Angela Mercado HISA137 Prof. Hackel 21 May 2015 Technologies Impact on The Economy of the Midwestern Frontier In John Mack Faragher’s 1986 historic work Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Prairie, he examines the first generation of a Midwestern community; looking closely at those who settled in this small section of rural Illinois (Faragher xiii). Faragher specifically analyzes the development of the Sugar Creek Valley in the six decades before the American Civil War. In 1819, there was little to no settlements among the Sugar Creek area, however, as time passed and technology advanced, the socioeconomic position of the area changed. How settlers farmed their land and exported their products changed drastically and the Sugar Creek Valley became a hotspot for economical gain. With a surge in the economy, settlement in the Sugar Creek Valley experienced rapid growth. Faragher attempts to show that the Sugar Creek Valley, as a Midwestern …show more content…
In “Howling Wilderness” he deals with the physical landscape and the natives whom inhabited it, while also focusing on different aspects of native life; from hunting, sugar-making to tribal relations. In part two, “The Country of Plenty to Eat”, Faragher centers on the movement into the wilderness. Part three, “Lords of the Soil, Tenants of the Hearth”, concerns the advancement of agriculture and the role of women. Part four, “The Sugar Creek Community” focuses on the evolution of the rural community with an emphasis on agriculture and social mobility. And finally in Part five “All is Changed” Faragher analyzes the technological advancement in the arrival of the railroad and its effect on agriculture. Although each part of the book focuses on very specific aspects, they all come together to bring a better understanding of the Sugar Creek Valley and its changing
Dust Bowl, The Southern Plains in the 30’s written by Donald Worster and published in 1979, is an informative text on the Great Plains during the Great Depression. Donald Worster is a credible author because he not only earned a Ph.D. from Yale in environmental history, but he also had previously written a book on the environment and the economy. This book was written well and Worster did a good job of revealing how people and how they live have effected the areas environment. He spoke of places including, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and many more.
Often small simple objects are overlooked by people for having little importance to our world. In “Fashioning Moccasins: Detroit, the Manufacturing Frontier, and the Empire if Consumption, 1701-1835,” Catherine Cangany, shows how footwear transformed North America’s Frontier. Cangany argues that through observing the small frontier town of Detroit you can see the western frontier’s change through the study of moccasins. Her argument is persuasive because she chronologically structures her article, effectively shows Detroit’s transformation, and gives a variety of examples allowing the reader to see the influence of moccasins through industry, culture, and politics.
The westward expansion of America in the 1800s shaped the borders of the country and changed the nation as a whole, but was it really destiny? The idea that changed Americans’ attitudes and encouraged them to bravely travel into the wild west was essential to the growth of the new country. The growth of America at the time would ultimately lead to the ending of slavery, a major shift in the economy, and would allow Americans to live the life they dreamed of. The United States before westward expansion was overpopulated, and cities on the East coast were unsanitary and crowded. America’s population grew by 8 million people from 1850 to 1860.
Plainfield’s Local History The majority of my childhood was spent in Plainfield Illinois, reading the prompt for this paper I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain an understanding of the town I grew up in. Little did I know that I was going to have my hands full trying to find the right information for this history paper. Through my adventures of trying to find valuable information, I learned a great deal about the history of Plainfield, and its importance in the world. I believe that Plainfield played an important role in the history of the nation since 1865, and although it might not have played and enormous role, Plainfield did have an impact.
The frontier in the late 1700’s was a place of disagreement, this political and social unrest helped mold America. The village of Paxton was a few miles east of Harrisburg in eastern Pennsylvania, it became a place of racial and political unrest during Pontiac 's Rebellion. It was considered part of the frontier in the 1760s, the area was populated by many hardened Scots-Irish immigrants who had grown weary of their vulnerability to attack. Requests for soldiers or guns, powder and lead at the very least were ignored by the legislators, many of them were Quakers.
Imagine huddling with your family, trapped under feet of snow and with dwindling supplies of food in the winter. Imagine working for hours on end in the 120 degree weather in the summer. Imagine watching you and your family wither away in inhuman conditions. These were some of the many perils the early American settlers faced.
