America’s History Sixth Edition CHAPTER 16 The American West Copyright © 2009 by Bedford/St. Martin’s and Matthew Ellington, Ruben S. Ayala High School Henretta Brody Dumenil
1.The Great Plains A.Indians of the Great Plains B.Wagon Trains, Railroads, and Ranchers C.Homesteaders D.The Fate of the Indians 2.The Far West A.The Mining Frontier B.Hispanics, Chinese, Anglos C.Golden California
Map of the Natural Environment of the West, 1860
About 100,000 Indians lived on Great Plains in 1850 Sioux hunted buffalo on horseback and were warriors Sioux religion believed in mystical powers, medicine men, personal visions, and used talismans Part 1: The Great Plains 1A: Indians of the Great Plains
Oregon fever, Mexican War, Gold Rush, CA statehood all brought settlers, conflict, environ- mental damage Part 1: The Great Plains 1B: Wagon Trains, Ranchers, and Railroads #1
Slaughter of buffalo opened Great Plains to faster RR travel, cattle grazing, and undermined Indian life Part 1: The Great Plains 1B: Wagon Trains, Ranchers, and Railroads #2 Transcontinental RR was completed in 1869 (five by 1887)
Millions of cattle were grazed in Texas by cowboys on the open range from Bust of replaced open grazing with ranching Part 1: The Great Plains 1B: Wagon Trains, Ranchers, and Railroads #3 Buffalo Bill’s tours preserved the idea of the wild west
Cheap land, above average rainfall, heavy advertising lured homesteaders to the Great Plains Frontier life provided greater equality for some women Part 1: The Great Plains 1C: Homesteaders #1 105,000 Scandinavians and tens of thousands of African- American “exodusters” emigrated to Great Plains
Drought of mid-1880s busted hundreds of thousands Dry farming, hardier wheat, technology allowed some farmers to survive but destroyed the environment Part 1: The Great Plains 1C: Homesteaders #2 Farmers became businessmen with debt and markets Grange provided cooperatives and political support
Indians were put on reservations to be taken care of by US government after the Civil War Resistance was fierce but ultimately doomed to failure Part 1: The Great Plains 1D: The Fate of the Indians #1
Dakota and OK reservations were invaded by settlers seeking gold, land, and/or quick profits The 1887 Dawes Severalty Act undermined Indian culture Battle of Wounded Knee (1891) was last major Indian battle on Plains Part 1: The Great Plains 1D: The Fate of the Indians #2
Started in CA (gold rush) and moved east via “strikes” Prospectors gave way to large-scale mining Mining left boom/ghost towns, environmental disasters Part 2: The Far West 2A: The Mining Frontier Railroads and population led to diversified growth
Hispanics were overrun in CA, assimilated in NM, AZ Hundreds of thousands of Asian immigrants came Anti-Asian racism in CA stoked by Kearneyites led to Chinese Exclusion Act, “Gentleman’s Agreement” Part 2: The Far West 2B: Hispanics, Chinese, and Anglos
Mark Twain and HHJ’s Ramona created CA mystique RR rate war, sunshine brought many to So Cal CA farmers moved from wheat to fruit, specialties Muir fought for CA national parks, created Sierra Club Part 2: The Far West 2C: Golden California