The Western Frontier

Great Plains – Grassland through the west U.S. Indians – Horse/Guns changed their way of life 1.“Counting Coup” – Touch a live enemy with a stick and escape undetected. 2.Buffalo – they used every part for food, blankets, teepees, etc. 3.Men – warriors/hunters 4.Women – butchered small game and prepared hides could chose their own husbands. Medicine men or women – spiritual leaders Land - owned by the whole – common land SECTION 1, THE GREAT PLAINS

Settlers wanted to claim land that the Indians didn’t claim or settle. Gold was discovered in Colorado and immigrants from all over the world came for a better life. Government – created boundaries with Indians. But Indians saw the land as and “open range” and often strayed from their boundaries. SETTLERS

Colonel John Chivington, “I want no peace till the Indians suffer more.” His troops attacked the Indians camped at Sand Creek. Killed 150 women and children from Cheyenne and Araphaho. SAND CREEK MASSACRE

The U.S. Government trail ran directly through Sioux hunting grounds. The Sioux chief asked the government to end the white settlement on the trail, to no avail. Crazy Horse (Sioux chief) attacked Fettermen’s company and killed 80 soldiers. (Fetterman Massacre or Battle of 100 Slain) Treaty of Fort Laramie - Government finally closed the Bozeman Trail if the Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River. (Sitting Bull never signed the Treaty, and the other Sioux leaders expected to still use the hunting grounds.) BOZEMAN TRAIL

Red River War – U.S. Army gathered all friendly tribes and placed them on a reservation. All other tribes were attacked and destroyed. Gold Rush to Colorado – Cheyenne and Arapaho appealed to the Government to keep the white settlers off their land, but refused. Custer’s Last Stand – Custer attempted to attack 2,000 Indians (Including Sitting Bull) at the Little Bighorn River – the Indians outflanked him, killing Custer and all of this regiment. “Custer rode to his death.” RED RIVER WAR AND CUSTER’S LAST STAND

“Americanize” Native Americans – give each family 160 acres and each individual 80 acres. White settlers took most of the land and the Native Americans were never paid for their land. Assimilation – Native Americans were expected to give up their beliefs and way of life in order to become part of the white culture. Buffalo – 1800 – 65 million buffalo roamed the Great Plains By 1890, fewer than 1,000 remained Yellowstone National Park became a refuge for the last single herd of buffalo. DAWES ACT

Ghost Dance – Sioux ritual dance to bring back the way of life the Native Americans enjoyed before the settlers came. (Sitting Bull was killed during an attempted arrest.) The Battle of Wounded Knee – 350 starving and freezing Sioux were rounded up disarmed, and taken to a camp. Someone fired a shot, and the soldiers opened fire. 300 Sioux, mostly women and children were slaughtered. GHOST DANCE AND THE BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE

Mexican influences on the American cowboy: 1.Round-up, brand, care – vaquero 2.Texas Longhorn – sturdy, hardy cattle to survive harsh, dry climate 3.Caballo (rough horse) riata (rope) Chisholm Trail – From San Antonio to Abilene, KS – Cattle were pushed north to railroad stations where they were transferred across the West and northern U.S. to meet the growing demand for beef. CATTLE BUSINESS

Spring Round-up Long Drive – 3 months – 1 cowboy per 250 head 14 hour days, as young as 15 years old. Wild West Show – 1880’s William Cody, Annie Oakley, Calamity Jane – performances of the West came to life. End of Long Drive – Barbed Wire – Joseph Glidden – Cheap and easy to fence off property. ROUND UP/LONG DRIVE

– 400 million acres were settled – Government support of railroads made this settlement possible. 5 total transcontinental railroads were built. Union Pacific – moved west from Nebraska and Central Pacific moved eastward from California and they met in Promontory Point, Utah. Homestead Act – acres per family to encourage settlement in the west. Exodusters - African Americans who moved from the south to Kansas. Railroads and for Profit speculators – Acquired much of the land. CHAPTER 5, SECTION 2 SETTLING THE GREAT PLAINS

Oklahoma Sooners – Gov. strengthened the Homestead Act to help more settlers and not businesses 1.Huge land giveaway in OK. 2.Settlers to OK to claim land in a massive rush. 3.Some claimed land “sooner” than the government opened and declared it available. Land in Wyoming was unique and beautiful and shouldn’t be settled – Yellowstone National Park was created. CLOSING OF THE FRONTIER

Difficult life: drought, floods, fires, blizzards Soddy: dugout, sod home Women – sheared sheep, made soap, canned food. Farmers – John Deere, McCormick, tractors, plows, Morrill Act – Federal land to states for Agricultural Education programs to help Farmers learn farming methods in arid soil. LIFE ON THE FRONTIER

Farmers were in debt and when crop prices fell, they would borrow more money and plant more crops to repay the debt. Enormous single crop farms that would sometimes fail due to drought and dropping prices. Railroads also charged framers high prices for shipping grain. Farmers joined together for a common cause to protect their farms from corruption and big business/government practices. BONANZA FARMS

Farmer’s Alliance Movement – Mary E. Lease – helped to shed light on the issues of concern to farmers. Farmers turned the “Great American Desert” into the “breadbasket of the nation.” but were being taken advantage of by practices of the government and the railroad. Civil War Greenbacks were being taken out of circulation, and Farmer’s prices went down. Oliver Hudson Kelley – Patrons of Husbandry – provided social and learning opportunities for farmers, but began to focus on fighting the Railroads. Farmer’s cooperatives. POPULIST MOVEMENT

Populism – the movement of the people – they favored: 1.Graduated income tax 2.Popular election of Senators 3.Single terms for Pres and VP 4.Secret ballot. These changes attracted struggling farmers who elected a Democratic president, William Mckinley Government responsible for reforming social injustices. POPULISM

Gold Standard – Government gives only Gold in exchange for paper currency Bimetallism – Government will exchange silver or gold for paper currency. Republicans (McKinley) favored Gold Standard and Democrats (Williams Jennings Bryan) favored both gold and silver. When McKinley won the election, Populism ended. Legacy of Populism – the underdog can organize against business/government injustice. A list of reforms began, which would be enacted later during the Progressive Era. SILVER OR GOLD?