The American West

Post-Civil War Issues

Review

How did we get here? Colonies > French & Indian War >

Proclamation of 1763 > American Revolution Declaration of Independence > Common Sense

> Constitution > Bill of Rights Early leaders > Louisiana Purchase > War of

1812 3 branches of govt > checks & balances Sectionalism vs. Nationalism Manifest Destiny & Expansion > conflict Civil War & Reconstruction

Conflict with Native Americans White settlers Felt if land not

actively settled, free to take

Upset balance of buffalo (source of food & clothing)

Jackson Indian Removal Act Trail of Tears

Changes Mid 1800s, policy changes By 1850s, increasing

number of settlers wanted more land

Gov’t seized land > sent Natives to reservations

Goal: to break power of Plains Indians & open their land to settlement

For Indians, threat to way of life

Indian Wars Sand Creek Massacre (1864)

US Army persuaded Cheyenne to stop raiding farms & return peacefully to Colorado reservation > Army troops attacked, killing 150 & burned camp > Congress did nothing

Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876) Gov’t ordered Sioux to leave to stop raids on settlers.

Sitting Bull led thousands of Sioux, Cheyenne & Arapaho against George Custer. Custer & his men were slaughtered but it was the last Sioux victory.

Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) Dec. 1890 Army troops captured some of Sitting Bull’s

followers & took them to Wounded Knee Creed. Next morning soldiers took Indians’ rifles & fighting broke out. Women & children fled but soldiers pursued them. Some 300 Sioux lay dead in the snow.

Massacre shocked Americans & broke Native Amer resistance on the Plains

Reservation Life Americanization

Goal of Indian reservations Abandon traditional

culture & identity to live like white Americans

Bureau of Indian Affairs Federal agency managed

Native American reservation set up

Gov’t schools for Indian kids far from home

Had to speak English & couldn’t wear traditional clothing

Dawes Act (1887) Broke up some

reservations & divided the land among individuals

Gov’t often sold best land & gave rest to Indians

Even with land, Indians could not afford the supplies needed for farming

Dawes Act

Mining

Mining Communities After CA gold rush, each new discovery > rush Most prospectors men (some families / women) Came from US & other countries Usually lived in tents but as camps grew >

communities (ex. Denver, CO)

Mining Business By 1880s, mining dominated large companies Dangerous with threats of cave-ins, explosions, floods

Ranching

On the Plains After Civil War > new

business on Plains: Cattle ranching

1st were Spanish then Mexicans

Interbred Spanish & English cattle > Texas longhorn (hardy, not much water, could live on grass alone

Cattle Drives

Post Civil War Demand for beef increased

as city populations expanded

1866 steer worth $4 in Tex. sold for $40 in East > ranching

Cowboys Hired ranchers > drove

herd to railroad town to shipping

Characteristics of cowboys?

Great Plains

Homestead Act (1862) Any head of household

(21 yrs+) could claim 160 acres of land

Required to build home on land, make improvements & farm for 5 yrs before full ownership

Nearly 2 million people attempted to claim land

Pacific Railway Act Gov’t gave millions to

build Railroad & telegraph lines

Morrill Act Gave states land to

build colleges to teach “ag & mechanic arts”

*1st federal gov’t assistance for higher ed

Oklahoma

Background Trail of Tears: Native Americans moved to

Oklahoma territory 1879: discovered 2 million acres not assigned

Settlers April 1889, would-be settlers lined up at border On signal, 50,000 people rushed to stake claims

on 11,000 homesteads (“Far & Away” clip)

New Settlers

White settlers Mostly mid-class farmers or

businesspeople who could afford supplies & transportation

African American settlers 1870s massive migration

West Because of discriminatory

Black Codes & violence by KKK

European settlers Attracted by econ

opportunity Especially Scandinavians,

Germans, & Irish

Chinese settlers 1880s Chinese who had

come to CA for gold rush or Railroad

Helped establish CA’s fruit industry

Laws barred Asians from owning land > farmer workers not owners

Western Migration

Cause Effect

-Americans continue moving west in large numbers

-Traditional Native Amer way of life destroyed-Mining communities established-Ranches established; cattle industry booms-Farmers settle Plains

American Outlaws Plot Summary

When a Midwest town leans that a corrupt railroad baron has captured the deeds to their homesteads without their knowledge, a group of young ranchers join forces to take back what is rightfully theirs. In the course of their vendetta, they will become the object of the biggest manhunt in the history of the Old West and, as their fame grows, so will the legend of their leader, a young outlaw by the name of Jesse James.

Questions to Consider

*Answer on a separate piece of paper.

1.What is the background of this story?2.What does the Doc warn Jesse & Frank about in their conversation?3.Explain the interaction between the James Family & the gov’t.4.Discuss the town meeting – what are their concerns?