The document discusses the settlement of the American West by farmers in the late 19th century. It summarizes how the Homestead Act encouraged thousands to settle the plains by granting free land. Settlers faced a difficult life breaking sod and dry farming for wheat with little water. Eventually, overfarming led to lower wheat prices and economic problems for farmers. They organized politically through groups like the Grange and Populist Party to address issues like deflation and blame on railroads over their difficulties.

1. CHAPTER 18:
Americans Move West
Section 3:
Farming and Populism

2. VOCABULARY
 Deflation: Overall decrease in prices of goods

3. THE GOVERNMENT WANTS SETTLERS
 Gov. wants settlers on the frontier

4. THE GOVERNMENT WANTS SETTLERS
 Not many went –“Great American Desert”
myth

5. THE GOVERNMENT WANTS SETTLERS
 Homestead Act passed
• Gave 160 nearly
free acres
• Must improve land
• Live on for 5 years

6. THE GOVERNMENT WANTS SETTLERS
 Thousands rushed west to farm

7. HARD LIFE ON THE PLAINS
 Settlers called sodbusters
• Had to break up root filled sod

8. HARD LIFE ON THE PLAINS
 Dry farming –
grow wheat & use
more land
• Need less water

9. Irrigation Canals

10. HARD LIFE ON THE PLAINS
 Lived in sod homes

12. HARD LIFE ON THE PLAINS
 Great Plains became the “Breadbasket of the
world”

13. END OF THE FRONTIER
 Most frontier land was now taken and settled

14. END OF THE FRONTIER
 Oklahoma Land Rush – Last chapter of
westward movement

15. Oklahoma Land Rush
April 22, 1889

16. Oklahoma Land Rush

17. “Sooners”

18. END OF THE FRONTIER
 1890 – Gov. proclaimed the frontier closed

19. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
 More wheat produced = lower prices for
wheat
• Farmers can’t make money

20. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
 Deflation also hurt
• U.S. money was on the Gold Standard
• Money supply grew more slowly than the
population

21. ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
 Farmers blamed businessmen, grain buyers,
and railroads

22. FARMERS ORGANIZE
 Farmers organized politically
• National Grange – Social & educational
organization for farmers
• Populist Party – called for:
• Gov. to own RR’s
• Silver to help back dollars