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Comstock Lode
Comstock Lode was a huge silver deposite in Nevada. It was one of the mines that really started the boomtown movement. It also attracted thousands of people to live there, which
eventually lead to Congress to admit Nevada into the Union.
allowed Nevada to become a state. Eventually the lode ran out of silver, and the towns around the Comstock Lode were abandoned and became ghost towns. -
Homestead Act
Congress passed this act which gave people 160 acres of land for $12. Nearly half a million people moved out to the west. Thia act allowed to west to become populated and helped to fill the gap between east and west. With all the people moving out west, the Natives were losing even more land to farmers. On the bright side, this movement westward eventually lead to many more states being created. Many African Americans used this act to get away from eastern racism. -
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Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad connected the West to the East. It allowed farmers and manufacturers to ship their goods all over the country. People could also use the railroad to travel out to see their family if they had moved out west. The railroad also caused many towns to pop up all over. More people also felt better about moving to the west because the towns and railroads made them feel safer. The west became more populated and less isolated. -
Nevada becomes a state
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Chivington Massacre
Colonel Chivington and his men murdered an entire Natives village. This massacre caused war between the Natives and white men across the plains. The Natives were betrayed and treaties were broken. Even though the Natives had surrendered the U.S. had still attacked them, so the Indians began to become even less trustworthy of whites. After this atack the Natives began to fight back and kill white men, and many more battle and wars were fought. -
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Cattle Kingdom
This was the time of the cowboys. Many people both African American and white, were cowboys they helped get cattle which would eventually get eaten to places all over the country. After barbed wire ended the Cattle Kingdom, the cowboys got farms and grew crops and keep cattle. The cattle were now spred across to west instead of just being located at the tip of Texas and Mexico. -
Colorado becomes a state
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Exoduster Movement
After Reconstruction African Amercians in the South began losing their rights. Out in the West, they could claim their own land and keep their rights and avoid some racism. Over 40,000 Exodusters moved out to Kansas. They founded many towns and increased growth in the west. Because of them, the west's population rose. -
Oklahoma Land Rush
The government was running low on land to give away so they started to give away Native land. They forced Natives to sell their land and move on to reservations. The land was mostly bought up by large companies though so that they could build railroads. This act helped settle the state of Oklahoma. -
1896 Election
The Populaist party ran in this election for the first. The Populists wanted free silver and higher grain prices. They represented farmers for the first time in an election. William Bryan was running for them and William McKinley was running for the Republicans. KcKinley beat Bryan by a small amount, and after this election, the Populaist party broke up, but instead to Democrats apodted some of their opions. Free silver and railroad weren't as big of an issue after 1896.
