1. The Settlement of the West

2. The Plains Indians Treaty of Fort Laramie- 1851; US Govt. promised several tribes land in the Plains; in return, the tribes promised not to attack settlers and allowed the Govt. to build roads in the territory; the Govt. broke its promise when it heard that the land was fertile and “full” of minerals

3. Buffalo soldiers- 4,000 African American soldiers who served in the US Army and enforced Indian removal while serving in segregated units

4. Old and New Indian Policies The Removal Policy- 1820’s/30’s, the government pushed the Indians living east of the Mississippi River into the Great Plains.

5. Reservation Policy- 1865, Indians were gathered into large areas that would belong to them and were told whites would not bother them

6. Major Battles Chivington, or Sand Creek Massacre- 1864; The Cheyenne Indians were tired of fighting the government over the land and decided to surrender; 700 army troops attacked the tribe and killed 450 women and children

7. Washita Massacre: In 1868 the Cheyenne and Arapaho were attacked in a similar way. This took place in present day Oklahoma. The Indians were forced to settle on reservations

8. Battle of Little Big Horn-1876, fought between Sioux Indians and General Custer's army. Custer was surrounded and killed. Shortly after his entire company was wiped out.

9. Chief Joseph and Nez Perces- 1877, Nez Perces agreed to move to a reservation, but before the did some Indians killed some whites, they fled, but were forced to surrender 30 miles from Canada.

10. Battle of Wounded Knee- 1890, fought b/t Army and followers of Ghost Dance; 300 Sioux and 30 US soldiers were killed; marked the end to Indian wars on the plains

11. Indian Policy Reforms

12. Century of Dishonor- a book written by Helen Hunt Jackson that criticized the govt. for all the broken promises and corrupt dealings with the Indians

13. Assimilation laws-1880’s; laws passed to “Americanize” the Indians; forced to cut their hair, dress like Americans, speak English, change their names, etc.

14. Dawes Act- 1887; divided Indian land up and sold most to white settlers; Indians were able to keep 160 acres but the rest was sold; purpose was to encourage Native Americans to become farmers…more “American”

15. The Railroad’s Role in the Settling of the West

16. Pacific Railway Act- 1862; the government gave land to RR companies to build the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads that would connect both coasts.

17. Land Grants- Land ceded to the railroad companies to encourage them to get into the risky business of transcontinental railroad building.

18. Two major companies were involved in the construction

19. Union Pacific- would build westward from Omaha, Nebraska. A large number of Irish immigrants worked for this line.

20. Central Pacific- would build eastward from California. Construction began in Sacramento, California. A large number of Chinese immigrants were employed by this company.

21. The first transcontinental railroad line was completed in 1869. The meeting of these lines took place at Promontory Point, Utah. By 1900 there were five transcontinental railroad lines across the west.

22. Principal Men Involved in Western Railroad construction Henry Villard Leland Stanford Collis P. Huntington A business conglomerate James J. Hill The Northern Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific and southern Pacific The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe The Great Northern

23. Great Northern Distinctions 1.Last built of the major transcontinental railroad lines 2.Built without federal subsidies 3.The most northern of the lines (Duluth, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington) 4.Work was completed on the Great Northern in 1893

24. Impact of the Railroad on the West Allowed for faster settlement of the west/helped “develop” the west Towns and cities developed along railroad lines which made the economy grow Made goods/supplies available to settlers Provided faster transportation Provided jobs building the railroad (many former slaves and immigrants from Ireland and China Were hired)

25. The railroad replaced the Pony Express for delivering the mail Time zones were established to simplify train schedules; now every place in the same time zone

26. observed the same time Railroads mad the cattle industry boom because cows could be shipped out east and sold at lower prices for consumers

27. Eventually refrigerated railroad cars were invented that allowed fruit/veggies to be shipped nationwide

28. How the railroad helped defeat the Indians 1.The government used the railroad to ship soldiers and weapons out west to fight the Indians 2.The railroad split herds of buffalo and led to their demise; Indians relied on the buffalo for food, shelter, clothing, etc. 3.Railroad companies built railroads on Indian land/reservations

29. Impact of the railroad in the Post- Civil War years Spurred industrialization Stimulated settlement of the west Connected the east with the west Spurred urban growth led to increased immigration Created a railroad millionaire class— “Lords of the rail”

30. Corrupt Railroad Practices 1.Stock watering 2.Disregard for the public interest 3.Bribery of public officials 4.Monopolistic activities/control over industry 5. secret rebates/kickbacks

31. The Homestead Act of 1862 Major provisions

32. A person had to be 21 years of age and either be or intend to become a U.S. citizen

33. Land was given to eligible applicants in 160 acre parcels If that person lived on the land for 5 years, cultivated at least a part of it, and improved the land,

34. the land became the possession of that landholder for only a small registration fee.

35. Farming on the Great Plains

36. The windmill was invented by Daniel Halladay, and it helped farmers to “harness the wing” Barbed wire was invented by Joseph Glidden, and it helped to protect the farmer’s crops

37. Dry farming was perfected by Hardy W. Campbell. By plowing the soil deeply and repeatedly, the soil became more absorbent and maintained moisture more effectively

38. The wooden plow was replaced by James Oliver’s iron plow (later replaced by steel plows in 1877)

39. John Appleby invented a “twine binder” that made it possible to gather bundles of wheat and then bind them with twine.

40. By the 1890’s, the Great Plains had become the “breadbasket” of America. It had become the greatest wheat-producing region in the world.

41. Major problems confronted by settlers on the Great Plains

42. Constant threat of Indian attack Lack of wood both for fuel and building Difficulty in obtaining water Harsh winters and hot summers the relentless wind

43. the emotional problems of living in virtual isolation from the outside world problems with swarms of insects

44. The closing of the Frontier

45. By 1890 the frontier had been completely settled; viewed by some as an accomplishment, by others as a tragedy; the Indians’ way of life had been destroyed.