Just because we can, should we?

Was Westward Expansion Justified?

Westward Expansion #1

Continental exploration and expansion increased greatly between 1800-1850.

Reasons for Expansion Trade Religion Riches (fortune and glory) Railroad building Farm land (cotton) Land ownership National pride and power

Manifest Destiny- American mission to include all land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean in the United States. meaning our “obvious or undeniable fate”.

Manifest Destiny

Transcontinental RR A RR that would span the continent 1862 Congress gave job to Union Pacific RR and Central Pacific RR Completed in May, 1869-Promontory Point, Utah Connected the east to west Land Grants given by the Federal Government

rk Completed by immigrant workers (Irish and Chinese)

Impact of RR Standard Time-Time Zones

Impact of RR Brought settlers to the frontier causing clashes with native Americans

Impact of RR Brought supplies to the frontier-lumber, food, necessities Linked the nation economically Western cities provided raw materials (lumber, livestock) East-manufactured goods-sold to westerners http://www.history.com/topics/inventions/transcontinental-railroad/videos/transcontinental-railroad

Gold Rush California Gold Rush population: 1848-14,000 1852-200,000

“Gold Fever” Boomtown –town with a sudden burst of economic activity or population growth.

Rush Ends Few became rich By 1890s the mining boom was over ghost towns But, Led to statehood for manyNevada, Colorado, etc.

Native Americans The U.S. government continues to herd the Native Americans on to reservations-land set aside for Native American tribes

Importance of Buffalo Plains tribes relied on Buffalo Various uses

End of the Buffalo 60 million buffalo had once roamed the plains Hired hunters killed them to feed RR crews and supply eastern factories with leather By 1880 buffalo were dying out and Plains Native Americans were being forced onto reservations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aKqjrgz92w buffalo

Conflict Native American chiefs (Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse) resist. Battle of Little Big Horn (1876)-Lt Col. George A. Custer is defeated and killed with all of his men by the Sioux and Cheyenne http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/battle-of-the-little-bighorn-story book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-WreTRKFUs battle of little bighorn

Surrender of the Native Americans 1877-Crazy Horse surrenders Nez Perce Chief Joseph 1877-“I will fight no more, forever” 1881-Sitting Bull surrenders Apache, Geronimo 1886-”Once I moved about like the wind. Now I surrender.”

I Will Fight No More Forever Surrender Speech by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Toohulhulsote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

Wounded Knee 1890-Sioux gathering to perform a ghost dance ritual White officials thought they were preparing for war Dec, 29, 1890 at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, troops open fired Killed more than 200 men, women, and children Last armed conflict with Native Americans in the West

Dawes Act-1887 assimilate this Don't live that way. ...dress like me ...talk like me ...think like me ...learn like me ...worship like me. In short, see the world as I do. Assimliaton- a person or group’s language and culture begin to resemble those of another group

Dawes Act A law that divided Native American land into private family plots. Much of the land was not suitable for farming. It was designed to breakup the tribes and promote the assimilation of Indians into American Society. Assimliaton- a person or group’s language and culture begin to resemble those of another group

Schools Many Americans wanted to “civilize” the Native Americans by putting them into American schools and making them speak English. They also wanted to convert them to Christianity. Names were changed to “Americanize” the Native Americans Little girls praying beside their beds, Phoenix Indian School, Arizona. Photographed by Messinger, June 1900. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GrJn2dEPv4

Effect of the declining Buffalo The great buffalo herds disappeared from the frontier making life difficult for Native Americans. Many had to turn to the U.S. Government for assistance and ended up on reservations.

Farming Farmers saw the Great Plains as an incredible opportunity

Homestead Act Signed by Abraham Lincoln in 1862 160 acres of land to live on and improve the land for 5 years “Homesteaders”-those that took advantage of the Act “Exodusters”-African Americans from the South who went westward to escape violence and poverty

By the time it was over, some four million settlers had filed claims to be allowed to receive the land, which covered 270 million acres in 30 states. This accounted for roughly ten percent of the landmass of the country /#ixzz3GP3arxOM Follow us: @wtcommunities on Twitter

Farm Life Very difficult-harsh weather, lack of supplies “sodbusters”-farmers used sod to build homes Blizzards, fires, tornadoes, grasshoppers, drought http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl8V93Lvxik farm video http://www.lyndonirwin.com/hopper1.htm grasshoppers

Closing the Frontier By 1890 fenced fields replaced what had once been the open frontier By 1890 17 million people had lived between Mississippi and the Pacific Ocean-census bureau officially declared the frontier closed!

Crash Course U.S. History-Westward Expansion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q16OZkgSXfM

Just because we can, should we? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mR-tbOxlhvE