Westward Expansion

PHYSICAL AND CLIMATE FEATURES OF THE GREAT PLAINS  Flatlands that rise gradually from east to west  Land eroded by wind and water  Low rainfall  Frequent dust storms  Treeless wasteland?

Dust StormStorm

 Because of new technologies, people saw the Great Plains not as a “treeless wasteland” but as a vast frontier to be settled.

How Did People Adapt to Life in Challenging Environments?

 Used to show property lines & hold in cattle

2. STEEL PLOWS  Used to break up the tough sod and plant crops

 Farmers grew crops less dependent on water (wheat)

 Cattle made a good profit for farmers and they did not need a lot of water to survive

 Like cattle, wheat could survive well on the plains and made the farmers a profit.

 Windmills were used to help pump water out from the ground.

 Railroads connected the west and east coasts. They helped transport food, goods, and people faster than ever.

Promontory Point

Why Did Westward Expansion Occur After the Civil War?

 Many people moved west in hopes to own their own land. Land on the plains was very cheap.

 Many African Americans wanted to create their own communities free from white men’s laws

How Did the Lives of Indigenous Peoples of North America Change With Western Expansion?

GeronimoSitting Bull Crazy Horse

THE BATTLE AT LITTLE BIGHORN 1876 “Custer’s Last Stand”

“I Will Fight No More Forever” Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce Tribe

Massacre at Wounded Knee Last major battle of the Indian Wars Small Pox Blankets Introduction to new diseases wiped out large numbers of indigenous peoples

In this treaty, signed on April 29, 1868, between the U.S. Government and the Sioux Nation, the United States recognized the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation, set aside for exclusive use by the Sioux people.