Transforming the West

1. Transforming the West Chapter 17

2. Legend of the West • What are 5 words that come to your head when the “Wild Wild West” is mentioned? • Share with a partner and create a sentence explaining what you believe the West is like in the late 1800s based on your knowledge.

3. End of the Native Americans • After the Indian Removal Act what happened to the Native Americans? (Five Civilized Tribes, Sioux) • What changes were made to Native American lifestyle by the US? (“Buffalo Bill” Cody, Sand Creek Massacre, Red River War, Geronimo) • What events led to the destruction of the Sioux? (Black Hills, General Custer v. Sitting Bull at Little Bighorn, Ghost Dance Movement, Battle of Wounded Knee

4. Native Americans in the West • After the Indian Removal Act the Natives were: • In the Northern Great Plains (Sioux) • In Oklahoma (Five Civilized Tribes) • Hunting the buffalo herds in the West

5. “Buffalo Bill” Cody Demand for buffalo hides in the East and food in the West led to buffalo hunters (like “Buffalo Bill” Cody) to hunt buffalo in mass amounts With buffalo amounts reduced, the Plains Indians had trouble keeping up their lifestyle, made even harder by the pressure to give up lands in the West The Indians retaliated to these “peace treaties” leading to Sand Creek Massacre, Red River War, and Geronimo’s surrender

6. Custer’s Last Stand After the Sioux refused to sell the Black Hills land to the US, Custer and his 7th cavalry were sent to force them, but his troops lost to Sitting Bull at the Battle of Little Bighorn

7. The Ghost Dance As US attacks increased, the Sioux and other Indians turned to religion and began the Ghost Dance Movement, which frightened the Americans

8. Sitting Bull The frightened Americans sent in more forces and killed Sitting Bull, leader of the Sioux and the Ghost Dance Movement

9. Wounded Knee The Sioux were driven out of the hills by the Americans at the Massacre of Wounded Knee, where Americans killed 300 Sioux

10. Humanitarians and Native Americans • How did the Humanitarians believe Native Americans should be treated? (Helen Hunt Jackson and “Century of Dishonor”) • What acts were passed that humanitarians approved of and what were the results? (Dawes Severalty Act)

11. Humanitarians and Assimilation Helen Hunt’s “Century of Dishonor” brought into question the treatment of the Native Americans She and others convinced Congress to pass the Dawes Act, allowing Indians to assimilate into society

12. The Dawes Act The Dawes Act may have had good intentions, but it: • Split up Indian reservations into 160 acre farms per Indian family • Reduced Indian lands by 65% and suppressed tribal culture and language by forcing them into American society • Indian lands not given to families went to the US

13. “Saving” the Indians • You are a humanitarian during the late 1800s. Using your knowledge of the treatment of Indians during the late 1800s, write a letter to the US government explaining a deal that you believe would benefit both the Indians and the settlers (1/2 page). Come up with your own way of solving the problem and explain.

14. The Settlement of the West • What was the history and importance behind the first transcontinental railroad? (Central Pacific, Union Pacific, Promontory Point in Utah) • Why did new immigrants and Americans move West and what were conditions like? (railroads, Homestead Act)

15. Transcontinental Railroad The Central Pacific (red) and Union Pacific (blue) meet at Promontory Point, Utah to connect the country from coast to coast The success led to major government grants to railroads

16. Railroad Expansion in the US • Railroads had great influence on the nation: • Social – wide variety of settlers creates more interaction between groups • Economic – big business of railroads dominate shipping and travel

17. The Homestead Act Free 160-acre farms were granted to pioneers over a 5 year period Best land went to railroads, speculators Isolation, hard work, extreme weather

18. Social and Economic Relations in West • What was the cause of economic boom in the late 1800s in the West? (Agricultural) • How did the economic boom affect settlers in the West? (Cash Crops, Markets) • What were social similarities and differences between the West and East? (Suffrage, Polygamy) • What were the conflicts in the Southwest? (Las Gorras Blancas)

19. New Western Markets - Farming Soaring agricultural production in the West was caused by railroads, machinery improvements, and Eastern demand for food Settlers went into debt to invest in products before making cash crops, and were controlled by the ups and downs of the market and the railroads

20. Statehood in the West Western states (blue) became states in the late 1800s Most began with religion, schools just like Eastern states (red) – Morrill Land Grant Act establishes colleges in the West But many states also led the way in granting women’s suffrage and Utah’s Mormon population was allowed as long as they did not practice polygamy

21. Southwest Borderlands American ranchers took over the land from the minority groups of Mexican-Americans and discriminated against them Led to violence and gang groups like the Las Gorras Blancas

22. The Three Western Frontiers • How were each created? How did each exploit the Western landscape and what were the effects? 1) Mining Frontier (Sierra Nevada, Ghost Towns) 2) Cattle Frontier (Cowboys, Saloons) 3) Bonanza Farms (Wheat)

23. The Mining Towns – Ruby, AZ Mining towns were caused by gold rushes, and were abandoned when the gold was gone, creating “ghost towns” Though some people struck gold, most of it went to the large mining companies that could afford to dig deep and find gold

24. The Railhead at Abilene Abilene, Texas is an example of a cattle town used by cowboys to transport cattle to the East, and also housed the famous saloons Most cowboys were poor (1/5 black or Mexican) and after an initial boom the overgrazing of land, bonanza farmers, and freezing winters caused the decline of the open-range cattle industry

25. Cattle Towns – Dodge City

26. Bonanza Farming in the West Bonanza farms in the West were usually large-scale wheat growers who bought the land for a quick and large investment At first profits were made, but overproduction, poor weather, and falling prices drove many enterprises into bankruptcy

27. The Rush for Oklahoma • Why was Oklahoma the last of the Western areas to settle? (Indian Territory) • How were the areas of Oklahoma transferred to the settlers? (Dawes Act, Curtis Act)

28. The Oklahoma Land Rush Indian territory was opened up to settlers as the government was pressured to turn over the land to them The Curtis Act officially proclaimed the end of Indian territory

29. The Legend of the West • How was the legend of the West created? (Dime-Novel Writers, Wild Wild West, Frontiersman) • What were the effects of the creation of the Western legends? (Frederick Jackson Turner and the “Frontier Thesis”, National Parks Movement and John Muir, Yellowstone and Yosemite)

30. Legend of the West Huckleberry Finn and other Dime-Novel Writer stories opened up the frontier heroes who bought the “bad guy” Indians “Teddy” Roosevelt became a symbol of the Wild West West legend “Wild West Show” brought visuals to the East

31. The Frontier Thesis • Frederick Jackson Turner was dismayed when discovered that the last US areas had been settled • He believed the true America was created by the “frontier” experience because it: 1) Broke down class distinctions, helped democracy 2) Acted as a fresh start for discontent Americans 3) Would lead to crowding of population in cities and further social conflict

32. National Park Movement National Parks, such as Yosemite and Yellowstone showed the beauty of the West John Muir becomes first president of the Sierra Club (conservation)

33. Dime Novel Writing • Create a 1 page novel about a Western “hero” that exaggerates the tales of Western life • You must include include at least 6 vocabulary terms in the novel • You must discuss at least 1 social and 1 economic issue to be dealt with in the West

34. Western Legends Essay • How did the portrayed legend of the West compare to the actual life of Western settlers? • Create an outline of an essay that answers the question above. Needs: • Expansive thesis • Two body paragraphs (at least) with 6 specifics • Conclusion Sentence