The Gilded Age Ch. 2 The West

Growth of mining industry – 1 st large wave of settlers to the west (Gold, silver, copper, quartz) – By the summer of 1879 as many as 1000 newcomers a week arrived in the west – Hydraulic Mining – method of mining by which water is sprayed at a very high pressure against a hill or mountain, exposing the minerals beneath the surface Ranching and Cattle Drives – Beef prices rise – Open Range – vast areas of grassland owned by the federal government – Chisholm trail – Barbed Wire – the open range closes were fenced easily and cheaply – Ranching becomes big Business - Haciendas, huge ranches, popped up in the southwest

Farming the Plains Great Plains- The Dakotas to the Rocky Mountains – Homestead – tract of public land available for settlement Sodbusters – Great Plains farmers – Homestead act Legal method to acquire property – Farming methods Dry farming – plant seeds deep in the ground Bonanza farming – large, highly profitable wheat farms – Rail lines – pushing further west – The closing of the frontier 1889 – Oklahoma Land Rush

Native Americans As ranchers, miners, and farmers settled in the Great Plains they depraved Native American of their resources Uprisings and Battles increase Dakota Sioux – 1862 – annuities, money paid on contract at different intervals Sand creek massacre – Native Americans brutally murdered in response to settler attacks Indian Peace commission – proposed creating two large reservations on the Plains, cooperation not ensured Battle of Little Big Horn and George Custer – Sitting Bull Tragedy at wounded Knee – result from banned “Ghost Dance” The Dawes Act – Assimilation – to absorb a group into the culture of another population – Allotments – land assigned to an individual for a specific use

Dawes Act Assimilation Americanization National Identity

Dawes Act ProsCons

Frayer Model Americanization Assimilation National Identity

Definitions Americanization – causing someone to acquire American traits and characteristics – Ex: movies, ? Assimilation – to absorb a group into the culture of a larger population – Ex: Religions, ? National Identity - the depiction of a country as a whole, encompassing its culture, traditions, language, and politics – Ex: World Cup, ?