8/9/2019 Unit 7 Section of Chapter 26 Reading Guide
1/2
(Only read pages 590-596, 600-604, 608, 611-612)
Chapter 26 he Great West and the Agricultural Revolution,
1865–1896
0THEMES FOR UNIT 7 SECTION
After the Civil ar, !hites "ver#a$e the %lains &ndians'
fier#e resistan#e and settled the reat est, ringing t" a #l"sethe
l"ng fr"ntier phase "f A$eri#an hist"ry*
+he far$ers !h" p"plated the est f"nd the$selves the vi#ti$s "f
an e#"n"$i# rev"lti"n in agri#ltre*
SUMMARY
At the #l"se "f the Civil ar, the reat %lains and "ntain est
!ere still "##pied y &ndians !h" hnted
ffal" "n h"rsea#. and fier#ely resisted !hite en#r"a#h$ent
"n their land and !ay "f life* /t the !hites' railr"ads,$ining, and
livest"#. r".e p &ndian +errit"ry, !hile diseases nder#t their
strength and n$ers* A #y#le "f
envir"n$ental destr#ti"n and intertrial !arfare eventally
"ver#a$e &ndian resistan#e and s""n threatened ative
A$eri#ans' very eisten#e* +he federal g"vern$ent #"$ined a
$is#"n#eived treaty3 pr"gra$ !ith inter$ittent !arfare
t" f"r#e the &ndians "nt" largely arren reservati"ns*
+he $ining and #attle fr"ntiers #reated #"l"rfl #hapters in
!estern hist"ry* ar$ers #arried "t the final phase "f
settle$ent, lred y free h"$esteads, railr"ads, and
irrigati"n*
/eginning in the 180s, far$ers egan pshing int" the treeless
prairies ey"nd the 100th $eridian, sing
te#hnies "f dry far$ing that gradally #"ntrited t" s"il l"ss*
&rrigati"n pr"7e#ts, later finan#ed y the federalg"vern$ent,
all"!ed spe#ialied far$ing in $any areas "f the arid est, in#lding
Calif"rnia*
As the far$ers "pened vast ne! lands, agri#ltre !as e#"$ing a
$e#hanied siness dependent "n spe#ialied
pr"d#ti"n and internati"nal $ar.ets* On#e de#lining pri#es
and "ther !"es d""$ed the far$ers t" per$anent det and
dependen#y, they egan t" pr"test their l"t, first thr"gh the
range*
Reading Guide
The Clash of Cultures on the lains
ring the Civil ar, h"! !as the est eing !"n:3"ll"!ing the Civil
ar, !hat !as happening "n the %lains in et!een the id!est and
Calif"rnia:
Con!uest of the lains Indians
+he intrsi"n "f !hites "nt" the reat %lains de#i$ated native
p"plati"ns thr"gh disease and set tries against ea#h"ther in
#"$petiti"n f"r ever-d!indling res"r#es* +he g"vern$ent tried t"
pa#ify the &ndians y signing treaties !ith
the$ ; treating the$ as
2s"vereign3 nati"ns and f"r#ing the$ "nt" reservati"ns in
e#hange f"r $aterial enefits* /t
these treaties ass$ed that &ndians had asi#ally