In old days, agriculture or other primary industries were the main pillar of Michigan state’s economy. “Most Native American settlements in the Great Lakes region were along river valleys or near the shoreline of the Great Lakes, and most of the population located in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula. Tribal settlements were not permanent, with groups moving to new locations every few years. Although agriculture was limited by soil conditions and dense forest, the Native Americans of this region did cultivate crops. Corn, beans, and squash were grown and wild apples, berries, nuts, game, fish, honey, and wild rice provided other sources of food.
In Laurence Shames’s article, “The More Factor” he speaks to Americans about the hunger and greed associated with the history of the United States. He brings attention to the 1880s, where many speculators would buy empty land and quickly develop it into a small town. Sidewalks, hotels, flagpoles, and churches were constructed and left behind by the workers when they moved on. Afterwards, the speculators would hire others to hand out flyers promoting these new towns. Through the use of flowery titles, persuasion, or even bribery, speculators convinced people to live in their new town, at least until a census was taken.
Generally, there is a repetition among all of the regions that have descriptions of each of the tragedies that took place to those Indians. The Northeast, separated into part one and two, covered the disappearance of east coast tribes and their deep rooted ties into the Northeast Woodland area. He uses tribes like the Algonquian and gives examples of their lives and how european trade and need for material items affected them. Part two of the Northeast covers the death and destruction those europeans caused with diseases, where 90% of the population died in some instances. Pure greed over their land, with the terrible massacres that happened to the tribes was also covered and how they wore down the Indian’s to not fight.
Exam Paper 1 In what ways did the American West of the late nineteenth century represent a contrast to the East? In what ways did the two regions resemble each other?
Frederick Jackson Turner This paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze Frederick Jackson Turner. He was an American historian from Portage, Wisconsin that grew up in a middle class family. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1884, and acquired his Ph.D. in history at John Hopkins University in 1884. My goal is to examine Turner's essay "The Significance of the Frontier in American History . " Turner's essay is a masterpiece of historical thought and sentiment, enhanced by analysis and critical thinking from a variety of different sources.
The thesis “Fort Osage: Daily Life on the Frontier” by Joey Phillips focuses on the daily lives of soldiers that called the frontier fort their home during the early nineteenth century. The scope of research includes the fort’s origin story, as well as a copy of the original blueprint drawn by renowned adventurer William Clark. Fort Osage was established according to that plan in 1808 and remained occupied until its abandonment in 1813. According to Phillips, the history of the fort’s residents is largely unknown to most visitors and historians. Therefore, through an examination of available documents, he will attempt to shed light on the resident’s daily routines to establish the fort’s significance as a trade network with the region’s Native
Lee expertly weaves the chronological tale of Almarine Cantrell’s life, death, and subsequent family lineage through a variety of distinctly crafted personalities, all adding to the narrative through their unique perspectives. While Almarine’s romantic hardships and resulting offspring are at the heart of the novel, Oral History also explores Appalachian life through a myriad of lenses, preconceived notions, actualities, and the exploration of traditions and daily life. Smith offers a rich and complex study of an often forgotten about southern geographical region and population. The narrative rarely drags, drawing the reader into an exciting tale of Appalachia that includes folklore, storytelling, a strong sense of the past, and a continuation into the present that attempts to reconcile what was with what the mountain region has become (Eckard
“In 1820, about 58 towns more than 2500 inhabitants; by 1840, there were 126 such towns, located mostly in the Midwest and Northeast.” The fastest growth occurring in areas were near canals, railroads, and roads because of the easy access of raw and manufactured materials. Toward the later 19th century, the settlers began to move west for cheaper property because the land inhabited near the town built around transportation was getting
“The Way to Rainy Mountain” is organized very well, it includes three narrative voices. Throughout this novel the first narrative voice is about the Kiowa legends. Then Momaday has a paragraph of contexts that relates to the legend. The author gives the reader a bit of his life by relating a family experience he had. Because some of the Kiowa legends and history go with Momadays own family history, then this three voice narration allows the author to have great detail about the Kiowa’s way of life in every way.