Chapter 13: Changes on the Western Frontier

GOOD NEWS: ITS JAN?BAD NEWS: LONGEST SECTION

Culture of the Plains IndiansImportance of horse & buffalo-Great Plains- grassland extending through the west-central portion of the U.S.-Horses allowed travel hunt efficiently-Horses led to war-"counting coup"-Buffalo provided basic needs

Culture of the Plains Indians

Family Life-Lived in small extended family groups-Men hunted-Women butchered & prepared hides-valued "individualism"-Learned through stories, myths, games, and good examples-leaders ruled by counsel-land owned by all

Settlers Moving West

-Defined prosperity by personal property-claimed "unsettled" landLure of Gold-"Striking it rich" lured many-frontier towns filthy-Some women braved it-Helena, MT.-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5PsGReKLho

Settlers Moving West

Farming the Great Plains-Homestead Act 1862- 160 acres free land to farm (5 years)-Exodusters- African Americans who moved from post-Reconstruction South to Kansas-Railroads helped "wealthy" go west

Government Restricts Native Americans

-Government changes policiesMassacre at Sand Creek-November 29, 1864-John Chivington and Co. attacked Cheyenne at Sand Creek-Killed about 200 inhabitants-Chivington treated as hero

Government Restricts Native Americans

Death on Bozeman Trail-Sioux angered by settlement-Black Hills of South Dakota-Skirmishes between white settlers and Sioux cont. for year (1867ish)-Treaty of 1868 Sioux agreed to live on reservation along Missouri River-Promised supplies arrived late, poor quality-Sitting Bull doesn't sign

Bloody Battles Continue

Gold Rush-George Custer: Civil War hero and colonel in Seventh Cavalry; sent to investigate "gold"-Reports Black Hills had gold "From the grassroots down"

Bloody Battles Continue

Custer's Last Stand-June 25, 1876-Custer attacked Sioux-Custer underestimated warriors-His men/horses exhausted-Split up regiment-All Custer's men died within 20 minutes-Americans took revenge

Government Supports AssimilationFailure of the Dawes Act (1877)-N.A. still had supporters-assimilation:give up beliefs & way of life & become part of the white culture-effort to make assimilation gov. policy-Try to make a desire to own land-Broke up reservations to individual pieces-N.A. lost much

Government Supports Assimilation

Educating Native Americans-Off-reservation boarding schools-"kill the Indian, save the man"-traditional ways; backwards superstitious-Promoted white civilization-Children returned to educate-Caught in pickles

Government Supports Assimilation

Destruction of the Buffalo-Railroad contributor-William F. Cody "Buffalo Bill"-Shot for sport-1800: 15 million buffalo-1886: <600

The Battle of Wounded Knee-Prophet promised Sioux if they performed a Ghost Dance vision of returned buffalo and whites be gone would come true-Sitting Bull killed-Sioux forced to camp at Wounded Knee Creek (South Dakota)-Seventh Cavalry kill 300 unarmed Sioux-Indian wars to an end.

Section 2: The Growth of the Cattle Industry

Cattle Industry GrowsThe First Cowboys-longhorn cattle- breed of sturdy long-horned cattle brought by Spanish-vaqueros- Aztec prisoner cowboysImportance of Railroads-Cowboys not needed until railroads erupted-Ranchers didn't stray from homesteads-Watch herd increase

The Cattle Industry Grows

Cities Demand More Beef-Demand for beef skyrocketed-1866 Cattle to railroad, railroad to city-Obstacles: weather, rivers, farmers-Chisholm Trail:cattle route from San Antonio to Kansas

The Truth About Cowboys

Cowboy's Life-worked 10-14 hours on ranch or 18 on trail-~24 yrs old, bowlegged-owned saddle not horse-gun, probably didn't shoot-prairie fires worried him-die of pneumonia before outlaws-worked summer, banned drinking, gambling, cursing

The Truth About Cowboys

Cowboy's Life-rode the open range, fighting & shooting villains FALSE-James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok: Spy during C.W., Marshal in Abilene, Kansas, shot holding "dead man's hand"-Martha Jane Cannary (Calamity Jane): excellent shot, dressed like a man, spread stories about herself-Both legendary figures, model of Western heros, never dealt with cows, entertainers-famous for stories in dime novels

The Truth About Cowboy's

Roundup-Spring collect longhorns-penned up-Branded cattleLong Drive-the moving of cattle over trails to a shipping center-1 cowboy per 250 cattle-Cook- drove wagon, set-up camp, cooked-Wrangler- cared for horses-3 months

The End of the Cattle Frontier

Natural Disasters-1883 & 1886 drought Great Plains-1887 worst blizzard in American historyBarbed Wire-ranchers turn to high-grade stock-cattle need grazing-fenced cattle in barbed wire-barbed wire invented to keep dogs out of garden

Section 3: Settling on the Great Plains

Settlers Flock Westward to Farm

-Transcontinental railroads open up the West for settlement-Government encourages settlement by offering free land-Thousands respond to free land-homesteaders- settled on free land from H.S.A-

Settlers Flock Westward to Farm

-homesteaders- settled on free land from H.S.A-African American-European immigrants-Government sets aside public land to preserve wilderness

Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains

-First task provide shelter on treeless prairies-soddy- home built on blocks of turf-Pioneer women do much of the work of feeding, clothing, and sustaining their families

Settlers Meet the Challenges of the Plains

-New technology and farmers methods help tame the prairie-Many farmers go into debt investing into technology and transporting their grain to market-Morrill Land Grant Acts- (1862&1890) help create agricultural colleges by giving federal land to states

Settlers Meet Challenges of the Plains-Bonanza farms- enormous farm on which a single crop is grown-Although successfully met the challenges, farmers lost money, they needed to organize to solve problems....

Section 4: Farmers and the Populist

SeSs

Farmers Unite to Address Common Problems

-Farmers go into debt because of deflation and high shipping costs and demand monetary reform-Farmers trapped in bad economic cycle-Reform needed

Farmers Unite to Address Common Problems

-Farmers form organizations to address their common problems-Oliver Kelley- farmer who started Patrons of Husbandry AKA Grange-Grange- purpose was to provide a social outlet and an educational forum for isolated farm families

The Rise and Fall of Populism

-The Populist Party provides a political power base for the farmers' alliances-Populism- political movement seeking to advance interests of farmers and laborers 1892-Populist Party proposes financial and governmental reforms

Rise and Fall of Populism

-Farmers suffer increasingly as a general business collapse deepens into economic depression-The metal backing paper currency becomes a major issue in the 1896 presidential election-Bimetallism-Gold Bugs

Rise and Fall of Populism

-William McKinley: Republican Pres. nominee 1896-Populist Party and Democrats both back William Jennings Bryan, who favors a bimetal policy-"Cross of Gold" speech- W.J.B gave at Dem. Conven., attacked "gold bugs" -Bryan is defeated and the Populist Party collapses