Chapter 13 The American West 1860-1900

Section 1 Fight for the West Describe the conflict between the Native Americans and white settlers. What were the Indian Wars and their consequences? How did Native American resistance end? What was life like on the Indian reservations?

Plains Indians Sioux, Blackfoot, and Cheyenne of the North---- Kiowa and Comanche of the South White settlers believed that if these groups didn’t settle the land then it was up for grabs.

Plains Indians

Government policy In early 1800s Jackson and others forced Indians to relocate from the East. (Indian Removal Act) By mid 1800s white settlers wanted to settle western lands as well Government began process of creating reservations—to break up plains Indians and open up land for white settlement

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Destruction of Buffalo Main food supply for Indians 1800 – 60 million buffalo 1894 – 25 buffalo Cause – less grazing lands for buffalo and military policy to kill buffalo to decrease food supply and force Indians on reservations. Hunting by Railroad passengers

Indian Wars Sand Creek Massacre - Army troops attacked and massacred surrendering Cheyenne. Cheyenne and Souix stepped up raids. Little Bighorn - George Armstrong Custer led his troops in headlong battle against Sitting Bull and lost. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was a temporary victory for the Sioux. The U.S. government was determined to put down the threat to settlers. Wounded Knee Massacre - Shooting began after a gun went off, and the fleeing Sioux were massacred. This action marked the end of the bloody conflict between the army and the Plains Indians.

Results of Indian Wars Massacre of many Native Americans Native American Resistance increases Many tribes relocated to Canada or Reservations Destruction of Buffalo

Lt. Colonel George Custer As the Indians closed in, Custer ordered his men to shoot their horses and stack the carcasses to form a wall, but they provided little protection against bullets. In less than an hour, Custer and his men were killed in the worst American military disaster ever

Sitting Bull 1831-1890 Promoted Ghost Dance Movement Battle of Little Bighorn Performed in later years in Buffalo Bill’s wild west show Died on Reservation in South Dakota

Remains at Little Bighorn

Ghost Dance The Ghost Dance was a religious movement that inspired hope among suffering Native Americans. The Ghost dance was remembrance of the fallen and hope for the future. Newspapers began suggesting that this signaled a planned uprising. The military killed Sitting Bull while attempting to arrest him in a skirmish.

Ghost Dance

William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) Famous March during Civil War "All Indians who are not on reservations are hostile and will remain so until killed off."  Protected railroad workers from Indians

Chief Joseph The government took back nine-tenths of the Nez Perce reservation land when gold miners and settlers came into the area. Fourteen years later they were ordered to abandon the last bit of that land to move into Idaho. Chief Joseph tried to take his people into Canada, but the army forced their surrender less than forty miles from the Canadian border. Chief Joseph and many others were eventually sent to northern Washington.

Chief Joseph (1840?-1904) was known to his people as "Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights." He led his people in an attempt to resist the takeover of their lands in the Oregon Territory by white settlers.

Geronimo The Apache people were moved onto a reservation near the Gila River in Arizona. Soldiers forcefully stopped a religious gathering there, and Geronimo and others fled the reservation. They raided settlements along the Arizona-Mexico border for years before finally being captured in 1886. Geronimo and his followers were sent to Florida as prisoners of war. His surrender marked the end of armed resistance in the area.

Geronimo became a war-chief when sixteen years old, and for almost fifty years led a band of Indian raiders; was a constant terror to the settlers in the Southwest

Americanization Bureau of Indian Affairs – began issuing orders to erase Indian tradition The Dawes Act 1887 – Gave Indians private property to help Americanize them.

Section 2 Mining and Ranching How did mining lead to new settlements in the West? How did mining become big business? How and why did the cattle boom come to an end?

Striking Gold and Silver California gold rush – 1849 Comstock Lode – Nevada Silver mine worth $500million in silver (1859) Klondike Gold Rush (1897) – Alaska gold rush. Thousands of prospectors swarmed areas with gold strikes. Mining camps became towns in West.

A forty-niner pans for gold on the banks of an American River.

The Cattle Boom Growing demand for beef. Cattle farming introduced by Mexico Ranchers made profits off beef and hides. Cattle trails ran from Texas to major railroad centers Cowboys were hired to drive cattle north. Most were boys between 12 and 18.

Famous Cowboys/Outlaws During the late 1800s, cowboys and outlaws became famous for actions. Most were exaggerated and now exist in literature, films, and T.V. Most writers took a “romantic” view of the old west from these men

The Cowboys The Cowboys were a loosely organized gang of outlaws who operated along the Mexican border and frequented towns like Tombstone. They stole cattle from Americans and sold them in Mexico, and vice versa. Stage coach robbery, ambushing teamsters, and all other sorts of mischievous activities were partaken by the Cowboys.

Old man Clanton, Ike Clanton, John Ringo

Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton, on view at the Ritter and Ream Funeral Parlor. A large sign read: "MURDERED IN THE STREETS OF TOMBSTONE".

Wyatt Earp March 19, 1848–January 13, 1929) Lawman Dodge City, Tombstone Best known for his participation in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, along with Doc Holliday, and two of his brothers, Virgil Earp and Morgan Earp.

John Henry “Doc” Holiday August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887 Dentist, but developed tuberculosis Became sharp shooter an gambler Friend to Earp, OK Corral

Henry McCarty a.k.a. Billy the Kid November 23, 1859 — July 14, 1881 Outlaw According to legend, he killed 21 men, one for each year of his life, but he most likely participated in the killing of fewer than half that number Young Guns

Jesse James 1847-1882 Outlaw and most famous member of the James-Younger Gang Became more famous after death Ex confederate Killed by Robert Ford

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917 American soldier, bison hunter and showman Medal of Honor Winner 1872

Enclosure Movement Joseph Glidden (1870)– inventor of barbed wire. Often caused conflict between open and closed ranches (ranchers and farmers) Harsh winters in late 1880s caused huge losses in cattle

Enclosure Movement

Section 3 Farming the Plains What incentives encouraged farmers to settle in the West? Which groups of people moved to the West, and why did they do so? What new ways of farming evolved in the West?

Incentives for Western settlement Homestead Act (1862) – 160 acre plots, had to farm land for five years. Morrill Act (1862) – gave land to states for colleges Railroads spanned the entire country into west. 1890, US Census Bureau declared frontier closed.

Migrating West Exodusters – African Americans that moved to Kansas to farm. (rumor that Kansas was set aside for former slaves) White settlers moved because of cheap land. European and Chinese settlers move west for economic gain.

New Farming Methods James Oliver – Sharper plow Machines were slowly developed to help harvesters Bonanza farms – Large companies who bought huge farms and ran them like factories.

Bonanza Farm

Quick Thought What do you think are the major effects of westward expansion?