American West Key Terms AMH 3444 02 5935 04 Miners and Railroads Pp 161 176 200 206 Cattlemen and Farmers PP 179 200 Indian Wars Pp 213 225 Myths of the Old West Pp 273 282 People s Party Pp 234 237 also 198 199 for the Grange and Farmers Alliance Transcontinental Railroad Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Line Ben Holladay started the stagecoach line The Butterfield Overland Express carried the first overland transcontinental mail by stagecoach through Arkansas as it went from the Mississippi River to California Though only running from 1858 through 1861 it was the longest stagecoach line in world history at approximately 2 812 miles and was a major factor in the settlement and development of Arkansas and the American West before the Civil War Pony Express mail was sent on horseback through a series of stations that took about 10 days to go from coast to coast Pacific Railroad Act 1862 1860 Republican convention pledged to put in a trans continental railroad between East and West One railroad started on the west side of U S and the other in the East Omaha Union Pacific omaha Central Pacific california Transcontinental Railroad Use private industry to build RR built by 2 companies Central Pacific RR in Sacramento and Union Pacific RR in Omaha U S Gov will loan money to RR per mile of track 8 000 flat land 16 000 rolling land 32 000 for mountain land U S also gives land to RR that they can sell without having to pay back gov Central Pacific Leadership was much better than that of the Union Pacific RR Colus Huntington in charge of labor hires Chinese immigrants Rail Roads rushed to lay more track than each other in order to get more money Promontory Point 1869 Meeting point of Union and Central RRs was used so that the two rail road companies would stop trying to go around each other to make more money for laying more tracks Bleeding Kansas and The Civil War in the West Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Kansas and Nebraska to become Bleeding Kansas Slavery vs Non Slavery in Kansas should it join union territories and slavery will be voted on in each area or not Proslavery forces said every settler had the right to bring his own property including slaves into the territory Antislavery free soil forces said the rich slaveowners would buy up all the good farmland and work them with black slaves leaving little or no opportunity for non slaveowners Massachusetts Emigrant Aid Society transportation company to send anti slavery citizens to kansas so that the territory would join the union as a free state David Atchison wealthy slave owner in kansas advocated pro slavery Lawrence Kansas pro union City founded by the Emigrant Aid society John Brown abolitionist led the raid against pro slavery members who had captured the city of lawrence kansas Pottawatomie Creek place where John Brown and his gang killed five settlers The Crime Against Kansas Speech Sumner argued that Kansas should immediately be a free state and that the Kansas Nebraska act shouldn t be aloud Slavery was evil Charles Sumner leader of anti slavery forces in Massachusetts Preston Brooks Beat Sumner up with his cane because he felt he had Lecompton Constitution insulted his honor The Lecompton Constitution the second constitution drafted for Kansas Territory was written by proslavery supporters The document permitted slavery Article VII excluded free blacks from living in Kansas and allowed only male citizens of the United States to vote There were three separate votes on the Lecompton Constitution December 21 1857 January 4 1858 and August 2 1858 In the final vote residents of Kansas Territory rejected the Lecompton Constitution Missouri 1861 Missouri 1861 South pro south North st Louis pro union german immigrants against slavery Nathaniel Lyon Commander of union forces in Missouri Claiborne F Jackson said he was against succeeding from union to get elected gov of missouri but actually wanted to join confederacy John Fremont Given command of Unions Western front by Lincoln as a favor After Fr mont s emancipation edict that freed slaves in his district he was relieved of his command by President Lincoln for insubordination defeated and he is killed Army retreats all the way to St Louis Wilson s Creek August 1861 Lyon union commander attacks Sterling Lyon is Five Civilized Tribes dressed like whites confederates will give them independence Pea Ridge March 1862 N Arkansas 2 day fight Union victory With Van Dorn s defeat all organized confederate armies are out of Missouri Opens up Arkansas to Union invasion if they win the war send 3 000 troops to Earl Van Dorn s army Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers James B Lane 1 500 Kansas leads to W Missouri oseola burns town and shot 9 missourians William C Quantrill Missourian leader 24 year old school teacher when war starts Raided Union supplies Stops a train in Central Missouri 22 union soldiers going home on leave made them get off train strip and were shot Union sends retaliation force that was ambushed and killed Confederate Jesse James shot commanding officer in head Jesse and Frank James Thrill from running away from the law even after the war Glorietta Pass March 1862 Confederates won but Union Calvary burned their supply wagons lost tents and food Had to retreat out of New Mexico The Farmer s Frontier Homestead Act 1862 The Homestead Act enacted during the Civil War in 1862 provided that any adult citizen or intended citizen who had never borne arms against the U S government could claim 160 acres of surveyed government land Claimants were required to improve the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land After 5 years on the land the original filer was entitled to the property free and clear except for a small registration fee Title could also be acquired after only a 6 month residency and trivial improvements provided the claimant paid the government 1 25 per acre After the Civil War Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements republicans and whigs Horace Greeley founded New York Tribune newspaper supported Log Cabin Bill 1841 President Tyler signed the Log Cabin Bill which gave settlers the right to claim land before it was for sale and then buy it later for 1 25 an acre This helped to get the west settled and expand the country Joseph Glidden patented Barbed wire Barbed Wire used to keep cows off of a farmers lands hurt the cattle industry Cheap and easy to set up Daniel Halladay invented windmills Windmill used to draw water out of the