Student responses will vary. Students should mention both opportunities and challenges of farmers discussed in the lectures. Farmers were drawn to the availability of cheap land. The railroad also made it easier for farmers to transport needed supplies such as farming equipment, and it made it easier and faster for them to get their goods to market. With the rapid increase in the number of new settlements, there was plenty of business to be had. On the other hand, there were some drawbacks. First, the land was very dry, and many farmers, like one from Tennessee, had little experience working this type of soil. They were quick to adapt, however. They rerouted various water supplies and used dry farming techniques that proved successful. A second challenge facing everyone on the frontier, not just farmers, was the anger and hostility of some Native American tribes who threatened and raided settlements.
Student responses will vary. Students should mention both opportunities and challenges of farmers discussed in the lectures. Farmers were drawn to the availability of cheap land. The railroad also made it easier for farmers to transport needed supplies such as farming equipment, and it made it easier and faster for them to get their goods to market. With the rapid increase in the number of new settlements, there was plenty of business to be had. On the other hand, there were some drawbacks. First, the land was very dry, and many farmers, like one from Tennessee, had little experience working this type of soil. They were quick to adapt, however. They rerouted various water supplies and used dry farming techniques that proved successful. A second challenge facing everyone on the frontier, not just farmers, was the anger and hostility of some Native American tribes who threatened and raided settlements.
Equal Protection Clause. The Equal Protection Clause is part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The clause, which took effect in 1868, provides that no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction "the equal protection of the laws".
The civil war improved the economy of the north, but harmed the economy of the south. The south relied heavily on agriculture/ producing cotton on slave worked plantations. The civil war led the slaves to finally be freed thus sending many southern farmers into poverty.
