Conflict between the white views of Native American integration was evident as the rift between Christian reformers and humanitarians grew. Many Christian reformers were adamant in forceful Indian assimilation into white culture and society, whereas humanitarians wanted to take a softer approach—treating the Indians nicely and persuading them to join the white ways.
The forceful group overpowered the kind group, and in 1884 the passionate Christians (their goal was to convert the Indians to the Christian religion) joined with military men to persuade the federal outlaw of the sacred Native American Sun Dance. When the "Ghost Dance" cult spread to the …show more content…
The Homestead Act of 1862 was a law that allowed a settler to acquire up to 160 acres of land with the requirements of having lived on it for five years, improving it (building on it), and paying a nominal (nominal) fee of thirty dollars or paying per acre. The Homestead Act was significant in its differences from previous policies. Previously, public land was sold for revenue, but after the Homestead Act 's passage, land was given away to encourage "the backbone of democracy"—the family farm. Because of this, poorer farmers were elated (they could not afford more land, which they could previously not have afforded). Following its passage, the Homestead Act allowed nearly half a million families a chance to move to new land, or expand into the wide west. However, the lands the Homestead Act advertised seemed to fall flat from expectations. The rain-scarce Great Plains provided new farming families with the obstacle of drought, suffered extreme temperatures, and could not provide for many of the families moving out west, forcing two out of three families to abandon their hopes. The Homestead Act also spawned fraud by the land-grabbing promoters that snatched land specifically available for family farmers (some settlers would build "twelve by fourteen" cabins, which would turn out to be twelve by fourteen inch cabins). Large corporations would also purchase land rich in minerals, oils, and timber. Altogether, nearly ten percent of the public lands would be sold to frauds or …show more content…
The Grange "The National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandn/ ' was an organization formed in 1867 that worked to enhance the lives of farmers through "social, educational, and fraternal activities".
The Grange was led by the spirited Oliver H. Kelley, who organized picnics, concerts, lectures, and the likes for farmers and their families. Kelley found many farmers open to the use of secret passwords and rituals, and found a like for a "four-ply" hierarchy, where men went from Laborer to Husbandman and women went from Maid to Matron. The Grange was very successful in recruiting interest, and by 1875 boasted 800,000 members, mostly from the South and Midwest. The "Grangers" slowly began to change their goals, from individual improvement to improvement of the "farmers ' collective plighe.
The Grange established cooperatively owned stores (co-ops) for consumers and cooperatively owned grain elevators and warehouses for producers. At one point, the Grange attempted to produce their own harvesting machinery, but this proved disastrous (partly due to mismanagement), ending in financial crisis. Some Grangers even went into politics, gaining success in the upper Mississippi