The South and West Transformed Native American Wars Sharecroppers Cowboys

New South After the Civil War, the South was desperate to rebuild the economy. High illiteracy rates among poor whites and African Americans held back Southern development and further isolated the region during a time of great economic growth and development.

Exodusters Leave the South As a result of the Black Codes and KKK terrorism, between 1878 & 1882, over 20,000 African Americans, called Exodusters, left the South. The Exodusters settled in small communities in Kansas and Nebraska. The Exodusters migration was motivated by a desire for freedom and independence.

Buffalo Soldiers African American soldiers, known as Buffalo Soldiers, were responsible for safely escorting settlers westward and protecting railroad crews. Buffalo Soldiers made up the 9th and 10th Calvary divisions of the U.S. Army. The Buffalo Soldiers home base was Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas.

Construction of the Railroads In 1869, the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific connected the nation coast to coast. The government gave the railroads unlimited access to land to construct rail lines. In the west, a shortage of cheap labor led to the immigration of over 10,000 Chinese immigrants who built the western tracks.

Railroad Culture The railroad owners became some of the most powerful men in the nation. Workers earned wages of about $1.00 a day. The railroads broke the country into four time zones to help them establish consistent train schedules and to reduce the risk of train accidents.

Railroad Culture https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=AvXvBPw6Uqc A transcontinental railroad promoted trade and provided jobs. The railroads also sped up settlement of the West, cutting travel time from months to days. Wherever railroads were built, new towns sprang up.

Railroads and the Cattle Industry There was high demand for cattle in the East, and a surplus of cattle in Texas. No railroads reached Texas yet, so cowboys were hired to take the cattle North to the nearest Railroad. Most cowboys were white teenage boys (12-18), but there were also many African American and Hispanic cowboys.

Native Americans in the West For hundreds of years, white settlers had gradually pushed the Native American people westward. Following the Civil War, the U.S. government forced Native Americans to live on Reservations. As a result, some native people fell into a cycle of poverty and despair.

Assimilation of the Native Americans White citizens living in the eastern U.S. began to speak out against the poor treatment of Native Americans. In 1887, the U.S. Government enacted the Dawes Act, which set out to eliminate the Native American way of life. The goal of the Dawes Act was to assimilate, or force Native Americans to become absorbed into the main culture of the country.

Dawes Act The Dawes Act gave the U.S. government the authority to divide the reservations into 160 acre privately owned farms. Native Americans, totally unfamiliar with the concept of land ownership, lost over 50% of their reservation lands to speculators and white settlers.

Ghost Dance Native Americans looked toward traditions as a way to regain their spirit. In 1890, on the Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota, an ancient Ghost Dance was held. The dance was led by religious leaders called shamans.

Farmers on the Great Plains The Homestead Act: allowed anyone to claim up to 160 acres of land. Had to improve upon the land Farm it and survive for 5 years This brought millions of people to the West Caused land rushes for settlement in the Oklahoma territory