Goal 4: Western Expansion

Plains Indians Great Plains or Great American Desert

◦ Thought to be uninhabitable ◦ Americans generalized all “Indians” into one group

without recognizing the significant differences between tribes

Nomadic lifestyle ◦ Moved with the herds and the land

Importance of the horses and buffalo ◦ Apart of the land and not things to own

Communal living ◦ Shared land as it wasn’t seen as a possessionor what was produced/hunted from the land

Common use of the tribe’s land ◦ Common good over individual

Sioux, Lakota, Cheyenne, Apache, Nez Pierce, Blackfeet

American Interests Lands given by treaty to Indian groups

◦ Taken back after gold and silver are found on them

California Gold Rush, 1849◦ Drive to acquire and become wealthy ◦ Drastic population increase

Homestead Act, 1862◦ 160 Acres given free in exchange for: a road

being built, a well dug and a 5 year promise Transcontinental Railroad building

◦ Massacre of the buffalo herds Killed 100s and let meat spoil, problematic for

railroad so eliminated

◦ Central and Pacific Railroads Need to connect coast to coast Central began in California Pacific began in Nebraska

◦ Promontory Point, Utah, 1869 Meeting of the Central and the Pacific Railroads

Indian Restrictions Treatise were broken

◦ Indians forced into reservations Government limited contact with settlers in

order to prevent issues

◦ Government payment and supplies were not delivered as promised

◦ Treatise were agreed to by both sides and both sides did not follow the treatise

Indians uprisings ◦ Dakota Uprising, 1862

Massacre at Sandy Creek, 1864◦ Caused increased violence as Indians

were attacked while on reservation ◦ John Chivington leads Army unit in

massacre of Cheyenne Fetterman’s Massacre, 1866

◦ Fetterman’s small army band crushed by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and Red Cloud’s warriors

◦ Attack by Indians to prevent a road that was planned for gold mines

Indian Wars – Defeat of Plains Indians

Gold found in the Black Hills of the Dakotas ◦ Sioux try to defend area promised to

them By treatise

◦ Army sends George Custer Ahead with 250 men

Little Bighorn, 1876 (Montana) ◦ Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull lead warriors

as Custer and all his men were killed Crazy Horse surrenders and Sitting Bull flees

to Canada but is captured Custer is anxious to begin battle and starts

before rest of calvary arrives

Nez Perce Indians, 1877◦ Led by Chief Joseph, they refused to go to

reservation Had assimilated and “christianized”

◦ Chased by the Army for over 1000 miles until captured

◦ “I will fight no more forever”◦ Captured and banished to Oklahoma –

lobbies Washington for Indian rights

Assimilation “Century of Dishonor”

◦ Helen Hunt Jackson ◦ Shattered treatise and mistreatment ◦ Recognition of Indians in Court

Some people supported assimilation of Indians◦ Indian children are educated like white

settlers◦ Civilize and Christianize

Dawes Act passed, 1887◦ Attempt to speed up assimilation◦ Indians treated as individuals and not as

nations/tribes ◦ 160 Acres to each family – based on

calculation of what was needed in the east to support a family; calculation was too low and was not enough land

◦ Most of land was eventually taken by speculators Was supposed to stay in the family for 25

years to allow children to learn how to farm

End of Indian Lifestyle Assimilation – to make apart of the

established culture Destruction of the buffalo

◦ Forcing Indians to become farmers and settle in one spot

Ghost Dance Movement◦ Believed it would return the land to the

Indians and the Buffalo would return as well

◦ Sioux spiritual dance◦ Dance was outlawed ◦ Sitting Bull was believed to be

responsible to they attempt to arrest him and the result is Wounded Knee

Wounded Knee, 1890◦ Massacre of several hundred Sioux◦ Ground was covered in the blood of the

dead who had attempted to flee Indian Era Comes to an End

RANCHING AND MINING

Goal 4

Open Range

Great Plains area – “Great American Desert”

No boundaries to man or cattle ◦Texas Longhorn, cattle was branded

to tell owner but all cattle roamed freely and was collected for cattle drives in the spring

Low population ◦No need for fences◦No need for law enforcement

Cattle Kingdom Greater urban populations

demanded more food ◦ Immigration increase across the

country as well as people getting back to normal after the war

Cattle drives to meet railroads◦ Access to eastern markets◦ Developed the legend of the

cowboyLegend of the cowboy

◦ Mexican influence◦ Trained horses to collect cattle

that roamed freely (Texas Longhorn)

