The West Project (Gena and Eliah)

July 1, 1862-Pacific Railway Act: It provided federal government support for the building of the first continental railroad from california to missouri

Homestead Act of 1862: Encouraged settlement of western land by granting 160 acres of land, living on and cultivating it for 5 years.

May 10, 1869-Transcontinental Railroad: First transcontinental road is completed. This enables the American conquest and settlement of the West.

Dec 10, 1869-Women suffrage granted in Wyoming This was made in hopes to even out the men to women ratio in Wyoming. And sure enough, it encourages more women to move to the west/Wyoming.

1877-Gold in the Black Hills: Gold is discovered in the black hills of Dakota, leading to an increased migration towards that area.

1875-Farmers' Alliance: Farmers united and established a role in the third party. They tried to solve financial problems by forming marketing enterprises.

1876-Battle of Big Horn Native American forces led by Chiefs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull defeats US troops

1876-Telephone Improved communication throughout the country and created new jobs for women, especially in the west.

1880-Electricity This invention changed the nature of business. Electric power ran machines, became available in homes, and encouraged more factories to be made.

1882-Chinese Exclusion Act Many americans felt that the chinese were stealing their jobs and wanted to restrict the influx of their immigration. This act denied any additional Chinese laborers to enter the country.

1887-Dawes Severalty Act This called for the breakup of reservations and distributed 160 acres of farmland to any Indian who accepted the act’s terms. Any access land was sold to non-native people, which led to the loss of millions of acres by the natives.

1889-Oklahoma Land Rush Oklahoma territory is opened for settlement. A great land rush takes place and the native americans are forced to relocate again.

1889-Ghost Dance Movement The Indians being to perform rituals to call the spirits of past warriors. The fear of a possible Indian uprising led to the Wounded Knee Massacre, which gave more land to the Americans.

Dec 29, 1890-Wounded Knee Massacre After an Indian fires his gun, US army troops massacre 300 Indians. The natives resign themselves to reservation life and the massacre is seen as the final step in the war for the west.

1893-"The Significance of the Frontier in American History" This book written by Frederick Jackson Turner encourages westward expansion and supports the safety valve theory (could head west when times were tough)

1900-Nation's Railroad System Much of the nation’s railroad system was in placed, which opened way to settlement of the West.

1873-Panic of 1873 This was a period of financial crisis that lasted six years. During this time, 100 railroad companies suffered and many workers lost their jobs. There was a lot of civil unrest and any Americans took desperate measures by entering hostile Indian territories in search for gold.

1860s to 1880s-Chinese Immigration to the West: The Chinese were driven out of their homeland by famine and political turmoil. The land and job opportunities leads to a mass immigration to the west of america.

1870s to 1880s-Decline of buffalo population: Leads to the deprivation of the Indian's way of life and an open opportunity for American settlement.

1870s to 1880s-Problems for the farmers Midwestern farmers found that earning a living was difficult because RR companies charged high rates for transporting farm products.