Changing America/Turn of the Century

Cattle Trails and the Wild West

A time of change in America.

Cattle Trails of the Old West

The cattle trails of the old west, including the Chisholm Trail and the Great Western Cattle Trail, were adventurous but also a business. The cattle of Texas and Oklahoma were not worth very much in Texas, because there were so many cows there. However, if cowboys could get their herds to the railroads in Kansas, then they could sell the cattle to people on the east coast who were willing to pay a much higher price for the cattle. It is an example of simple supply and demand. If the supply is high, then the price will be low, but if the supply is low, then the price will be higher.

The cattle trails began after the Civil War as a result of the railroads that were being built across the country. This improved transportation allowed them to make more money. It was a more simple invention that played a large part in ending the cattle drives. Farmers began using a new kind of fences on their land, barbed wire. As more and more ranches became fenced, it became more and more difficult to herd cattle across the plains.

Black Cowboys

When the Civil War ended the slaves were free, but many had no place to go and no way to survive without continuing to work for their former slave owners. Many blacks decided to head west and became black cowboys. To learn more about the black cowboys you can visit the link here.

McKinley, Roosevelt and changing American Policy

New changes in how America deals with problems overseas.

The Spanish American War

The Spanish American War was the first time the United States got involved in overseas issues. They came to the defense of Cuba who was rebelling against Spain. The United States was successful and claimed the Phillippines, Guam and Puerto Rico as their own territories. Cuba gained its independence from Spain. You can also visit Mr.Nussbaum.com for details on the conflict.

The Panama Canal

William McKinley began work on creating a shortcut through Central America to improve the ability to transport goods to the west coast. He was assassinated and Teddy Roosevelt made the final agreements with Panama, for the canal to be built. It wasn't finished, however, until 1914. The canal is still an important transportation route. As a matter of fact, in 2007 work began to expand the canal so larger modern ships could also use the shortcut. You can find out more about how the canal works here.

America's Changing View of the World

Up until the Spanish American War, the United States had only worried about their own problems. They fought against Mexico to establish their southern border. Then Americans spent 5 years fighting against each other in the American Civil War. The next 20 years were spent recovering from the damage the Civil War had caused. William McKinley and Teddy Roosevelt the American Presidents at the turn of the century began involving the United States in foreign issues. America came to the defense of Cuba and also claimed several foreign territories as their own. Then America paid 375 million dollars to build a canal through the country of Panama to improve the ease of transportation.

Immigration and America's Melting Pot

America has been called a melting pot, because it is a mixture of so many different races of people, and when they come to America they all become American. People immigrated to America for many different reasons, but several of the main reasons were: freedom from religious persecution, to own their own land, because of famine in their own country and for the opportunity to start a new life. Almost all immigrants from Europe had to come through Ellis Island in New York City. From there, they spread out around the country. Immigrants from Asia came through Angel Island in San Francisco. You can also visit the Scholastic site for additional information about immigration.

My favorite Ellis Island immigration site will allow you to complete a simulated journey from Europe to your new home in New York City. You can choose your identity and then complete the journey and learn about the life of an immigrant along the way.

Immigration Facts

This graph shows where immigrants to America came from at the turn of the century. The light green section in the middle shows the years 1880-1930. You may also notice that immigration has again been steadily rising (the far right side of the chart represents the year 2000). Also notice most of the immigrants from this time period came from Europe. To learn more about this graph click here.

Native Americans Moved to Reservations

Throughout the history of the United States, there have been many times when controversies arose about government policies; during the time of westward expansion, the issue of what to do about the Indians was such a controversy. During the time of President Andrew Jackson and for a period of time afterward, the U.S. government decided that it was necessary to take land away from the Indians, to give it to white settlers who were moving west. The Indians were removed to distant reservations, often on land that was nowhere nearly as good as where they had been living. Needless to say, Jackson's ambitious goals were seen by the Indians as an injustice. But most Americans agreed with Jackson that America needed to expand and they saw westward exploration, and the creation of new states, as a benefit.

Battle of Little Bighorn

The most famous Indian battle in American history is the Battle of the Little Big Horn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand.

Depicted in films and novels, the battle at the Little Big Horn River, located in what is now Montana, proved to be the death of U.S. Army General George Armstrong Custer and 265 men from his Seventh Cavalry Regiment.

The Wright Brothers

They Taught the World to Fly!
Wind, sand, and a dream of flight brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flights in 1903. With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved changed our world forever.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver was born into slavery in Diamond, Missouri, around 1864. The exact year and date of his birth are unknown. Carver went on to become one of the most prominent scientists and inventors of his time, as well as a teacher at the Tuskegee Institute. Carver devised over 100 products using one of these crops—the peanut—including dyes, plastics and gasoline. He died in 1943.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/George_Washington_Carver.aspx
http://www.history.com/topics/george-washington-carver

But .....who was Booker T. Washington? http://www.biography.com/people/booker-t-washington-9524663

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847, in Edinburgh, Scotland. His education was largely received through numerous experiments in sound and the furthering of his father’s work on Visible Speech for the deaf. Bell worked with Thomas Watson on the design and patent of the first practical telephone. In all, Bell held 18 patents in his name alone and 12 that he shared with collaborators. He died in 1922.
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltelephone2.htm
http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-graham-bell-9205497

But what about Elisha Gray?
http://inventors.about.com/od/gstartinventors/a/Elisha_Gray.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/peopleevents/pande02.html

Thomas Edison

Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb.
http://www.thomasedison.com/

But....who was Nikola Tesla? http://www.teslasociety.com/biography.htm
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/Nikola_Tesla.htm

William McKinley was the 25th President of the United States.
His Vice President was Theodore Roosevelt.
He was assassinated in 1901 while serving his second term at President.
http://www.biography.com/people/william-mckinley-9393177
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williammckinley/

But who was William Jennings Bryan?
http://www.biography.com/people/william-jennings-bryan-9229920
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/William_Jennings_Bryan.aspx

And who was Leon Czolgosz?
http://www.biography.com/people/leon-frank-czolgosz-235807
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAczolgosz.htm