Heimler's History: Unit 6 Review - AP U.S. History

Time Period: 1865 to 1898

Focus: Economics of Westward Expansion (1877 to 1898)

Key Objective

• Explain the causes and effects of the settlement of the West from 1877 to 1898.

Mechanization of Agriculture

• Farming transitioned to being more mechanized, using machines over human labor.
  • Key Inventions:
    • Mechanical Reaper
    • Combine Harvester
• Effects:
  • Increased production of crops like corn and wheat (doubled from 1870 to 1900).
  • Small farmers could not compete with industrial farmers.
    • Small farms were often bought up by larger industrial farms.
  • Surplus crops led to decreased prices, hurting small farmers financially.

Economic Challenges for Farmers

• Trusts kept manufactured goods' prices high, affecting farmers who needed to buy these goods.
• Railroads charged high prices for transporting crops to market.
  • Led to severe economic pressure on farmers.

Farmer Resistance Movement

• National Grange Movement (1868):
  • Aimed at social and educational support for farmers.
  • Became politically active, leading to the Granger Laws.
    • Granger Laws:
      • Regulated railroad rates and corporate practices detrimental to farmers.
      • Key legislation: Commerce Act of 1886.
        • Required railroad rates to be "reasonable and just."
        • Established the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Federal Support for Westward Migration

• Railroads:
  • Federal initiatives to encourage westward migration via railroads.
  • Pacific Railroad Acts:
    • Land grants to railroad companies to build transcontinental railroads.
    • Completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869.
  • Facilitated easier migration and settlement.
• Homestead Act of 1862:
  • Granted 160 acres of free land to settlers, provided they farmed it.
  • Challenges:
    • Mechanization and insufficient land area made it hard for small farms to survive.

Discovery of Precious Metals

• Continuous migration westward for gold and silver.
  • Examples:
    • 1848 California Gold Rush.
    • 1869 Gold discovery at Pike's Peak led to migration and creation of boom towns (e.g., Denver City, Boulder City).
  • Boom towns displayed high diversity, similar to Eastern urban areas.

Conclusion

• Understanding these economic and social dynamics is crucial for AP U.S. History Unit 6, Topic 2.
• Encouragement to utilize the AP review packet for further study and exam preparation.