the last west american social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier....

The Last West

American social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier. This perennial rebirth, this fluidity of American life, this expansion westward with its new opportunities, its continuous touch with the simplicity of primitive society, furnish the forces dominating American character. The true point of view in the history of this nation is not the Atlantic coast, it is the Great West.

-- Frederick Jackson Turner, 1893

Westward Expansion

Miners

Farmers

Ranchers

Native Americans

Promontory Point, UT 1869Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad

Transcontinental Railroad

Views of Duluth, 1870-1905

Railroad in Yosemite

Hitting the Trail

Westward Expansion

Miners

Farmers

Ranchers

Native Americans

Homestead Act of 1862Large numbers of new farmers (freedmen, immigrants)Technology changesTransportation changesRough Life (weather, economics, declining status)

Homestead Act 1862 – cheap land and sod homes, but a lonely life.

Population in Midwest increased from 300,000 in 1860 to 5 million in 1900

Tools of Pioneer Life

Sod Farmers

Settler in North Dakota

Westward Expansion

Miners

Farmers

Ranchers

Native Americans


Sutter’s Mill, 1848Gold Rush FeverMining TownsItinerant Population“Wild West”

The Black Hills

Settlers in the West

Westward Expansion

Miners

Farmers

Ranchers

Native Americans



Needed large tracts of grasslandThe Cattle KingdomOpen Range vs. Fencing

Westward Expansion

Miners

Farmers

Ranchers

Native Americans



Needed large tracts of grasslandThe Cattle KingdomOpen Range vs. Fencing

View of land ownershipNomadic lifestyleConflict with railroadsSlaughter of buffaloPlains Wars

Native Americans in the Rockies

Chief Sitting Bull

Won at Little Big Horn, but victory didn’t last long.

Comanche...the only U.S. Army survivor from the Battle of Little Big Horn

Drawing of the battle by Red Horse

Wounded Knee, South Dakota 1890

By 1900, the Indian population had fallen to 250,000…resistance was over.

Solving the Indian problem

• Humanitarian cause

• Dawes Severality Act

• Assimilation of Native Americans– Settled– Agricultural– Christian

American Horse with children and relatives during an 1882 visit to

the Carlisle Indian School.

Cheyenne woman named Woxie Haury in ceremonial dress, and, in wedding

portrait with husband.

Problems with the Dawes Act and the desire for even more land.

Oklahoma Land Rush 1889

Visualizing Westward Expansion

• Choose one of the groups in the western United States.– Farmer, Miner, Rancher, Native American

• Draw a picture showing how that group would have viewed the West in the late 1800s.

• You should:– Be creative, colorful, accurate, and as detailed as possible.– Consider point of view: would your group see the West in a

positive or negative way? What features of the landscape (natural or manmade) would they emphasize?

• Coming up…– We will be hanging up and sharing the posters– You will be asked to write about the similarities and differences in

how these groups viewed their world.

• Grade: 20 points– Your grade will be based on: content information (10), creativity

(5), and clarity in communicating your idea (5)

“Dances with Wolves” Activity

• Watch selected clips from movie.• Write a 1-2 page essay evaluating how well the movie

portrayed the points of view among different groups in the West.

• Use the clips from the movie, the poster activity, and the class discussion as your supporting evidence.

• Develop a thesis, and be sure to use details to support it.• Grade: 25 points

– You grade will be based on: strong thesis statement (5); detailed and accurate supporting evidence (10); clear conclusion (5); technical accuracy, i.e.spelling, grammar (5)

– Be sure to use specific evidence – do not just write how you feel.

the last west american social development has been continually beginning over again on the frontier....

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