Humanities Department Student Expectations: Before we begin learning, please ensure that you: Are standing behind your desk in silence; Have your learning diary and pencil case on your desk; Have a smart uniform. Please be seated in SILENCE. Copy and underline today’s date and title. Thursday, 29 August 2019 Recap content and skills in preparation for KT1 assessment

The American West 1835-1895 Learning Journey: KT1 – The Early settlement of the West 1835-1862 KT2 – Development of the Plains 1862 – 1876 KT3 – Conflicts and Conquest 1876 - 1895

The American West 1835-1895 KT1 – The Early settlement of the West 1835-1862 Chapter 1: The Plains Indians: Their Beliefs and Way of Life Chapter 2: Migration and Early Settlement Chapter 3: Conflict and Tension Manifest Destiny The Oregon Trail from 1836, including experiences of the Donner Party and the Knight family, and the Mormon migration 1846/7 The California Gold Rush of 1849 The development of problems of white settlement farming: early settlers in Kansas, the problems of living and farming on the Great Plains, and the Mormon success in the valley of Great Salt Lake The reasons for tensions between settlers and the Plains Indians The significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 The problems of lawlessness in early towns and settlements Attempts by government and local communities to tackle lawlessness Social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival on the Plains Beliefs about land and nature and attitudes to war and property US Government policy: support for US westward expansion and the significance of the Permanent Indian Frontier. The Indians Appropriations Act 1851

Social and Tribal Structures Plains Indians: Social and Tribal Structures Organisation: Plains Indians lived in tribes. Moved tribes were then divided into bands, each with a chief and a council. Examples of tribes include: Sioux, Cheyenne and Blackfoot. Bands: Related to each other Led by chiefs and had councils of advisors Council members agreed everything bands did Survival and protection of bad = more important than individuals Chiefs: Chosen due to wisdom, skills as hunter/ warrior Rarely chiefs for life With councils, decided where bands should go/ suitable punishments Did not have to be obeyed Tribes: Bands within same tribe supported each other Tribal meetings of all bands held yearly to discuss marriage, trade Chiefs/ elders formed tribal councils# Some tribes (Sioux) part of larger groups called nations Warrior Societies: Made up of best warriors from each band Supervised hunting/ protected bands from attack Short raids/ wars led by warrior societies Council would consult warrior society before making important decisions

Social and Tribal Structures Plains Indians: Social and Tribal Structures Consequences: The US Government believed that if a chief signed a treaty, all his tribe should obey the terms of the treaty, but this was not how Plains Indian Society worked. Chiefs and Leadership: Did not view leadership in same way as Americans No decision could be made until all agreed to it Rest of tribe/ band did not have to obey the decision Chiefs and elders were often guided by the spirit world through visions Band Roles: Every member was equally important to survival Men (braves) hunted and fought enemies Women (squaws) made clothing, fed the family and looked after the tipi Everyone looked after the children, who were taught skills of parents Elders were respected for their wisdom but were left behind to die if their weakness threatened survival of a band

Plains Indians: Survival on the Plains Importance of Buffalo/ Horse: Wealth and status was measured by how many horses an Indian or tribe had Indians needed horses and buffalo to survive. Buffalo lived on the Plains and horses had been introduced by Spanish invaders Horses were used in war Wealth and status was measured by how many horses an Indian or tribe had Catching buffalo was quicker and easier on horseback Horses carried the Indians and their belongings on their journey to find buffalo Indians believed a buffalos heart gave life to a new herd Some Plains Indians were nomads. They ate wild fruits and plants but did not settle long enough to grow crops Women and children cut up the buffalo meat. It was eaten raw or cooked. Some was stored for winter (known as jerky)

Plains Indians: Survival on the Plains Consequences: Tipi: Consequences: Nomadic tribes would find it hard to live permanently on reservations because they were used to travelling and hunting freely! Made of wooden poles and covered in buffalo hide Ideal for life on the Plains Cone shape protected them against strong winds Flaps provided ventilation in the summer heat Could be taken down and packed away in minutes – ideal for nomadic lifestyle

Plains Indians: Beliefs Nature: Medicine: Belief in a supreme being or God known as the ‘Great Spirit’ Believed that everything in nature had a spirit and that these spirits could help or harm humans Humans were a part of nature and should work with the spirits of nature, rather than tame or control it They could contact the spirit world through visions and special ritual dances Medicine men could interpret visions and made contact with spirit world. They were also called on to heal the sick Nature’s Great Circle: The circle described the cycle of life from birth to death, also the seasons, the world They made their villages and homes (tipi) round to show the significance

