Year 9 History

American West

Revision

Section A: How did the Indians survive on the Great Plains?

The problems of living on the great plains?

The Great American Desert was the name given, in the first half of the nineteenth century, to the area west of the Mississippi river. At the time, the area was only inhabited by tribes of native American Indians. White Americans considered it to be unfit for habitation. As people moved onto the Great Plains, the area referred to as the Great American Desert be-came smaller and smaller until only the Utah and Nevada plains bore the name. This map shows the geographical divisions of North America. These divi-sions still exist today.

The Great American Desert

Eastern Lowlands

The first emigrants to America from Europe settled on the Eastern side of America. Few ventured further west than the Appalachian mountains. As more and more people settled in America and more living space was needed, people began to venture further west. However, prior to 1840 few went beyond the Mississippi river.

Flood PlainsThe Great Plains stretch from the Mississippi river in the east to the Rocky mountains in the west. In geographical terms a plain is defined as a large area of treeless land. Because of the lack of trees it tends to be windy all year round.

The Great Plains

The Great Plains stretch from the Mississippi river in the East to the Rocky mountains in the west. In geographical terms a Plain is defined as a large area of treeless land. Because of the lack of trees it tends to be windy all year round.In winter the weather is very cold with the wind blowing snow into bliz-zards. The summers are very hot and windy which dries and cracks the land. Some woodland can be found near to the Mississippi river but be-yond that the land is miles and miles of grassland - tall prairie grass on the Low Plains, shorter grass on the High Plains.

The Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains extend from Alaska in the North to New Mexico in the South. Mountainous regions surround high plateaux. The highest mountain is Mount Elbert 14,431 feet. In the South, the Rocky Mountains are characterised by thick wood and used to be inhabited by grizzly bears, mountain lions and beavers. The Grand Canyon can be found in the Rocky Mountains. The plateaux tend to be areas of semi-desert.

The Pacific Coast

The states of California and Oregon can be found along the Pacific Coast. The climate is mild and the soil is fertile and easily farmed.

The TipisEach Indian family lived in a home called a tipi.

Tipis were traditionally made from buffallo skins which were sewn togeth-er and supported by a frame of wooden poles which could be collapsed which made transportation of their homes easy. Their portable homes took approximately 10 minutes to dismantle or set up.

The women of the families were in charge of the tipis, and in the warmer, summer months the bottom of the tipi could be rolled up to let air in, and was banked with earth in the colder, winter months to keep the cold out.

The conical shape of the tipi made it strong enough to resist the strong winds on the Great Plains.

An example of a traditional tipi.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zq697ty

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/games/fling/nativeamericans/

BuffaloBuffalos were very important for the Indians as they provided a lot of re-sources. The Indians tended to follow the buffalo around the plains hunt-ing them and utilising the remains of the buffalo in the following ways.

o meat

o skins for wool, clothing, shoes, tipis

o sinews (tissue uniting muscle to bone) for thread, ropes, bowstrings

o bones for implements

o dung for fuel

ReligionThe Sioux tribes beleived that religion was no different from everyday life, and that there was no clear distinction between natural and super-natural.

SpiritsBelieved in Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit. He created the world and eve-rything that lives.They believed all things had spirits and that spirits could influence their lives.

LandThe Plains Indians came from the land and would return to the land when they died.They believed the land could not be owned or bought by an individual, or even by a nation.High places were sacred to them as they beleived they were closer to the spirit world.The Black Hills was particularly scared to them, as this was the place where their nation began.

CirclesSioux Indians believed in the circle of nature.Circles surrounded them: circular moon, circular sun and circular horizon.Indians lived through circle of life: birth, childhood, adulthood, old age, second childhood and death.Villages and the tipi were circular in honour of this.

Dances and ceremoniesDances were used when the whole tribe needed to contact the spirits.The Buffalo Dance was used to call the spirit world to call the buffalo to them.The most famous ceremony was the Sun Dance. This was used to get guidance from the Spirit World.

VisionsVisions were a way of contacting the spirit world; names were given as a result of visions.Women could easily contact the spirit world – this gave them status. Visions often influenced decision making, such as war.

Medicine MenA ‘medicine man’ was an Indian man who people believed could cure ill-ness by using the spirits.All spirit power was considered ‘medicine’.People believed that they became ill if they possessed an evil spirits.Medicine men would try to drive out evil spirits; they sometimes used practical remedies such as herbs.

A Sioux Medicine Man “Cheif Sitting Bull”

The organisation of Indian society

In order to survive on the Great Plains the members of an Indian band had to co-operate and work closely together. They had to be well organised.

Throughout the year the band would have to move across the Great Plains. From time to time bands would meet up to camp and hunt together.

Once a year, and sometimes more often, the bands would meet together as a nation. Indian society was organised in a way that reflected the need for co-operation

Politics

Generosity

Plains Indians were highly individualistic and cherished fine possessions – but didn’t accumulate more than they could use.

