The Western Fronteir Introduction

Introduction Miners, ranchers, farmers, and others from the east rushed westward; inspired by the fundamental belief of Manifest Destiny. Along the way, these pioneers settled the land that had been acquired by the U.S. over time. In the midst of this great accomplishment, the Native people of the land were confronted with a major struggle.

Manifest Destiny: The idea made popular in the US in the 1800s that the country must expand its boundaries to the Pacific. -GO BACK

Native American Struggles The thing that has the biggest impact on Native American culture is their environment. The Indians of the Plains States were mostly nomadic, and depended on the Buffalo for their food supply, clothing, shelter, and many other aspects of life. As white American settlers moved westward they began competing with the Native Americans for living space. Because of this competition the buffalo population was negatively impacted, and many Native American groups were forced off of their home lands. A major development in transportation that enabled settlers to move faster than ever before was the railroad. In particular, the Transcontinental Railroad, allowed settlers to travel across the continent by land at a rapid pace.

The Iroquois of the eastern woodlands culture area (New York State) had a very different culture than the Plains Indians. The Iroquois lived in long houses, hunted bear and deer, fished, and had to survive harsh winters in higher elevations. Their environment determined their culture. -Go Back

The Buffalo While the Natives of the plains depended on the buffalo for survival, many white settlers did not. Many settlers chose to kill the buffalo in huge quantities, just to make money from the furs. Others would just shoot the buffalo from the windows of their train for sport. The buffalo population was almost completely destroyed as a result of the western migration. BACK

(Means pre-settlers) Go Back

The Transcontinental Railroad NEXT A major development in the transportation out west was the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. This was a RR line which stretched across the continental United States. Many Chinese and Irish immigrants contributed greatly to the development of the railroad.

The Wild West As a result of the rapid expansion out west (encouraged by the Homestead Act), towns and villages were being settled quicker than the law could catch up with them. This rapid growth helped to cause an abundance of outlaws in the western frontier. Many of these outlaws became famous, and so did the vigilantes who attempted to bring them to justice. Click on one of the characters on this page and write a little summary of their profile. TO Intro