The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902

The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902
17 The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902

The West: Exploiting an Empire, 1849‒1902
17.1 Beyond the Frontier What were the challenges of settling the country west of the Mississippi? Crushing the Native Americans How did white Americans crush the culture of the Native Americans as they moved west? 17.2

The West: Exploiting an Empire, 1849‒1902
Settlement of the West Why did Americans and others move to the West? The Bonanza West Why was the West a bonanza of dreams and get-rich-quick schemes? 17.3 17.4

Video Series: Key Topics in U.S. History
Conquest of the West The Dawes Act Chinese Exclusion Act The Gold Rush Home

Lean Bear’s Changing West
1863 – Indian chiefs met with Lincoln Lean Bear, the Cheyenne Chief A few years later federal troops invaded Lean Bear’s land and killed him Promised peace The West became great colonial empire Place of conquest and exploitation Lecture Outline: 1863 – Indian chiefs met with Lincoln Lean Bear, the Cheyenne Chief A few years later federal troops invaded Lean Bear’s land and killed him Promised peace The West became great colonial empire Place of conquest and exploitation Home

Beyond the Frontier 1840 - Settlement reached Missouri
Great Plains – treeless, nearly flat Rockies – formidable barrier Basin – desolate areas of Idaho and Utah Pacific Coast – past Cascades and Sierra Nevada, temperate Most pre‒Civil War settlers headed directly for Pacific Coast Learning Objective: What were the challenges of settling the country west of the Mississippi? Lecture Outline: Settlement reached Missouri Great Plains – treeless, nearly flat Only a few rivers, lacked rainfall and lumber Rockies – formidable barrier Basin – desolate areas of Idaho and Utah Pacific Coast – past Cascades and Sierra Nevada, temperate Most pre‒Civil War settlers headed directly for Pacific Coast Home

Beyond the Frontier Lecture Outline:
Image: Map 17.1 Physiographic Map of the United States - In the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, the topography, altitudes, crops, and climate—especially the lack of rain west of the rainfall line shown here—led to changes in mode of settlement, which had been essentially uniform from the Atlantic coast through Kentucky, Ohio, and Missouri. The traditional rectangular land surveys and quarter-section lots could not accommodate Great Plains conditions. Beyond the Frontier

Discussion Question What were the particular challenges of settling the country west of the Mississippi? Lecture Outline: As people began moving west of the Mississippi River, they encountered new conditions, including vast treeless plains and towering mountain ranges. Above all, they left behind the water and timber on which they had depended in the East, forcing them to devise ways to deal with the different challenges. Beyond the Frontier

Crushing the Native Americans
Life of the Plains Indians Searching for an Indian Policy Final Battles on the Plains The End of Tribal Life Learning Objective: How did white Americans crush the culture of the Native Americans as they moved west? Home

1865: 250,000 Indians in western U.S. Displaced Eastern Indians Native Plains Indians Pacific Coast tribes By the 1870s Most Indians on reservations California Indians decimated by disease Lecture Outline: 1865: 250,000 Indians in western U.S. Displaced Eastern Indians Winnebago, Menominee, Cherokee, Chippewa Native Plains Indians Southwest – Pueblo Groups Hopi, Zuni, Rio Grande Pueblos Peaceful farmers and herders Camp Dwellers Jicarilla Apache and Navajo Roamed Arizona, New Mexico, western Texas Navajo herded sheep, produced silver, baskets, blankets Apache horsemen were feared by whites and fellow Indians Pacific Coast tribes California - small bands, lived on gathering and hunting small game Pacific Northwest – rich fish and forest resources Klamath, Chinook, Yurok, Shasta tribes Plank houses and canoes, worked in word By the 1870s Most Indians on reservations Ute ceded most of Utah to U.S. Navajo and Apache – fought back but were eventually confined California Indians decimated by disease Carried by whites during Gold Rush of 1849 Miners burned villages Fewer than 20,000 remained by 1880 Crushing the Native Americans

Life of the Plains Indians
Two-thirds of all Native Americans lived on the Great Plains Many distinctive tribes Nomadic and warlike Migratory Labor divided by gender Lecture Outline: Two-thirds of all Native Americans lived on the Great Plains Many distinctive tribes Sioux - present-day Minnesota and Dakotas Blackfoot of Idaho and Montana Cheyenne, Crow, and Arapaho of central Plains Pawnee of western Nebraska Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche of present-day Texas and new Mexico Nomadic and warlike Depended on buffalo and horses Horses brought over by Spanish explorers Changed Plains Indians’ way of life Gave up farming and moved to hunting buffalo Men became superb warriors and horsemen, among best light cavalry in the world Migratory Several thousand in each tribe Lived in smaller bands of 300 to 500 Followed the buffalo Used all parts of buffalo for survival Food, clothing, and shelter Meat was dried or “jerked” Skins made teepees, blankets, and robes Bones became knives Tendons were made into bowstrings Horns and hooves were boiled into glue Buffalo “chips” burned as fuel Labor divided by gender Men Hunted, traded, cleared ground for planting, led ceremonial activities Held positions of authority – chief or medicine man Women Childrearing and artistic activity Did camp work, grew vegetables, prepared buffalo meat and hides, gathered berries and roots Played important role in political, economic, and religious activities Navajo and Zuni – matrilineal Navajo women in chart of family’s property Sioux – little difference in status Crushing the Native Americans