Plains Indians: Beliefs Consequences: Land and Property: Sacred Areas: Each tribe had ‘sacred areas’ E.g. the Lakota Sioux had the Black Hills These areas were sacred to the tribes because they believed that is where they had come from Ownership of Land: Indian families sometimes had their own garden plots but generally no-one owned land For Plains Indians, land was not anyone’s property, and not something that one person could buy and keep for themselves Consequences: White settlers had very different views about property from Plains Indians, which led to tension and conflict

Plains Indians: Beliefs Attitudes to War: Consequences: Plains Indians society was full of conflict, but Indians had developed ways to avoid too much killing because young men were essential to each tribe’s survival. The highest respect and prestige was given to warriors, usually young men, for counting coup (which was landing a blow on an enemy and getting away without being injured Indian war parties would also run away if a fight turned against them Consequences: The US Army found it difficult to fight an enemy that ran away rather than fought to the last man. They had to develop new techniques against Indian warfare.

Plains Indians: US Government Policy Consequences: Timeline: 1830 – Indian Removal Act – Forces 46,000 Indians living in Eastern states to move west of the Mississippi River 1834 – Indian Trade and Intercourse Act – sets out a frontier between USA and Indian territory 1848 – US victory in the Mexican-American War – meant that USA gained more territory which meant that Indian territory was now sandwiched in the middle of USA 1851 – Indian Appropriation Act – money allocated for setting up Indian reservations to remove them from the land on which white Americans wanted to settle Government Support for Western Expansion: US Govt. needed US citizens to go and live in new territories in the West This meant that people needed to travel (on trails) across Indian lands The US Army forced Indians to move away from trails in case Indians attacked travellers Consequences: It is not long before the US Govt. appear to change the ‘permanent Indian frontier’. Although the boundary was still marked, whites were now allowed to cross the frontier

The American West 1835-1895 KT1 – The Early settlement of the West 1835-1862 Chapter 1: The Plains Indians: Their Beliefs and Way of Life Chapter 2: Migration and Early Settlement Chapter 3: Conflict and Tension Manifest Destiny The Oregon Trail from 1836, including experiences of the Donner Party and the Knight family, and the Mormon migration 1846/7 The California Gold Rush of 1849 The development of problems of white settlement farming: early settlers in Kansas, the problems of living and farming on the Great Plains, and the Mormon success in the valley of Great Salt Lake The reasons for tensions between settlers and the Plains Indians The significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 The problems of lawlessness in early towns and settlements Attempts by government and local communities to tackle lawlessness Social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival on the Plains Beliefs about land and nature and attitudes to war and property US Government policy: support for US westward expansion and the significance of the Permanent Indian Frontier. The Indians Appropriations Act 1851

(the appeal of the West) Westward Migration Why Move West? Pull Factors (the appeal of the West) Freedom and independence Fertile land Space Oregon Trail Gold Push Factors (problems at home) Collapse of wheat prices Overpopulation Persecution Unemployment Manifest Destiny: The belief that it was God’s will that white Americans should settle over all of America. It was their duty to ‘civilise’ the rest of the world. White Americans at the time simply accepted that Manifest Destiny was right and natural.

The Oregon Trail was 3200km long Westward Migration The Oregon Trail Migrants needed to complete the journey before winter or risk getting stuck in the mountains Crossing the Great Plains was made dangerous by sandstorms, quicksand, extreme heat, storms, disease, stampeding buffalo, hostile Indians and lack of supplies The Oregon Trail was 3200km long Migrants would begin the trail in April when there would be enough grass to feed their animals Each trail crossed two mountain ranges. They were steep, there was little to hunt, and the weather could be bad. Wagons were hauled across using chains and ropes. Injuries were common Migrants needed to take enough food for the entire journey: a lot of salt pork! Early migrants used explorers or Indians as guides; later ones relied on pamphlets

Westward Migration The Donner Party Led by the Donner brothers, the Donner party left Missouri for California in May 1846 with 60 wagons and 300 people. They were well equipped but did have more women/ children with them than was normal. At Fort Bridger, a smaller group of around 80 people tried to take a shortcut, using a pamphlet to guide them. Four wagons broke, 300 cattle died and one man killed another. They arrived late in the Sierra Nevada and were trapped by heavy snow. A group, sent for help, took 32 days to reach them. To survive, they ate their dead.