Generosity to those in need was expected of those who could provide it, and it added to their prestige and power. Chiefs who weren’t generous lost their influence

WarriorsTribal warfare was part of the culture of many Native Americans. Low in-tensity warfare and raiding for animals and captives was a part of life andthe usual way for men to gain prestige.“Counting coup” meant riding up to an enemy and merely touching himwith a special stick, then getting away.Native Americans did not think of themselves as part of a Native Americannation but as members of a particular tribe. Rival tribes therefore could bestrangers and enemies to each other as much as to the white settlers.

War & Hunting

Please visit the sites below to learn more about the Indian’s war & hunting lives.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zq697ty

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/games/fling/nativeamericans/

A depiction of Indian warriorss set to hunt.

Indian Lifestyles

Men

The Elderly

Children

Women

Below is a breif summary of each member of the tribe’s key roles and responibilities , giving us a clearer idea of the type of activities an Indian would go through on a daily basis.

Men were responsible for hunting, looking after the horses and protecting the band. They were judged by their skills as hunters, warriors and horsemen.

Women were responsible for the tipi, for preparing food and fetching water, and for making clothing and other items. They were judged by their skill at crafts and as home-makers. Women were highly valued as the bearers of chil-dren.

Children were highly valued as they were the future of the band. They learned useful skills from their parents and other relatives. Boys were taught to hunt whilst girls were taught to maintain a home.

The elderly members of the tribe were important as they were able to give advice. They were involved in helping to bring up the children. However, when they became too old and weak to keep up they might have to be left behind. The survival of the band was of greater importance than any individual.

Section B: How and Why did the Pioneers head West?

Push and pull factors; Reasons for the journey west.

American West - Mountain MenThe life of the mountain man was hard and tough. Living in the wild, he was in constant danger from starvation, dehydration, freezing cold, burning heat, wild animals and Indians. The fashion for wearing fur hats in the early nineteenth century meant that there was a great demand for animal fur. Men such as Jim Bridger were employed by Fur Trading companies to trap beavers and other animals for their fur.

The only contact they had with the outside world was at a number of ren-dezvous and trading posts. Some mountain men were accepted by the Indians and lived with them, a few married Indian women. By 1840, fur hats were no longer fashionable and many mountain men became guides for those making the journey across the Plains to the west.

Manifest Destiny in 1840s America“(It is) ..our manifest destiny to over spread and to possess the whole of the continent which Providence has given us for the development of the great experiment of liberty” In 1845 these words were written by John O’Sullivan, a democrat leader and editor of the New York newspaper ‘The Morning Post’.

How and why did the pioneers head west? Continued..

So what is “Manifest Desitiny?” O’Sullivan was expressing the long held belief that white Americans had a God-given right to occupy the entire North American continent, all of mod-ern day America. Once the concept had been given the name ‘Manifest Des-tiny’ it became widely used, appearing in newspapers, debates, paintings and advertisements. It became the leading light for westward expansion.

Throughout the 1840s westward expansion gained pace. People living in the crowded east were lured west with promises of inexpensive land and open spaces. The discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 prompted thousands to leave their homes in the east and make the journey west to California.

John O’sullivan

The Great American Desert

Between the East and the fertile land in Oregon and California were The Great Plains. The extremes of climate, sparse rainfall and hard ground meant they were at first thought sustainable for agriculture. They were called the Great American Desert.

So why did people go west?

Factors Pushing Them Out of the East

Factors Pulling Them to the West

Poverty

Disease

Religious or social persecution

Taxation

Eastern overpopulation

A new start

Tall tales and newspaper reports

Cheap fertile land

Government encouragement

Gold and silver

In 1837 the United States was hit by an economic depression. In the East banks collapsed lost their savings. Unemployment grew, in Philadelphia 20 000 unem-ployed people demonstrated in 1839.

Farmers in the Mississippi valley faced ruin because the price of the wheat and corn they grew was worthless after 1837.

In 1842 the government passed a bill (law) which said that any Farmer who built a house, and cleared trees could buy the land at a very low price.

This meant that no one else could steal the land from you.

There was lots of land in the West.

Some of the Farmers in the Mississippi valley were beginning to feel too crowd-ed in the East. The population of Missouri grew from 14000 to 353 000 between 1830 and 1840.

In the 1840s reports started to make their way back to the East about how won-derful it was.

Some of these people were missionaries who wanted more people to come and help them convert the Indians.

Why did the Pioneers head West in the 1840s?

What were the push and pull factors forcring the move west?

For more information on this subject follow the link belowhttp://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/games/walk/walk_settlerswest.html

What dangers did the Pioneers face heading west?

The tough journey across the Great PlainsThe Oregon and California Trails stretched about 2000 miles and took about 5 months by loaded wagon. Rivers, mountains and deserts had to be crossed. Lack of discipline and experience caused dangerous delays – it was vital to beat the winter deadline.

The Donner Party, heading for California, tried a short cut and were trapped in deep snow in the Sierra Nevada in 1846. Of 87 emigrants, less than 50 sur-vived till next spring – by eating those who had died!

Crossing the continent wasn’t cheap – those who could outfit a wagon must have had money. Many were farmers who had sold their farms at a profit. Young men without funds could hire themselves out as helpers on the wag-on trains.

For additional information on the subject visit the websites below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zyrtvcw

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/z9qb87h

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zg8fcdm

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/games/walk/walk_settlerswest.html

Pioneer women in the 1800s