 The purpose of this unit is to understand the factors that led to exploration, settlement, movement, and expansion and their impact on United States development over time.

What do you already know about how Native Americans were impacted as a result of westward expansion? om/watch?v=TTYOQ 05oDOI 3-2-1

 MINING AND RANCHING ATTRACTED SETTLERS TO WESTERN TERRITORIES THAT SOON HAD POPULATIONS LARGE ENOUGH TO QUALIFY FOR STATEHOOD. PEOPLE MINED FOR GOLD, SIVER, AND LEAD, OR SHIPPED LONGHORN CATTLE TO THE EAST.

 THROUGHOUT THE 1800’S, TINY FRONTIER TOWNS WERE TRANSFORMED INTO SMALL CITIES  THESE BOOMTOWNS WERE OFTEN ROWDY PLACES W/ RAMPANT CRIME AND LAWLESSNESS  SELF APPOINTED VOLUNTEERS, CALLED VIGILANCE COMMITTEES WERE OFTEN ONLY LAW ENFORCEMENT

 EARLY MINERS HAD EXTRACTED ORE BY HAND CALLED PLACER MINING  LATER, MINERS SPRAYED HILLS OR MOUNTAINS W/ HIGH PRESSURE WATER CALLED HYDRAULIC MINING  AFTER 1884, MOST MINING COMPANIES SHIFTED TO QUARTZ MINING = MINERS TRAVEL DOWN SHAFTS AND EXTRACT

 1’s = explain to 2’s what they learned about Boomtowns  2’s = explain to 1’s something they learned about mining.

 CATTLE RANCHING PROSPERED ON GREAT PLAINS THANKS TO OPEN RANGE  LARGE, FEDERALLY OWNED GRASSLAND WHERE RANCHERS COULD GRAZE CATTLE FOR FREE  THE LONGHORN, A BREED OF CATTLE FROM TEXAS, HAD ADAPTED TO LIFE ON THE PLAINS, MAKING RANCHING BIG

 DURING THE CIVIL WAR, CATTLE WAS SLAUGHTERED AS FOOD FOR ARMIES = PRICE SHOT UP AFTER WAR  RR’S HAD REACHED THE PLAINS, MAKING IT WORTHWHILE FOR RANCHERS TO DRIVE CATTLE NORTH TO RR’S  1866 = FIRST LONGDRIVE TO SEDALIA, MO, MANY CATTLE PERISHED, BUT SURVIVORS SOLD FOR 10 TIMES TEXAS $  MANY TRAILS, SUCH AS CHISHOLM TRAIL, SOON OPENED UP BETWEEN TEXAS AND TOWNS IN KANSAS AND MONTANA

 “RANGE WARS” EVENTUALLY BROKE OUT AMONG RANCHERS, FARMERS, AND SHEEP HERDERS  THE OPEN RANGE WAS SOON FENCED OFF = BARBED WIRE  OVER SUPPLY OF CATTLE AND BLIZZARDS IN 1886 AND 1887 LED TO THE END OF THE OPEN RANGE

 Signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act encouraged Western migration by providing settlers 160 acres of public land. In exchange, homesteaders paid a small filing fee and were required to complete five years of continuous residence before receiving ownership of the land.

 HOW DID THE HOMESTEAD ACT CONTRIBUTE TO AMERICAN EXPANSION?

 THE HOMESTEAD ACT ENCOURAGED SETTLERS TO MOVE TO THE GREAT PLAINS. ALTHOUGH LIFE WAS DIFFICULT, SETTLERS DISCOVERED THAT WHEAT COULD BE GROWN ON THE GREAT PLAINS USING NEW TECHNOLOGY. BY 1890 THERE WAS NO LONGER A TRUE FRONTIER IN THE UNITED STATES.

 IN 1837 JOHN DEERE ENGINEERED A PLOW THAT WOULD CUT LABOR IN HALF  CYRUS MCCORMICK’S REAPER (1834) ALLOWED FARMERS TO HARVEST FAR MORE GRAIN

 AS SETTLERS ENTERED THE NATIVE AMERICAN LANDS ON THE GREAT PLAINS, CLASHES GREW MORE COMMON. CONFLICTS CONTINUED AS THE GOVERNMENT TRIED TO FORCE NATIVE AMERICANS ONTO RESERVATIONS AND ENCOURAGED THEM TO ASSIMILATE INTO THE CULTURE OF THE UNITED STATES.

 ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN EARLY TRAVELERS AND NATIVES WERE ACTUALLY RARE  AS TRAFFIC INCREASED OVER TIME, TENSIONS ROSE= CONCERN OVER BUFFALO  TREATY OF FORT LARAMIE (1851) MEANT TO ENSURE PEACE BY ALLOWING SETTLERS TO PASS THROUGH FOR PAYMENTS

 IN 1867 CONGRESS FORMED THE INDIAN PEACE COMMISSION  PROPOSED TO CREATE TWO LARGE RESERVATIONS  PLAN FAILED = MANY NATIVES REFUSED TO MOVE, THOSE WHO DID FACED MISERABLE CONDITIONS

 BY THE 1870’S, NATIVES BEGAN LEAVING THE RESERVATIONS IN DISGUST  THEY JOINED OTHERS TO HUNT BUFFALO ON THE OPEN PLAINS = AGAINST THE LAW  BUT BUFFALO BEGAN TO DISAPPEAR = MIGRANTS, HUNTERS, RR COMPANIES KILLED OFF THE BUFFALO

 THE GOVERNMENT SENDS LT. COL. GEORGE A. CUSTER TO OPPOSE THE SIOUX WHO HUNTED IN MONTANA  ON JUNE 25, 1876, CUSTER ATTACKED LAKOTA AND CHEYENNE WARRIORS ALONG THE LITTLE BIGHORN RIVER  ALL BUT ONE OF 210 SOLDIERS WERE KILLED BY THE WARRIORS 

 NATIVE AMERICAN RESISTANCE CAME TO A FINAL AND TRAGIC END ON A LAKOTA SIOUX RESERVATION  AGAINST ORDERS, SOME LAKOTA CONTINUED TO PERFORM THE GHOST DANCE  THIS RITUAL CELEBRATED THE HOPE FOR SETTLERS TO LEAVE  FEDERAL AUTHORITIES BLAMED CHIEF SITTING BULL FOR HIS DEFIANCE AND WENT TO ARREST HIM  HE DIED IN GUNFIRE, AND LAKOTA PURSUED TO WOUNDED KNEE CREEK  ABOUT 25 SOLDIERS AND 200 LAKOTA DIED

 SOME OPPESED TREATMENT OF NATIVE AMERICANS  HELEN HUNT JACKSON’S BOOK “A CENTRUY OF DISHONOR”, DESCRIBED INJUSTICES  SOME BELIEVED NATIVES SHOULD ASSIMILATE  IN 1887 CONGRESS PASSED THE DAWES ACT=  GAVE EACH NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY 160 ACRES TO FARM  GRANTED CITIZENSHIP AFTER 25 YEARS OF FARMING  ACT FAILED DUE TO LAND BEING NOT ALWAYS GOOD FOR FARMING OR RANCHING  NATIVES DOOMED DUE TO THEIR RELIANCE ON THE BUFFALO FOR FOOD, CLOTHING, SHELTER

 ATSU Heartland  3  2  1

 Today I learned…….