Activities

1. Land Grand Ads: An Analysis

Although advertisements during this period were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are today, they carried potent messages nonetheless. This poster, the intent of which was to convince settlers and immigrants to move westward, contains a wealth of information about the concerns of settlers and land speculators in the 1850s. After examining the poster, please answer the following:

Having read this interpretation of the Mexican grants, please answer the following questions:

1. What are the most important features that the advertisers hope will draw settlers to their lands?
2. Why did the ad choose to emphasize certain items? Briefly describe the importance of each item in large type.
3. What kind of appeals would you expect to see in an ad for a modern town that are missing from this poster?
4. Can you locate the area described here on a map?
5. What is the importance of the last line in the poster?

2. Webster vs. Greeley : Contrasting Views

In most of the new States of the West, the United States are yet proprietors of vast bodies of land. Throughout some of these'States, and sometimes through these same public lands, the local authorities have prepared to carry expensiv\canals, for the general benefit of the country. Some of these undertakings have been attended with great expense, and have subjected the States... to large debts and heavy taxation. The lands of the United States, being exempted from all taxation, of course bear no part of this burden. Looking at the United States, therefore, as a great land proprietor, essentially benefltted by these improvements, I have felt no difficulty in voting for the appropriation of parts of these lands, as a reasonable contribution by the United States to these general objects.

Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune, took exception, however, to giving land to the railroads, declaring:

We do not agree with Mr. Webster as to the policy of gigantic land grants for railroads or other purposes. We believe they do essentially interfere with the benign policy of granting lands in limited allotments to actual settlers and improvers, without exacting any price therefrom.... Settle the lands compactly, and railroads will be constructed through them rapidly and abundantly. Establish the principle that improved land is a free gift of God, to he dispensed as air and water are, to all who need, and as they need, and ample capital will be released from land speculators to construct any number of railroads.

Now that you've read these divergent views, please answer these questions:

1. How valid is the argument presented by Webster?
2. How valid is that presented by Greeley?
3. Is it necessary to encourage businesses to invest by giving them government subsidies? Why or why not?
4. At what point should government help industries?
5. Did large land grants to railroads lead to monopolization of huge tracts of land? Explain.
6. All the railroads receiving grants eventually failed. What do you conclude from this?
7. If railroads had not received land grants, how might the development of the United States been different?

3. Mark Twain's Tunkhannock, Rattlesnake and Youngwomenstown Railroad: Your Views

Mr. Bigler's plan this time, about which he talked loudly, was the building of the Tunkhannock, Rattlesnake and Youngwomenstown Railroad, which would not only be a great highway to the west, but would open to the market inexhaustible coal-fields, and untold millions of lumber. The plan of operation was very simple.

"We'll buy the lands," explained he, "on long time, backed by the notes of good men; and then mortgage them for money enough to get the road well on. Then get the towns on the line to issue their bonds for stock.... We can sell the rest of the stock on the prospect of the business of the road... and also sell the lands at a big advance, on the strength of the road."