◦ Very lonely and lawless lifestyle

Cattle’s Decline Too many cattle – supply was

higher than demand (surplus) causing prices to drop but expenses to rise to ship cattle and feed cattle

Disease Drought – brutal winters and hot

summers killed grass and cattleBarbed wire fences blocked open

range ◦Cattle were not able to roam and the

food supply disappeared

Mining Towns Gold Rushes – mass chaos to find gold

◦Population problems, law enforcement issues, food issues

◦California, 1849 – 49ers, admittance to the Union as free or slave

◦Black Hills – Sioux Indian land◦Comstock Lade◦Alaska

Ghost Towns ◦Miners leave and follow the legends of the

next strike somewhere else ◦Mines polluted water supply and many people

poisoned

Mining Life Large mix of people

◦ Various backgrounds and expertise ◦ Ethnicities varied

Many opportunities for everyone◦ Building towns and filling them with businesses◦ Traveling salesmen to profit off of settlers and

Miners Saloons, gambling

◦ Profiteers from mining rush◦ Added to the “Wild West”

Hard luck ◦ Very little surface gold for the influx of miners to

find ◦ Mining was dangerous

“ Wild West” Legend of Adventure

◦ Wild Bill Hickok ◦ Calamity Jane ◦ Wyatt Earp ◦ Jesse James ◦ Billy the Kid

Dime novels that told western tales◦ Glamerized the experience as the “Wild West” ◦ Traveling shows – similar to the circus

Only last about 30 years◦ By 1890 it was declare there was no frontier –

every mile had been settled according the census

FARMERS AND THE POPULISTS

Goal 4

Farmer’s Problems Weather problems – droughts; tornadoes;

harsh winters; flooding Failing prices – costs to ship and harvest

were higher than the price they could sell the produce for; led to surplus which led to decreased prices and high debt

Increasing debt – many became tenant farmers as they were so deep in debt

Dependant upon railroads – only way to transport to the markets back East and West

Need for cheaper money ◦Deflation and inflation

Railroad Abuses Construction graft – passed the cost of

building the railroad on to the people who used it to transport their goods

Bribes Stock watering Unfair pricing

◦Long haul ◦Short haul

All of these things lead to the farmer/rancher/settler not trusting the railroad, going further into debt; raising the price of food; the call for Free Silver; the Grange Movement; Populism

The Grange Also called the “Patrons of Husbandry”Began as a social group – organized by Oliver

Kelley; educated members on new technology and techniques of farming

Evolved into a political group Called for regulation of railroads

◦ “Granger Laws” – mid-western state laws that regulated railroad abuses

◦ Called for a set price for shipping freightICC – Interstate Commerce Act

◦ Federal law that regulates commerce Currency reform – farmers organize into co-ops

to sell produce as a group and therefore reduce the cost to the individual to ship the produce

Populism - Took the place of the Grange – based on Grange

Movement Ideals; grassroots political partyStrong mid-west support – spread East and

West quickly Reform based party – grew quickly as it was not

a 3rd party with a single issueOmaha Platform, 1892

◦ Increase $ supply – free silver idea ◦ Income tax – introduced as a means to pay for

infastructure improvements ◦ Secret ballots – prevent election ballot box

corruption (Tammeny Ring) ◦ 8 hour work day – appeal to the Eastern (urban) vote◦ Immigration control – stealing American jobs

Bryan and End of Populists 1896 election – modern tactics of traveling the

country and appealing to the common person William McKinley Rep – support base was urban

and upper class◦ Gold Standard

William Jennings Bryan-Dem/Pop ◦ Free Silver – Populist ideal not initially supported by

the democrats◦ “Cross of Gold Speech” – oppression of the American

farmer and worker should end McKinley wins election – beats Bryan again in

the next electionPopulism dies – Democrats; Bryan looses both

elections

Goal 4 Socratic Discussion Why did people move out West after the

Civil War and what problems did they face? (Motivations, Consequences, Success/Failure)

What impact did American settlement in the West have on the Native Americans?

What factors are related to Populist Movement?

What inventions/technology were used in dealing with the American West?

What are some of the people, events, and terms that are associated with a rise in nationalism in America in the1800s?

Free Silver Crusade Panic of 1893 – Overseas panic spreads to

America and the psychological effects created a panic◦Nation enters a recession – 4 years

Many people promote silver and gold standard for $ - solutions to the problem of not enough cash flowing

Would create a larger money supply – Silver widely available so high inflation

Gold standard only would decrease money supply – gold was less available and therefore the scarcity would make cash be more scarce as well; stability or deflation