the western frontier. great plains – grassland through the west u.s. indians – horse/guns...
DESCRIPTION
Settlers wanted to claim land that the Indians didn’t claim or settle. Gold was discovered in Colorado and immigrants from all over the world came for a better life. Government – created boundaries with Indians. But Indians saw the land as and “open range” and often strayed from their boundaries. SETTLERSTRANSCRIPT
The Western Frontier
U. S. HISTORYCHAPTER 5
• Great Plains – Grassland through the west U.S.• Indians – Horse/Guns changed their way of life1. “Counting Coup” – Touch a live enemy with a stick and escape undetected.
2. Buffalo – they used every part for food, blankets, teepees, etc.
3. Men – warriors/hunters
4. Women – butchered small game and prepared hides could chose their own husbands.
• Medicine men or women – spiritual leaders
• Land - owned by the whole – common land
SECTION 1, THE GREAT PLAINS
• Settlers wanted to claim land that the Indians didn’t claim or settle. Gold was discovered in Colorado and immigrants from all over the world came for a better life.
• Government – created boundaries with Indians. But Indians saw the land as and “open range” and often strayed from their boundaries.
SETTLERS
• Colonel John Chivington, “I want no peace till the Indians suffer more.”
• His troops attacked the Indians camped at Sand Creek.• Killed 150 women and children from Cheyenne and
Araphaho.
SAND CREEK MASSACRE
• The U.S. Government trail ran directly through Sioux hunting grounds.
• The Sioux chief asked the government to end the white settlement on the trail, to no avail.
• Crazy Horse (Sioux chief) attacked Fettermen’s company and killed 80 soldiers. (Fetterman Massacre or Battle of 100 Slain)
• Treaty of Fort Laramie - Government finally closed the Bozeman Trail if the Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River. (Sitting Bull never signed the Treaty, and the other Sioux leaders expected to still use the hunting grounds.)
BOZEMAN TRAIL
• Red River War – U.S. Army gathered all friendly tribes and placed them on a reservation. All other tribes were attacked and destroyed.
• Gold Rush to Colorado – Cheyenne and Arapaho appealed to the Government to keep the white settlers off their land, but refused.
• Custer’s Last Stand – Custer attempted to attack 2,000 Indians (Including Sitting Bull) at the Little Bighorn River – the Indians outflanked him, killing Custer and all of this regiment. “Custer rode to his death.”
RED RIVER WAR AND CUSTER’S LAST STAND
• “Americanize” Native Americans – give each family 160 acres and each individual 80 acres.
• White settlers took most of the land and the Native Americans were never paid for their land.
• Assimilation – Native Americans were expected to give up their beliefs and way of life in order to become part of the white culture.
• Buffalo – 1800 – 65 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains
• By 1890, fewer than 1,000 remained• 1900- Yellowstone National Park became a refuge for the
last single herd of buffalo.
DAWES ACT
• Ghost Dance – Sioux ritual dance to bring back the way of life the Native Americans enjoyed before the settlers came. (Sitting Bull was killed during an attempted arrest.)
• The Battle of Wounded Knee – 350 starving and freezing Sioux were rounded up disarmed, and taken to a camp. Someone fired a shot, and the soldiers opened fire. 300 Sioux, mostly women and children were slaughtered.
GHOST DANCE AND THE BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE
• Mexican influences on the American cowboy:1. Round-up, brand, care – vaquero
2. Texas Longhorn – sturdy, hardy cattle to survive harsh, dry climate
3. Caballo (rough horse) riata (rope)
• Chisholm Trail – From San Antonio to Abilene, KS – Cattle were pushed north to railroad stations where they were transferred across the West and northern U.S. to meet the growing demand for beef.
CATTLE BUSINESS
• Spring Round-up• Long Drive – 3 months – 1 cowboy per 250 head• 14 hour days, as young as 15 years old.
• Wild West Show – 1880’s William Cody, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane – performances of the West came to life.
• End of Long Drive – Barbed Wire – Joseph Glidden – Cheap and easy to fence off property.
ROUND UP/LONG DRIVE
• 1870-1900 – 400 million acres were settled – Government support of railroads made this settlement possible.
• 5 total transcontinental railroads were built.• Union Pacific – moved west from Nebraska and Central
Pacific moved eastward from California and they met in Promontory Point, Utah.
• Homestead Act – 1862-1900 160 acres per family to encourage settlement in the west.
• Exodusters - African Americans who moved from the south to Kansas.
• Railroads and for Profit speculators – Acquired much of the land.
CHAPTER 5, SECTION 2SETTLING THE GREAT
PLAINS
Oklahoma Sooners – Gov. strengthened the Homestead Act to help more settlers and not businesses 1. Huge land giveaway in OK.2. Settlers to OK to claim land in a massive rush.3. Some claimed land “sooner” than the government
opened and declared it available.
Land in Wyoming was unique and beautiful and shouldn’t be settled – Yellowstone National Park was created.
CLOSING OF THE FRONTIER
• Difficult life: drought, floods, fires, blizzards• Soddy: dugout, sod home• Women – sheared sheep, made soap, canned food.
• Farmers – John Deere, McCormick, tractors, plows,
• Morrill Act – Federal land to states for Agricultural Education programs to help Farmers learn farming methods in arid soil.
LIFE ON THE FRONTIER
• Farmers were in debt and when crop prices fell, they would borrow more money and plant more crops to repay the debt.
• Enormous single crop farms that would sometimes fail due to drought and dropping prices.
• Railroads also charged framers high prices for shipping grain.
• Farmers joined together for a common cause to protect their farms from corruption and big business/government practices.
BONANZA FARMS
• Farmer’s Alliance Movement – Mary E. Lease – helped to shed light on the issues of concern to farmers.
• Farmers turned the “Great American Desert” into the “breadbasket of the nation.” but were being taken advantage of by practices of the government and the railroad.
• Civil War Greenbacks were being taken out of circulation, and Farmer’s prices went down.
• Oliver Hudson Kelley – Patrons of Husbandry – provided social and learning opportunities for farmers, but began to focus on fighting the Railroads.
• Farmer’s cooperatives.
POPULIST MOVEMENT
• Populism – the movement of the people – they favored:1. Graduated income tax2. Popular election of Senators3. Single terms for Pres and VP4. Secret ballot.
• These changes attracted struggling farmers who elected a Democratic president, William Mckinley
• Government responsible for reforming social injustices.
POPULISM
• Gold Standard – Government gives only Gold in exchange for paper currency
• Bimetallism – Government will exchange silver or gold for paper currency.
• Republicans (McKinley) favored Gold Standard and Democrats (Williams Jennings Bryan) favored both gold and silver.
• When McKinley won the election, Populism ended.• Legacy of Populism – the underdog can organize against
business/government injustice. A list of reforms began, which would be enacted later during the Progressive Era.
SILVER OR GOLD?