Go directly to the collection, History
of the American West, 1860-1920, in American Memory, or view a Summary
of Resources related to the collection. History of the American West provides
users with an opportunity to study western agriculture, mining, and the
railroad, as well as their impact on the settlement
of the West and the development of U.S. culture. The collection also contains
numerous photographs pertaining to Native Americans of the West, and to the
wars fought between Native Americans and the U.S. military. Labor unions
of the early twentieth century as well as the two World
Wars
are
also
represented.
History topics include:
Agriculture | Mining | The
Railroad | Native American
Cultures | The Navajo and Apache
Wars | The Sioux, Cheyenne, and
Arapaho Wars | Labor
Strikes and Violence | The World Wars
Agriculture
In 1790, the total population of the United States was nearly
four million people and farmers made up about 90% of the labor
force. A belief in the
inherent virtue of
rural life and farm labor was a prevalent concept in the new nation. Thomas
Jefferson championed the agrarian ideal, stating in his Notes
on Virginia in the 1780s that “Those
who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God... Corruption of morals
in the mass of cultivators is a phenomenon of which no age nor nation has
furnished an example.”
- What do you think of Jefferson’s notion of the agrarian ideal?
Do you find it realistic? Why or why not?
- Why do you think so many early Americans worked as farmers?
By 1850, the total population of the U.S. had grown to more than 23 million
people, and farmers made up about 64% of the labor force. The farming culture
of the
original
colonies had pushed its way westward to the Great Plains, while Spanish colonists
had introduced agriculture into the Southwest as early as the sixteenth century.
The American West provided ample land for raising crops and livestock,
but settlers found that the arid climate of this region required new, large-scale
farming
methods. Subject
Index headings beginning with the words Agricultural and Agriculture provide
images that show the diversity of crops and livestock raised in the West,
including vegetables, wheat, fruits, cattle, and ostriches.
Stacking
oats |
The demands of western farming fueled the swift growth of the farm
equipment industry, which, in turn, brought more land under cultivation.
Between 1870
and 1900, more land came under cultivation than in the previous 250 years,
and the era of the American frontier came to a close. Search on farm, ranch,
and irrigation for examples of farming techniques and technology. |
Harvesting
celery |
- Why was irrigation vital for agricultural production throughout much
of the West?
- What is meant by “dry farming”?
- Why did the Navajo use “dry farming” techniques rather than
irrigation?
- What impact does agriculture have on the land?
- How do farmers and ranchers make sure that they don’t overuse their
land?
- What was the relationship between agriculture and settlement in the United
States?
O!
How high, Colorado corn |
The late 1870s and 80s also saw a boom in the cattle
industry, as the gold rush, the railroad, military forts, and Native American
reservations
all created a demand for beef. Ranchers grazed their cattle on western prairies
and hired cowboys to help manage and drive their herds. As the cattle industry
grew, many farmers put up fences to keep cattle out of their fields, sometimes
resulting in "range
wars" over
land use.
- Why would some westerners have resented farmers putting up fences?
- In what ways did the gold rush and the railroad affect western agriculture?
- Did western agriculture affect mining and the railroad? If so, how?
- How would you expect western agriculture to have affected the eastern
United States?
|
Black
cowboy and horse |
The Subject
Index headings beginning with Cowboys and a search on cowboys yield
numerous photographs, including images of cowboys performing in rodeos and
in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Search on cattle for
pictures of branding, herding, round-ups, and grazing on the range.
- What do you think it would have been like to be a cowboy? What was the work
like? What was a cowboy’s life like?
- How are cowboys portrayed in movies? Are these portrayals realistic?
- Why do you think people went to see cowboys in rodeos and Buffalo Bill’s
Wild West Show? Why do people go today?
- Why do you think the cowboy became such a popular symbol of the West?
What else do you think cowboys might symbolize and why?
Because of the dry climate, western farmers needed to work a great deal of
land to make a profit. In 1909, the United States Congress passed the Enlarged
Homestead
Act, which allowed settlers in the most arid states to claim larger amounts
of land. The first two decades of the twentieth century became a golden age
of agriculture in which the average gross income of U.S. farms more than doubled
and the value of these farms more than tripled.
- How did western agriculture change over time?
- How did the growth of western agriculture impact U.S. culture?
- In 1990, the total U.S. population was more than 246 million and only 2.6%
of the labor force were farmers. What factors caused this dramatic change at
the
end
of
the twentieth century?
- What attitudes towards agriculture are reflected in the presence of farms
and agricultural schools in prisons?
- How do contemporary attitudes towards agriculture compare to those of Jefferson
and other early Americans? How are these attitudes manifested?
|
Prize
2 year old herfords [sic] |
Agriculture | Mining | The
Railroad | Native American Cultures |
The Navajo and Apache Wars | The
Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Wars | Labor Strikes and Violence | The
World Wars
|
