

By now you should have completed the packets on The Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Rise of Big Business. Make sure to hand in the packets so I can give you credit and return them so you may use them as part of your study guide. You have one worksheet on Myths of the Frontier which needs to be completed and handed in for credit.

Status of Assignment Sheet

Make sure you update your assignment sheet and turn in to me. You may take your portfolio home and use to help with the study guide and the final. Remember the study guide is worth up to 10 extra points. Follow the directions carefully and remember to turn it in the day of the exam. No late study guides will be accepted. You also have a description of the final so you should be well prepared to take the exam.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

A great time was had by students and teachers as our local team, The Gulls helped celebrate our school year with a special appreciation night. Teachers of the Year from the three island communities threw in the "first" ball and two of our MHS graduating seniors were awarded scholarships. Job well done! A special tip of the hat to the MHS band...you always put us in a festive mood.

From War to Wealth

The Gettysburg Address, an enduring statement that the United States stands for liberty and equality for all, was a turning point for Lincoln and this country as he expanded the goal of the war to include “a new birth of freedom” – implicitly calling for the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln still had to balance his goal of freedom with keeping the Border States in the Union. He needed to choose his words carefully to avoid alarming many northerners who may have believed in freedom for the slaves but not equality.

By early 1864 Lincoln had found a general who wanted to fight and to win, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant fought a war of attrition, that is, he would wear away any resistance the South might offer by overwhelming their forces and destroying all in his path. This tactic finally prevailed and on April 9, 1865 Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. But joy in the North was short-lived. On April 14 Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth and died the next day. Booth was a southern sympathizer and shot Lincoln in an effort to unleash chaos in the Union. Instead, Booth shot the man who only a few months earlier urged had urged lenience on the South: “with malice towards none, with charity for all.”

We stepped back from the facts and dates to consider the causes of the war and its effects. You should have these notes in your notebook.

Reconstruction: Punish or Forgive

With the country now ready for unification, the ten year period known as Reconstruction begins. Your brief packet is an effort to streamline your reading. Use your text to supplement your knowledge of this time period and to clarify terms and vocabulary that are unique to this era. Scalawag and Carpetbagger are two terms you need to know to understand the many different perspectives on Reconstruction.

We also reviewed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, sometimes referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendments ended slavery, extended citizenship to all former slaves, and gave the right to vote to former male slaves. This was the law but in reality former slaves still were treated harshly. We read about the Black Codes that restricted their mobility and civil liberties. In addition, southern states passed Jim Crow laws that put up further barriers to their full participation in the government and economy. The Freedman’s Bureau created by Congress was one positive move that provided education and support services to African Americans as they transitioned from slavery to freedom.

The Gilded Age and the Closing of the West

People make money during a time of war, and after the Civil War America had its first class of millionaires. Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan are just a few of the famous names from this new wealthy class. Did they make their money being clever and wise, or did they take advantage of workers who toiled long hours with low wages? Should these men be remembered as Captains of Industry or Robber Barons? This week we will look more closely at their business practices and the impact they had on our economy and workers.

While these men were building steel plants, pumping oil, and laying rail tracks, the West had opened up to large scale ranches, farms and mining. With big business practices and mechanization of the West, the Native Americans were pushed to fight for their limited lands. By 1900, the West has been transformed and the open range and over 15 million buffalo were gone. Land had been fenced and the buffalo all but eliminated.

Study Guide

Next week you will be given a study guide that you may use to prepare for the final exam. Keep in mind you should also use your portfolio papers, packets, and of course the trusty blog. The blog is archived so you can return to earlier postings to review the entire semester. By reading over each entry and checking occasional links, you will have a review of the semester. You are one fortunate US History I student!

CIM Essay

Your Freedom of Speech essay has been returned for revisions. Many of you are very close to earning a “3” which would make your essay eligible to be sent to Providence for further scoring. I urge you to take the time to make the changes so you have the opportunity to place this task into your graduation portfolio. The essays are expected to be sent to Providence on June 6. I have asked that we have access to the computer cart on Monday so you will have some class time to work on the essay. Keep in mind the carts only have about 10 computers, so priority will go to those students who have difficulty getting computer access.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

It was fun taking your picture standing proudly with your partner and Civil War project. I hope you have shared the photo with your family and it is now proudly displayed on the refrigerator. Thank you to whoever thought up refrigerator magnets!