Westward Expansion

Westward Expansion Terms “The Frontier” Great Plains Push and Pull Factors Gold Rush Klondike Gold Rush Transcontinental Railroad Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Ranchers and Open Range Homestead Act of 1862 Federal Government’s Policy Towards Native Americans Reservations Dawes Act of 1887 American Indian Act Indian Wars Little Big Horn Wounded Knee Frederick Jackson Turner

The Frontier and The Great Plains The Frontier – is the line separating the settled areas from the “unsettled” areas What do you think history means by “unsettled” areas? Between the two areas that had been settled prior to the Civil War was referred to as the Great Plains So what are we going to have to do in order to settle the Great Plains?

Push and Pull Factors Push Pull Ethnic and religious repression Freedom Discouraged people could have a new beginning Poverty Homestead Act Amount of cheap and open land Economic Opportunity Gold

Forces in Populating the West (these will solve or fulfill the push\pull factors) The Mining Industry The Railroad Cattle and Farming Homestead Act of 1862

The Mining Industry 1848-1849 The Gold Rush – people flocked to California for the chance to strike it rich with gold 1896 the Klondike Gold Rush – gold was discovered along the Klondike River near Alaska and created a rush of people to the Yukon The journey was so long and cold that only 30,000 of 100,000 completed the journey Other metals (silver, copper, lead) were made in the Rocky Mountains and Black Hills Mining Towns or Boom Towns popped up and disappeared all along the mine deposits

The Railroad May 10, 1869 the Transcontinental Railroad was completed linking the nation from East to West with the “Golden Spike” at Promontory Point, Utah Travel from the East to the West was reduced from several months to just a few weeks Smaller support lines (trunk lines) were built branching off of and connecting to the main line

The “Golden Spike” 1896

The Railroad Made it easier and safer to go west plus it brought people west to help build the rail lines Most of those building the railroad in the West were Chinese immigrants Created racial tension due to good jobs being stolen by immigrants Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - first federal law to restrict immigration to the U.S. It prevented further Chinese immigration and denied citizenship to Chinese residents

Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

1883 Harper’s Weekly

Ranchers and Open Range By the 1870s there were millions of longhorn cattle grazing on the Great Plains in Texas Due to the expansion of the railroads cattle could be driven from the plains to the nearest railroad lines and then shipped to the main slaughter and meat packing houses in Chicago As the cattle was driven north they continued to graze on the open land but as the land was settled by farmers who fenced off their land and mother nature dealt bad winters and summers the cattle drive became shorter to keep the cattle alive

The Homestead Act of 1862 Issued by President Lincoln to try and encourage people to move west Offered 160 acres of land in exchange for “settling” the land for a minimum of 5 years What do you think were the requirements?

Life on the Plains

What do you think was the biggest problem for people moving to and living in the West? Native-Americans

Federal Government’s Policy Towards Native Americans Removal – move them further and further West and place them on Reservations – land that was of poor quality and quantity “Americanization” – force them to adopt “mainstream” customs (assimilation) Elimination – kill off the tribes that fight back and the buffalo that were the life blood of the natives

The Dawes Act of 1887 Abolished Native American tribes Provided each family with 160 acres of land on a reservation The idea was to convert from tribe owned land to private property owned by individuals The land that Natives were forced off of was then sold to the highest (non-Native) bidder

Dawes Severalty Act of 1887

Example of Assimilation Navajo Tom Torlino

American Indian Citizenship Act (1924) Granted citizenship to Native-Americans without requiring them to give up their tribal lands or customs as the Dawes Act had required

Elimination = Indian Wars From 1860 to 1890 Federal Troops vs. Native-American tribes resisting removal and Americanization Battle of Little Big Horn 1876 – Sioux warriors led by Crazy Horse defeated General Custer’s troops Massacre at Wounded Knee 1890 – 300 unarmed Sioux men, women, and children were killed by federal troop when they did not stop performing the Ghost Dance

Buffalo Genocide

Frederick Jackson Turner Frontier Thesis “Now the frontier has gone and with its going has closed the first period of American history.”

American Progress, 1872