The Western Crossroads

Vocabulary WordsVocabulary Words• Nomad – A member of a group/tribe that

doesn’t have a permanent home and moves around in search of food.

• Assimilation – A cultural absorption of Native Americans into “White America.”

• Exodusters – Black settlers who moved West after Reconstruction to find economic and political freedom. – Many went to Kansas

• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Created in 1862 to help farmers adapt to the plains environment – Taught improved farming techniques.

• Bonanza Farms – Large scale farm usually owned by a large company and run like a factory; used new farm machinery, managers, and specialized labor.

• Texas Longhorn – A breed of cattle that were more hardy than others – Could survive

long drives with little water, eating only grass

• Long Drives – The driving of cattle herds from Texas to railroad centers.

• Railhead – A town located along a railroad – Became known as cattle towns

• Open Range – Government allowed cattle ranches to use public land for grazing – no charge.

• Vaqueros – Spanish word meaning “cowboy”

• Vigilante – Unofficial, private police forces in mining communities.

• Capital – Wealth used to produce goods and services.

The Great American DesertThe Great American Desert The Great American Desert was the name

given to the Great Plains between the 100th Meridian and the Rocky Mountains.

American’s in the North and South saw this land as uninhabitable, do to the lack of rainfall and dry climate.

Traders and pioneers reveal that the Great Plains actually had great farmland (had to know how to use it) and cattle ranching.

By the 1850s – White settlers began to move westward.

Native American LifestyleNative American Lifestyle Plains Indians were nomads – Hunter and Gatherers –

Lived off the land.- They were expert horsemen, hunted/fought with spears and

short bows, and had a great dependency on the land and each other.

Dependence on the Buffalo

- Food source: Used the entire Buffalo – Hides for clothing and shelter.

-15,000,000 Buffalo grazed the plains in 1865

Non-Indian diseases reduced the Native American population to about 360,000 in 1850.

Indians were fierce fighters, using an assortment of different tactics.

- By 1850s, the development of the revolver gave the white settlers the advantage in weaponry.

Review of MaterialReview of Material• What piece of land was known as the Great

American Desert?

• Who were exodusters?

• Traders and WHO found that the land was actually great for farming?

• What is a nomad?

• What animal did the Native Americans depend most upon?

• What reduced the Indian population?

• Define assimilation…

Government Indian PolicyGovernment Indian Policy Bureau of Indian Affairs (War Department) – Its

job was to carry out the federal governments Indian policies.

- Two problems…1. Worked close with the U.S. Army – This

sent a clear message that if policies weren’t meet they would be enforced by the military.

2. Corrupt bureau agents – Often sold to non-Indians the supplies intended for Native

Americans.

After the Civil War – miners, cattle ranchers, land speculators, and farmers moved West.

Reservations – Forced resettlements of Native Americans on sharply defined tracts of

government land.- Reservations were too small to allow the

Indians to continue their hunting way of life.

- Government promises of food, land, money were rarely met.

- Difficult for Native Americans to farm – Reservations were usually

constructed on the worse farmland.

Native American Tribes Native American Tribes become Dissatisfiedbecome Dissatisfied

Government allowed hunters to wipe out much of the buffalo population to keep the

Native American’s on the reservations. - Hunters would be paid up to three dollars

for every hide sold.- “Every buffalo dead is an Indian gone!”

Reservations were too restrictive and government agents were corrupt.

The “White Men” would break treaties with the tribes over and over again.

Today’s ReservationsToday’s Reservations

1. How many Native American reservations are still around today?

2. How many Native Americans live on these reservations?

3. Name three reservations and their locations.

4. Give me three facts about today’s Native American reservations…

5. What are the conditions like at the majority of the reservations? Explain…

Sand Creek MassacreSand Creek Massacre Pressure was put on the Cheyenne and

Arapahos Indians to leave the Colorado Territory.

They resisted the move and clashed with some local militia.

The tribe decided that peace was the best option. They rest at Sand Creek…

Colonel John Chivington and 700 army troops attacked and killed 200 unarmed

Cheyenne and Arapaho women and children.

