1. The Settlement of the Western Frontier
Opportunity and Opposition in the American West

2. “Manifest Destiny”

3. Native Americans and the West
The western frontier had long been seen as the “great unknown”, mostly Indian Territory; with some white American presence.
Shaped by past American-Indian policy
Indian Removal Act (1830)
Worcester v. Georgia (1832) and President Jackson’s response.
Cherokee “Trail of Tears” (1835)
Reservations

4. Life of Plains Indians

5. Miners

6. Mining continued to attract settlers into the late 1800’s.
Thoughts of striking it rich first brought miners to the West into Colorado, California, and Nevada, in the 1850’s.
Mining continued to attract settlers into the late 1800’s.
Booms and Busts (ghost towns).
Click on map for interactive map through Glencoe Textbook site.

7. Industrialization Impacts the West: RAILROADS

8. Impact of the Railroads

10. The Decline of the Buffalo

11. A New Way of Life: Native Americans
Without buffalo, the traditional way of life of Native Americans was threatened.
New American policy was to reorganize reservations, and to force Indians to assimilate: Dawes Act (1887).
At first, many Native Americans tried to fight back, but after the Battle of Wounded Knee (1890), it appeared that the armed struggle between Native Americans and Whites was over.

12. Further Incentives for Settling the West
—Federal land grants
48 million acres granted under Homestead Act (1862)
100 million acres sold to private individuals, corporations
128 million acres granted to railroad companies

13. Farmers Factors bringing farmers to the plains: Railroads Free land
Higher rainfall better farmland

14. Farmers
“sodbusters”
Dry farming
“Exodusters”

15. Ranchers and the Long Drive

16. At the Turn of the Century: The West
Life was not easy for people in the West– Native Americans, Farmers, Miners and Ranchers.
Natives’ way of life was threatened and then forever changed.
Miners left boomtowns and ghost towns
Ranchers found overgrazing and new breeds that ended the need for the Long Drive.
Farmers faced hard times– with low yields and high costs to get goods to market.