Westward Migration The Gold Rush, 1849 Gold Rush consequences Forty-Niners: Gold was discovered in California, 1848. 1849 onwards hundreds of thousands of travelled there hoping to find gold. Only a few struck it rich. Migration to California – 300,000 people by 1855. California becomes a state. Tension with Plains Indians due to huge increase in migration along Oregon Trail Problems of lawlessness in the mining camps Gold Rush consequences Manifest Destiny – White Americans see their ‘destiny’ coming true Racial tension due to immigration Gold from California boosts US economy – helps fund railroads Farming boom in California Genocide of Californian Indians by migrants

Westward Migration Mormon Migration Reasons for Persecution: They were resented for their success Their desire to free slaves and be friends with Plains Indians Their practice of polygamy Their police force, the Danites Their so-called blasphemy Great Salt Lake: They were forced out of New York State, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois Brigham Young became leader after the death of Joseph Smith They were forced to find land that no-one else wanted – near the Great Salt Lake Reasons for Mormon Success in Utah: Brigham Young was in control and made good decisions Religious faith encouraged them to work hard and stopped them from giving up The Mormon Church owned all of the land, water and timber with was allocated fairly Dug irrigation ditches which meant farm land had enough water A Perpetual Emigration Fund provided the resources to help thousands of Mormons emigrate to Utah Young organised settlers so that each new town had the right mix of skills to survive and prosper

Westward Migration Farming on the Plains Problems of farming the Plains: Climate – very hot, dry summers and very cold winters Lack of water – very little surface water and very low rainfall Prairie fires – dry grass burned easily Thick sod – the soil was a tangled mass of grass roots Lack of trees – very little timber for fencing or building Weather – thunderstorms and violent winds Grasshopper – plagues of insects and pests Different environment – crops that did well in East shrivelled up in the West, ploughs that worked in the East broke when used on thick sod in the West Sod Houses: Lack of trees to build with meant that settlers lived in caves and sod houses made from earth Thick walls and roof were good insulation in winter Earth walls and roof were fireproof, giving protection from prairie fires But, they were impossible to keep clean and were full of insects

The American West 1835-1895 KT1 – The Early settlement of the West 1835-1862 Chapter 1: The Plains Indians: Their Beliefs and Way of Life Chapter 2: Migration and Early Settlement Chapter 3: Conflict and Tension Manifest Destiny The Oregon Trail from 1836, including experiences of the Donner Party and the Knight family, and the Mormon migration 1846/7 The California Gold Rush of 1849 The development of problems of white settlement farming: early settlers in Kansas, the problems of living and farming on the Great Plains, and the Mormon success in the valley of Great Salt Lake The reasons for tensions between settlers and the Plains Indians The significance of the Fort Laramie Treaty 1851 The problems of lawlessness in early towns and settlements Attempts by government and local communities to tackle lawlessness Social and tribal structures, ways of life and means of survival on the Plains Beliefs about land and nature and attitudes to war and property US Government policy: support for US westward expansion and the significance of the Permanent Indian Frontier. The Indians Appropriations Act 1851

Conflict and Tension Fort Laramie Treaty, 1851 Reasons for Tension between settlers and Plains Indians Rapid increase in white migration after the discovery of gold put pressure on food supplies Indians became concerned about the impact on resources and this increased conflict between tribes White settlers feared attack from Indians They made demands to US Government to provide Army protection Significance of Treaty: Territories were set out for the Plains Indians tribes – this would eventually lead to reservations White settlers (as well as railroad surveyors and military bases) were now allowed into Indian territories – this would lead to increased white settlement of the Great Plains Tribes would receive resources from US Government – this reduced Indian independence It showed that the US Government prioritised the needs of white settlers over the Indians – and went back on commitments made in the Indian Trade and Intercourse Act - 1834

Conflict and Tension Lawlessness Reasons for Lawlessness in the West: Isolated communities made it difficult to enforce US Federal Law Racism tensions due to increased immigration (prejudice against Chinese, Black American, Indian) Mining camps became a target for criminals Mining camps were male dominated – lack of religious influence US Government did not provide enough law enforcement Mass settlement meant rapid population increases Social factors – alcohol, gambling, prostitution New crimes such as claim jumping and salting a claim increased Federal Government Action: US Marshals appointed to be responsible for a state/ territory. Deputy Marshals, town marshals and sheriffs also appointed.

Conflict and Tension Lawlessness Failure: Territories were huge areas, making it difficult for marshals to enforce laws quickly Lack of money, low wages made the law enforcement officials corrupt Decisions often not fair/ unjust Settlers disliked federal government and took law into their own hands Local Communities Tackle Lawlessness: Vigilance committees were established – groups of ordinary citizens that punished law breakers instead of relying on the official justice system Lynching became common Miners’ courts were established – miners could settle disputes over land claims, each camp selected an older miner to be the judge