- This event will encourage more conflicts between the Army and the Indians

Some Indians resisted, left reservations, and returned to the plains.

- Sioux moved to a reservation in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The U.S. Army is sent after the tribes to make them return by force.

Review of MaterialReview of Material• What War Department sector was setup in

order to enforce Indian policy?

• Name one problem with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

• Forced resettlement colonies for Native Americans were known as…?

• Reservations were to small to ________ and they had the worse ______________.

• How did the government make sure the Native Americans would stay on the

reservations?

The Indian Wars The Indian Wars (1860 – 1890)(1860 – 1890)Custer’s Last Stand

- Lakota Sioux were promised land in South Dakota and Wyoming… (The Black Hills)

- Miners started to move into the Black Hills, after gold was discovered in the mountains.

- Problem – Where to relocate the Indians

- The 7th cavalry under General George Armstrong Custer is sent in to clear the Sioux and Cheyenne out.

- Battle of Little Big Horn river – Custer attacked the Sioux and Cheyenne camp under chiefs Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.

- Custer and over 264 men were killed, some scalped and mutilated.

- Aftermath: Crazy Horse is eventually captured and accidentally killed by his guards, while Sitting Bull escaped into Canada.

Nez Perce War- Great cattle ranching and Gold are

discovered in Idaho in 1877.- The Nez Perce tribe is forced to relocate

through military actions. They engage the U.S. Army in three separate occasions.

- Chief Joseph tries to escape, with his tribe, to Canada.

- The Nez Perce successfully evaded the U.S. army under general Oliver Howard for 2 months on their way to Canada.

- 1877 – Within a few miles from the Canadian boarder, the Nez Perce are forced to surrender. - Chief Joseph: “From where the sun stands I

will fight no more, forever.”

Review of MaterialReview of Material

• Name the event where unarmed Cheyenne and Arapaho were butchered by the U.S.

Army.

• What was the outcome of Sand Creek?

• Why was the government making the Indians move again in SD?

• Name the General sent to remove the Indians.

• What Indian tribe did Custer attack?

• Name the battle…

Southwest – ApachesSouthwest – Apaches For more than thirty years, the Apache tribes

and the U.S. military forces had been in conflict.

Finally in 1886, the Apache and Comanche surrendered under Chief Geronimo.

Ghost DanceGhost Dance Considered a Indian religious revival… A

period where Indians started moving back to their own way.

- Hunted Buffalo and sparked hope in defeated Plains Indians.

Wounded Knee – 1890 – Elements of the 7th cavalry massacred 90 men and 200 women and children from the Sioux tribe.

All organized Indian resistance shortly comes to an end.

Review of MaterialReview of Material• Who was the leader of the Apaches that

negotiated peace with the U.S. Army.• This was known as the Indian Religious Revival,

where the Native Americans felt like things were going to go back to normal.

• The Wounded Knee Massacre affected what tribe?

• Famous author who condemned the government for years of broken promises and corrupt treatment suffered by the Indians.

• This act was used to subdivide and allocate lands to Native Americans – 160 acres per family.

Voices of ProtestVoices of Protest By the 1890s, Native Americans had

surrendered more than 450 million acres of land to the United States government.

Helen Hunt Jackson – Wrote A Century of Dishonor, which condemned the government for years of broken promises and corrupt dealings with the Native Americans tribes.

Sarah Winnemucca – She was able to speak several Indian dialects and was used as

a interpreter for the U.S. military. She also worked as a reservation school teacher.

- She lectured to non-Indian audiences and helped awaken the nation to the unfair and corrupt treatment suffered by the Indians.

AssimilationAssimilation Native Americans were forced to farm, sent to

boarding schools, could only speak English, abandon traditional dress and religious

practices and made men cut their hair.Dawes Act – Stated that Indian lands would be

subdivided into allotments. 160 acre lots given to Indian families for farming.- Indians lost most of their land.

Navajos in New Mexico and Arizona overcame resettlement and rebuilt their communities. They made money through

raising sheep, weaving, and silver-smithing.

By the 1890 there were less than 250,000 Native Americans left - * But they did

not vanish!

