1. CHANGES ON THE WESTERN FRONTIER
AMERICA SETTLES THE WEST-
LATE 19TH CENTURY

2. SECTION 1: CULTURES CLASH ON THE PRAIRIE
The culture of the Plains Indians was not well known to Easterners
Indians had hunted and planted in the Great plains for over 100 years
Indians believed you could not own the land, so they shared it.
THE PLAINS

3. SETTLERS PUSH WESTWARD
The white settlers who pushed westward had a different idea about land ownership
Concluding that the plains were “unsettled”, thousands advanced to claim land
Gold being discovered in Colorado only intensified the rush for land
A COVERED WAGON HEADS WEST

4. Think-Pair-Share Find a partner and discuss…
What are the differences between white settlers and Native Americans life styles? How might this cause conflict?

5. NATIVES AND SETTLERS CLASH
1834 – Government set aside all of the Great Plains as “Indian lands”
1850s- Government shifts policy, giving natives much smaller lands
Why did the US change there policy?
Massacre at Sand Creek; US Army attack killing 150 native women and children

6. ONE OF THE FEW NATIVE VICTORIES WAS LITTLE BIG HORN
CONFLICTS AND BATTLES
Custer’s Last Stand occurred in early 1876 when Colonel Custer reached Little Big Horn
Led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, the natives outflanked and crushed Custer’s troops, this created more anger towards Indians
ONE OF THE FEW NATIVE VICTORIES WAS LITTLE BIG HORN

7. Chief Joseph Sitting Bull
The army hounded the Sioux and hunted them down – Sitting Bull managed to escape to Canada
In the northwest a group of Nez Percé, led by Chief Joseph tried to avoid going on a reservation
In 1877 Chief Joseph was forced to surrender after running for almost 2,000 of miles and trying to get to Canada
The Nez Perce were sent to a dusty reservation in Kansas, where 40% perished from disease

9. FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE
THE DAWES ACT
Attempted to assimilate natives (give up your native culture/life style and adopt white settlers ideas)
The Act called for the break up of reservations and the introduction of natives into American life
By 1932, 2/3rds of the land committed to Natives had been taken away
FAMOUS DEPICTION OF NATIVE STRUGGLE

10. THE DARK AREAS DEPICT NATIVE LANDS BY 1894

11. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE BUFFALO
The most significant blow to tribal life on the plains was the destruction of the buffalo
Tourist and fur traders shot buffalo for sport
1800: 65 million buffalo roamed the plains
1890: less than 1000 remained
SHIRTLESS HUNTER WITH HIS KILL

12. HUNDREDS OF CORPSES WERE LEFT TO FREEZE ON THE GROUND
BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE
On December 29, 1890, (Custer’s old regiment) rounded up 350 Sioux and took them to Wounded Knee, S.D.
A shot was fired – within minutes the Seventh Cavalry slaughtered 300 unarmed Natives
This event brought the “Indian Wars”– and an entire era to a bitter end. (video)
HUNDREDS OF CORPSES WERE LEFT TO FREEZE ON THE GROUND

13. BLACK ELK SPEAKING ABOUT WOUNDED KNEE
“I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people’s dream died there. It was a beautiful dream... The nation’s hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead.”
BLACK ELK

14. COW TOWN & THE TRAIL “Beef its what's for dinner”
Once the Indian territories had been conquered the cattle trade began.
Tens of thousands of cattle came from Texas through Oklahoma to Abilene via the famous Chisholm trail
Chisholm Trail
Chisholm Trail

15. TRAILS CONNECTED TO RAILROADS

16. The Homestead Act Passed in 1862 Change in policy
Allowed settlers 160 acres of land if they lived on it for 5 years and improved the land
Helped populate the West
Change in policy
Public land used to be revenue
Now to fill empty spaces and provide a stimulus to the family farm
5 times more families purchased from railroads, land companies, or the state
The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed settlers to obtain 160 acres of land if they lived on it for 5 years and improved the land for a nominal fee
The intent of the Act was to encourage settlement in the West
But the Act was deceptive – 160 acres of good, well-watered land was enough, but on the Great Plains there was little water
Many of the original settlers were forced to leave their land – two out of three. Why?
Drought
Grasshoppers, cotton-boll weevils
Flood
No forest
Good land already scooped up by promoters
Flyers passed out in Europe by railroads
Many of the railroad companies actually recruited Europeans with promise of good, cheap land

17. OKLAHOMA SOONERS
In 1889, a major governmental land giveaway in what is now Oklahoma attracted thousands
In less than a day, 2 million acres were claimed by settlers
Some took possession before the government had officially declared it open – thus Oklahoma became known as the “Sooner State”

18. ECONOMIC DISTRESS HITS FARMERS
Between 1867 and 1887 the price of a bushel of wheat fell from $2.00 to 68 cents
Railroads conspired to keep transport costs artificially high
Farmers got caught in a cycle of debt

19. THIS POLITICAL CARTOON SHOWS A POPULIST CLUBBING A RAILROAD CAR
POPULIST PARTY IS BORN
Leaders of the farmers organization realized they needed to build a base of political power to fight for higher crop prices/lower transportation costs, and lower taxes.
There ideas fought for the common people!
THIS POLITICAL CARTOON SHOWS A POPULIST CLUBBING A RAILROAD CAR

21. THE PEOPLE’S PARTY WAS SHORT-LIVED BUT LEFT AN IMPORTANT LEGACY
THE END OF POPULISM
With McKinley’s election victory, Populism collapsed, burying the hopes of the farmer
Populism left an important legacy: That the working class can organize and be heard to reform the country.
THE PEOPLE’S PARTY WAS SHORT-LIVED BUT LEFT AN IMPORTANT LEGACY

22. Whip Around!
Do we need a populist party today to protect the rights of the working class (ex: higher wages, better benefits/hours)? Explain…