Download - The American West
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?