• A note for your Study Guide –

*Failure of the Dawes Act

- Gave the land, but not the farm equipment or supplies to farm it.

- Office of Indian Affairs did not provide proper health services, so disease and malnutrition were common.

QUIZ – What to study… MC/Matching 15pt

- Vocabulary Sheet – Understand words

- Main individuals we have discussed and their significance.

- Significant Events

Name of the Act Provisions Effect

Homestead Act

Gave 160-acres of land to anyone who

wished to settle a farm in the Great Plains for 5 years.

- Many European Immigrants moved to the

Mid-West- 400,000 families.

Pacific Railway Act

Railroad companies received land grants

and money to develop a

transcontinental railroad.

- Transcontinential railroads opened the West to settlement

in the 1870s and 1880s.

- Railroads advertised the sale of land alongside the

track.

Morrill ActGave land grants to all

the states to set up agricultural colleges.

- Helped farmers to develop the West.

Prairie Life and FarmingPrairie Life and Farming Sod Houses (Soddy) – Settlers built

houses out of brick-like chunks of sod because there was a scarcity of wood.

Dry Farming – Deep plowing to bring moist soil to the surface; harrowed fields after

a rainfall to protect the moist soil.

Four Technological Inventions

1. Barbed Wire was invented by Joseph F. Glidden in 1874.

- Prevented cattle from wandering off

- Kept stray animals from trampling crop

2. Steel windmill was developed by Daniel Halladay

- Windmill powered by prairie winds drew water from the deep underground.

3. Steel Plow

4. The Reaper – Cut wheat and threshed it.

Transcontinental RailroadTranscontinental Railroad Construction started in 1866 Central Pacific

- Built eastward from Sacramento (Pacific Ocean) to center of the Country.

- Recruited Chinese workers called Coolies.

Union Pacific- Built westward from the Union territories

(Atlantic Ocean) to the Pacific Ocean.- Used many Irish immigrants

Promontory Point – Utah – On May 10, 1869, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific are joined by a golden spike.

Transcontinental Railroad connect the Atlantic and Pacific with a week’s journey.

Buffalo herds were split as other transcontinental railroads are built.

Review of MaterialReview of Material• Land Act that gave railroads land grants and money to

develop a transcontinental railroad.• Land Act that gave 160-acres of land to anyone who

wished to settle in the Great Plains.• Land Act, which was setup to give land to agricultural

colleges.• What is the term used to explain the deep plowing of

farm land in order to bring the moist soil to the surface?

• Name a technological invention of the time.• What was the railroad company that was building from

the Atlantic to the pacific? • What company was building from the Pacific?• Name the point where the two companies met.

The Oklahoma SoonersThe Oklahoma Sooners In 1885, the U.S. Government negotiated with

the tribes to open parts of Oklahoma to white settlement.

- Note – Oklahoma was a Indian Territory… usually peaceful… U.S. wanted to expand this territory to white settlers.

President Harrison proclaimed that 160-acre free homesteads would become available to settlers on a first come, first serve basis.

Only 42,000 parcels of land were available – an estimated 100,000 raced to claim plots.

Boomers vs. Sooner's

- Boomers waited for the cannon boom, before racing onto the land.

- Sooner's snuck into the land before the race began and claimed their land.

Oklahoma Land Rush

- At 12:00 Noon, April 22,1889 – 100,000 land hungry pioneers stormed across the district boundary into Oklahoma on horseback and in wagons.

1. Many pioneers evaded government patrols and staked out claims illegally.

2. Within a few hours, all of Oklahoma territory was occupied, and many returned without any land. (Lottery Ticket)

Other Native American lands were made available to white settlers – Overall, tribes lost over 11 million acres of their land to white settlement.

1890 Census: The Superintendent of the Census proclaimed, “There is no longer a significant region of unsettled area in the West.” = The END OF THE FRONTIER!

Review of MaterialReview of Material• Why was the Transcontinental Railroad

important? • What Indian Territory was opened to settlers in

the 1880s?• Name the event that brought thousands of

settlers out to Oklahoma in search of a property.

