The Frontier

1. The Frontier The Plains – Horses change Native lives Buffalo become a more attractive livelihood Family and Tribal life effected Settlers – Gold and silver Not all make it to their destinations Clash – Railroads bring people Government breaks promises Sand Creek – On way to winter reserve 700 were attacked at dawn 150 killed Bozeman Trail – Red Cloud asked for respect Settlers continued to settle on trail Crazy Horse attacked 80 soldiers killed Battle of the Hundred Slain/Fetterman Massacre

2. Treaty of Fort Laramie – Sioux agree to live in Missouri Continued distrust and animosity Red River War – Kiowa and Comanche raids U.S. put friendly tribes on reservation Destroyed the rest Gold Rush – Black Hills South Dakota Protests fall on deaf ears Custer encouraged new settlement Little Big Horn River Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull prepare All of Custer and his troops were dead The Sioux fled knowing what would come Sitting Bull would eventually surrender

3. Assimilation The Dawes Act – Ended reservations Gave each head of household 160 acres Sell rest of land and buy farm equipment 2/3rds of the land was taken by whites by 1932 Buffalo – Tourists sport shooting Traders often wasting Depleted Native food supply Changed livelihood Battle of Wounded Knee – Ghost Dance would restore way of life Freaked white people out Attempt to arrest Sitting Bull ended up bloody Sioux flee without supplies Soldiers open fire when they were rounded up 300 unarmed killed Ends the Indian wars

4. Cowboys and Cows Cowboys – Began in Mexico on large ranges Most of what we think, is a myth and a show Longhorn steaks were tasty Spread to Texas and the southwest Demand forces changes – Railroads for transportation Cow Towns – Chisholm Trail Denver, Dodge City, Laramie Meat packing centers Omaha, Chicago, St. Louis, K.C.

5. Separating Life from Legend – Poor pay Tough work Long drives Bad conditions Little danger in ambush or “bad guys” Legend comes from the roughness of the land and those who faced it rather than accurate accounts of events

6. Life on the Plains The Movement – Trains quickly reached both coasts by 1884 Allows for rapid settlement The Motivation – Homestead Act – 160 to improve Opportunity Escape Oklahoma The Closed Frontier – Wilderness preserved Census states no frontier left Fredrick Jackson Turner

7. Soddies and Dugouts Women worked Government Help – Morrill Act for schools Hatch Act offered information on methods Debt – New machines and seed costly Wheat prices fell Railroads buy land and create bonanza farms Farms grew to try and escape debt Railroads charge high prices Farmers begin to combine forces

8. Populism Rising foreclosures raise awareness Greenback reduction has effect – Higher value of money Cheap loans become expensive Also receiving less for crops High prices to ship Dirty railroad tactics Call for reform – Grange – social and educational – organizational Farmers’ Alliances – lectures on finance Membership more than 4 million

9. Populism – A political outlet for farmers The Peoples’ Party Goals to lift debt from farmers Increase money supply Graduated income tax Federal loans 8 hour work day Immigration restrictions Panic of 1893 – Loans too much Railroads too fast in growth Gold reserves low People trade cash for gold Stock market crashed, and banks and businesses close

10. Bimetallism The Standard – Debtors need more cash Lenders need more value Silverites – favor bimetallism Gold Bugs – favor gold standard William Jennings Bryan – Gets nominated for two parties “Cross of Gold” Lost William McKinley’s victory signaled an end to Populism – however many positive changes came from the Populist platform