Settling the West 1850 - 1900

Settling the West1865-1890

Key QuestionWhy did conflicts arise between Native Americans & the settlers?Miners, ranchers, & farmers took Native Americans land & destroyed their source of food (the buffalo).Troubled Relations with the Native AmericansCultural Preservation vs. ProsperityManifest Destiny the belief that the U.S. Government & its people had the God given right to own North America from coast to coast.Self Preservation the Natives fought to maintain their way of life as settlers poured into their lands.Manifest DestinyAn Allegorical Painting by John Gast 1872

Key QuestionHow did Native Americans respond to the loss of land from white settlement of the Great Plains?Some attacked wagon trains & ranches.Many went to war against nearby settlers & the U.S. Army.Troubled Relations with the NativesReasons for ConflictPioneer Settlement on the Great PlainsNative resistance to the destruction of their cultureBroken treaties & promisesRevenge on both sidesSlaughter of the BuffaloEvents of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851)Plains tribal leaders representing the Sioux, Cheyenne, & Arapaho signed this treaty in WyomingThe treaty established new boundaries for tribal lands to allow for more white settlementDespite the treaty some natives preferred conflict & resisted reservation life.

Document-Based QuestionsText p. 407Questions #21-22Key QuestionFor what reasons did the governments plans to move the Plains Indians onto reservations fail?The natives preferred life on the Plains.Native leaders were pressured into signing treaties.Reservations were plagued by poverty, despair, & corruption.Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Sand Creek Massacre (1864)In response to attacks on miners & settlers, Colonel John Chivington attacked a peaceful Cheyenne Village in ColoradoMore than 150 men, woman, & children were killed

Red Clouds War

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Red Clouds War (1863 - 1866)Sioux Chief Red Cloud led repeated attacks against miners & settlers traveling along the Bozeman Trail in MontanaSecond Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)

Little Bighorn

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876)Also known as Custers Last Stand

Battle of the Little BighornReasons for Battle:Gold is discovered on the Great Sioux Reservation in the Black Hills of South DakotaThousands of miners & settlers pour into this land, which is a violation of the 1868 Treaty of Fort LaramieThe U.S. Government offers to purchase the land, but some Natives refuseThe U.S. decides to force the rebel natives onto reservationsThe Battle:Lt. Col. George Custer & his 7th Cavalry were slaughtered by Sitting Bull & Crazy Horses Sioux forces

Battle of the Little BighornThe Battle:Lt. Col. George Custer & his 7th Cavalry were slaughtered by Sitting Bull & Crazy Horses Sioux forcesSignificance:Last major victory for the Natives over the U.S. GovernmentNews reports to the east did not identify an attack by Custer & his men, but an unnecessary slaughter by the Natives

Nez Perce

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Flight of the Nez Perce (1877)Chief Joseph & his Nez Perce of Washington, Idaho, & Oregon failed to escape to Canada. Federal authorities captured them & they were sent to a reservation in Oklahoma.

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Apache Wars (1881-1886)Geronimo led a band of Apache in retreat from the U.S. Army throughout the American SouthwestDue to disease & starvation the Apache were forced to surrender in 1886.

Wounded Knee

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890)In South Dakota, the U.S. Army responded to the Ghost Dance Movement by arresting a group of 350 SiouxA disturbance broke out, prompting the soldiers to open fire killing 90 men & 200 women & children.This event brought an end to Native resistance against the U.S. Government

Events of the Native Wars1850 - 1890Changes in Native PolicyReservation System the Natives were made wards of the government & placed on confined landsProblems Natives faced on Reservations:Forced AssimilationDestruction of their traditional way of lifeStarvation & DiseaseDawes Act (1887) provided each male head of a Native family 160 acres of reservation land & provided for U.S. citizenship

Dawes Act

Key QuestionWhy do you think the governments policy of assimilation of Native Americans was a failure?Native Americans were unwilling or unable to change their way of life.They received no training in farming & their allotments were too small to be profitableWe did not give our country to you; you stole itChief Sitting BullSiouxIt makes my heart sick when I remember all the good words and all the broken promises

Chief Joseph Nez Perce

Once I moved about like the wind. Now I surrender to you and that is all

Geronimo ApacheKey QuestionsFor what reasons might Americans have wanted to move west after the Civil War? Both white & African Americans sought new lives & new economic opportunitiesKey QuestionsHow did the Industrial Revolution & an increase in immigration lead to western settlement? The industrial revolution and immigration caused unemployment in the east. Machines were taking jobs from workers and immigrants were willing to work for very low pay. People moved west to start a new life and get a new job.

Key QuestionsWhat economic opportunities drew large numbers of people to the Great Plains? A large amount of people came to the Great Plains for ranching, farming, & mining opportunities.

Why did Pioneers move West?After the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, people began to move west in order for new opportunities to get rich quick or to make a living.The West provided new opportunities such as:Working on the Transcontinental RailroadCattle RanchingFarmingMiningKey QuestionsHow did the transcontinental railroad open up the West for settlement? The transcontinental railroad opened the west for settlement because it was faster, cheaper and more reliable form of transportation to carry people back and forth from the east coast to the west coast.

Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental RailroadIt is considered one of the greatest technological achievements in U.S. History.Made it possible for a traveler to complete the trip in five days for $150Construction began in 1863The Central Pacific built east from Sacramento, California, while the Union Pacific built west from Omaha, Nebraska

Transcontinental RailroadThe Transcontinental Railroad was built in six years.Irish & German immigrants, freed slaves, former Civil War soldiers, & especially Chinese immigrants played a role in construction.The railroad led to the division of the nation into four standard time zones.

Transcontinental RailroadOn May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah, a golden spike was driven thus completing the connection of east & west

Cattle Ranching

Key QuestionsWhat was the open range & long drive? An open range was the thousands of miles of unfenced grassland. Herding of cattle across the plains to the cow towns was known as the Long Drive.

Cattle Ranching & the Long Drive1870Text p. 390-391Analyzing Visuals #1-2Key QuestionsHow did the growth of railroads and cities impact the cattle business? The railroads brought the cattle cross-country to the open plains and built cow towns there.What does the American cowboy tradition owe to the Mexican vaquero? The American Cowboy tradition owes its clothes, gear and vocabulary to the Mexican Vaquero. Many of the traditions came from the Spanish.

Key QuestionsHow did the ordinary cowboys life differ from the popular conception of it? In peoples imaginations, a cowboy were thought to be one of the most romantic characters in American history but in reality cowboys lived tough, lonely, and hazardous lives. Their lives revolved around the cattle drive. They let off steam by gambling, drinking, and fighting in cow towns.Many cowboys were not the individuals portrayed by Hollywood.

Cattle KingdomAfter the Civil War demand for beef increased especially in the easts rapidly growing cities.Ranchers drove Longhorn cattle from Texas to the railheads of Kansas (1,000 miles), where they would be shipped, slaughtered, & sold. Known as the Long DriveMost cowboys were African-American (25%) or Mexican-American (12%).An overabundance of cattle, then harsh winters as well as dry summers doomed the cattle industry in the late 1800s.

CowboysAlthough the image of cowboys is American, his way of life was adopted directly from Spanish ranchers in Mexico. A cowboys clothes, food, & vocabulary were influenced by Mexican Vaqueros.Vaqueros were the first to wear spursChaparreras, or leather overalls, became chapsCharqui, or jerky dried strips of meat were eatenBronco caballo, or rough horse, was a broncoMestenos, were mustangs prized by the American CowboyRancho became the American RanchRodeo was a term borrowed from the Spanish

Cowboys

Homestead Act

Key QuestionsDescribe the Homestead Act and related federal government laws to assist settlers in obtaining western land. Why was 160 acres not adequate?The Homestead Act provided 160 acres of land to any individual willing to move west. Each homesteader was required to live on & improve the land. The Act served two purposes, relief to those struggling in the east & the creation of new markets for eastern goods.

Farming the American West1870-1900Text p. 395 Analyzing Geography #1-2FarmingHomestead Act (1862) the U.S. Government encouraged Western settlement by granting 160 acres of land to any citizen or immigrant willing to pay a small fee, live on the land for five years, & make some improvements Homesteading proved to be difficult due to scarce rain on the Great Plains & land too small to be economical. About 1/3rd eventually failed.

Key QuestionsWhat hardships did farmers face in the late 1800s? Hard soil that was difficult to plowLack of rain; strong blizzards in the winter. Few trees from which to build shelter; led to sod homes. Locusts ate the farmers crops and trees.Due to dry land farmers would have to buy more land so they could spread out the crops to obtain the nutrients out of the ground.

Key QuestionsWhat factors helped bring an end to the open range? One of the factors that led to the collapse of the open range was the success of the cattle industry. The main problem was the number of cattle, next being the cold weather and harsh winters, and cattle prices were low at this time. Sheep herders reduced the size of and fenced pastures, then eventually developed new farming methods which brought an end to the open range and farming.

MiningGold & silver discoveries in California, Colorado, & Nevada caused Americans to rush to the West for the chance to strike it richBoomtowns, a town that has a sudden burst of economic or population growth, sprang up throughout the Northwest.Few prospectors became rich. The most successful large mining companies & those businesses started in the boomtowns.ReviewCauses of Settlers Moving West to the Great PlainsMiningDeposits of gold, silver, & copper were discoveredNew technologies, such as hydraulic mining, make it possible to remove vast quantities of oreRanchingWild longhorn cattle, found to survive well on the Plains, are available in large numbers to be rounded up.Railroads provide an easy way to ship cattle to eastern markets.FarmingCongress passes the Homestead Act in 1862.New farming technologies, including new plows, reapers, & drills, make it possible to farm on the Plains.Railroads advertise for settlers & bring necessities such as lumber & coal to the Plains.

ReviewEffects of Settling the Great PlainsMiners arrive in such large numbers that Colorado, the Dakotas, Nevada, & Montana are able to become states.Hydraulic mining damages the environment in some areas & interferes with farming.The Great Plains becomes the nations Wheat Belt, growing tens of thousands of acres of wheat.The arrival of miners, ranchers, & farmers leads to conflict with Native Americans.The federal government fights several wars with the Native Americans, establishes reservations, & passes the Dawes Act to assimilate Native Americans.