• Who is a sooner?• Who is a boomer?• What surprising statement came out of the

Census I 1890?

Ranchers Build an EmpireRanchers Build an Empire 1860’s – Millions of wild cattle (Longhorns)

were grazing on the grassy plains and ranches of southeastern Texas.

Birth of the cowboy – Mexican Vaqueros, Texans, Mexican Americans, and black cowboys helped to tame the wild cattle and developed the cattle industry.

Life of a Cowboy – Hard days work ( Up to 14 hour days) A typical session would consist of a Roundup, a Long Drive, and Free time in town. Hard-nose…

By the end of the Civil War the northern cities were growing and there was a great need for meat…

- Railroads helped the cattle industry transport the meat to the large cities.

The Long DriveThe Long Drive Chisholm Trail – Joseph McCoy – Illinois

businessman who organized the shipment of Texas beef cattle from Abilene, Kansas to Chicago along the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

- Cows were worth $4 in Texas and $40 in the East. – Amazing profits.

- Cowboys drove herds of 2,000 to 3,000 along cattle trails north to the railroad towns.

Western Trail to Dodge City, Kansas and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe

Railroads.Goodnight-Loving Trail – Through New Mexico

Territory into Colorado.Shawnee Trail – San Antonio to Kansas City,

Missouri.- Understanding cowboy lifestyles –

Cattle towns became wild centers for the release of weeks of loneliness for cowboys.

Dangers of a Long Drive- The risk of death and loss followed the

Long Drive everyday.- Crossing Rivers – Cattle were swept

away by fast moving currents.- Lightning Bolts – Were a problem for

the cowboys.- Stampedes – Could be caused by

thunder or a simple cough.

The Open RangeThe Open Range The railroads shipped the cattle to meat-

packing centers in Chicago and Kansas City

- Refrigerated railroad cars by 1875***** People rushed to make a profit in the cattle

industry and the production flourished during the 1870s and 1880s.

End of the Open Range- 1885-1887: Two harsh winters and a

summer drought starved thousands of steers- Sheepherders moved West into the

plains. An overabundance of sheep ate the plains grass (On the trails) so low to the ground that there was little left for the cattle.

- Farmers moved in and broke up the open range with barbed-wire fencing.

By the 1890’s cattle ranching moved to the northern plains of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Cattle and Sheep industries became specialized.

Review Review • Once in town, what activities did cowboys

seek for entertainment?• Name some problems that cowboys may face

during a Long Drive.• What are Spanish cowboys known as?• Who is Joseph McCoy?• Longhorns were packed into cattle cars, which

were than ship to _____________ centers.

• Name a factor that contributed to the end of the Open Range.

Gold and Silver DiscoveriesGold and Silver Discoveries• 49ers - Gold found in California in 1848. Tens

of thousands “rushed” to the West coast in 1849 – 50.

- Some struck it rich; MOST failed!• 59ers - Gold found in the Pikes Peak area of

the unorganized territory of Colorado in 1858. California miners rushed over to Colorado…

• Comstock Lode - Tremendous gold and silver strike in the western part of Utah Territory (Nevada) in 1859.

- One of the richest silver veins in the world.

• In 1874, Gold is discovered in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory… What happens here?

Life in the Mining TownsLife in the Mining Towns• Mining towns grew very quickly. Thousands

moved into the land in a matter of weeks. • First, people organized themselves to keep law

and order. These private police forces were known as vigilantes. - Many outlaws moved into the mining cities in

order to steal from the miners.

• These communities will become Ghost Towns, when gold or silver could no longer be

found.

Mining Becomes Big BusinessMining Becomes Big Business• Large mining corporations brought in heavy

equipment and skilled engineers.

• Technological advances helped exploit the great riches of the West which contributed investment capital to the growing industrialization of the United States.

What to study???What to study???• MC,T or F, Matching, Essay, Map, Fill in the

blank

• Indian Section of Notes

• Famous Places???

• Important People of the time…

• Vocabulary Terms

• The Land Acts – Land Rush

• Who are the Cowboys???

• Unit 1 and Unit 2 – STUDY GUIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!