Searching for an Indian Policy
04/06/98 Early nineteenth century Indian Country - land west of the Mississippi River Whites could not enter without license 1850s – Wagon trains, gold rush, and talk of transcontinental railroad Government ended “one big reservation” New policy of concentration Whites poured into West Lecture Outline: Early nineteenth century Indian Country – land west of the Mississippi River Whites could not enter without license 1850s – Wagon trains, gold rush, and talk of transcontinental railroad Government ended “one big reservation” New policy of concentration Boundaries for each tribe Sioux given the Dakota country north of Platte River Crow given area near Powder River Cheyenne and Arapaho given Colorado foothills Lasted only a few years Native Americans refused to stay in assigned areas Whites poured into West Onto Indian lands, and then demanded protections from government Crushing the Native Americans 5 5 5 5

Searching for an Indian Policy (continued)
04/06/98 Violence erupted as settlers moved west Sand Creek massacre Sioux War of 1865–1867 Fetterman massacre Debate over Indian policy Humanitarians wanted to “civilize” Indians Others wanted firm control, swift reprisal Small reservation policy adopted Isolate Indians Lecture Outline: Violence erupted as settlers moved west Sand Creek massacre Colonel John Chivington led attack Chief Black Kettle asked for peace Attacked as they slept Included men, women, and children Angry protest afterward Congress appointed investigating committee Ended with treaty Sand Creek reservation given up Received lands elsewhere Sioux War of 1865–1867 Miners touched off war Flared when government announced plans to connect mining towns through Sioux hunting grounds in Montana Fetterman massacre Chief Red Cloud ambushed soldiers Wiped out all 82 soldiers Debate over Indian policy Humanitarians wanted to “civilize” Indians Others wanted firm control, swift reprisal Indians savages unfit for civilization Fears fed on rumors of scalped settlers and besieged forts Small reservation policy adopted Isolate Indians Teach them to farm Civilize them Crushing the Native Americans 5 5 5 5

Link to MyHistoryLab asset: Read the Document, “Chief Red Cloud, Speech After Wounded Knee (1890)” Lecture Outline: Image: Red Cloud was chief of the Oglala Teton Sioux. He was an important leader who opposed white incursions into Native American lives and territory, although he openly advocated peace whenever possible and did not support the more violent actions of Crazy Horse and his followers. Crushing the Native Americans

Final Battles on the Plains
04/06/98 Small reservation policy failed Young warriors refused restraint White settlers encroached on Indian lands Final series of wars suppressed Indians Little Big Horn Wounded Knee Massacre To suppress Ghost Dances Most battles resulted in Indian defeat Lecture Outline: Small reservation policy failed Young warriors refused restraint Returned to open countryside White settlers encroached on Indian lands Black Hills Gold Rush of 1875 Final series of wars suppressed Indians Little Big Horn Sioux defeated Custer in 1876 Custer led isolated column of troops ahead of main army Stumbled on main Sioux camp All of Custer’s troops died “Custer’s Last Stand” Set off nationwide demand for revenge Led by Rain-in-the-Face, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull Wounded Knee Massacre To suppress Ghost Dances Ghost Dances: religious rites that grew from Paiute messiah named Wovoka Dances were to bring back Native American lands and make whites disappear Return Indians to triumph - return buffalo Teton Sioux of South Dakota facing starvation Violence erupted Killed Sitting Bull and other warriors Many fled to joint other Ghost Dance groups Massacre killed 200 men, women, and children Used army’s new machine guns Most battles resulted in Indian defeat Key Terms: Ghost Dances: A religious movement that arose in the late nineteenth century under the prophet Wavoka, a Paiute Indian. Its followers believed that dances and rites would cause white men to disappear and restore lands to the Native Americans. The U.S. government outlawed the Ghost Dances, and army intervention to stop them led to the Wounded Knee Massacre. Wounded Knee Massacre: In December 1890, troopers of the Seventh Cavalry, under orders to stop the Ghost Dance religion among the Sioux, took Chief Big Foot and his followers to a camp on Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. It is uncertain who fired the first shot, but 200 Native Americans were killed. Crushing the Native Americans 4 4 4 4

Lecture Outline: Image: Map 17.2 Native Americans in the West: Major Battles and Reservations - “They made us many promises, more than I remember, but they never kept but one; they promised to take our land, and they took it.” So said Red Cloud of the Oglala Sioux, summarizing Native American–white relations in the 1870s. Crushing the Native Americans

The End of Tribal Life 04/06/98 Assimilation policy Congress stopped making treaties Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania Dawes Severalty Act Near extermination of buffalo Native American loss of culture 1900 – only 250,000 remained in U.S. Poor lifestyle Lecture Outline: Assimilation policy Congress stopped making treaties Tribes lost power as separate nations Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania Followed by other schools Taught Indian students to fix machines and farm Forced to abandon culture Cut hair, speak English, banned wearing tribal paint or clothes, forbade tribal ceremonies and dances Dawes Severalty Act Destroyed communal ownership of Indian land Gave small farms to individual Indians Family head received 160 acres, single adults 80 acres, and children 40 acres Native Americans knew little about farming, tools were rudimentary, and farming not traditionally considered a man’s job government returned to idea of tribal land ownership, but only 48 million acres of land remained, half of which were barren Surplus land sold to white settlers Indians who left tribes became U.S. citizens Near extermination of buffalo Dealt devastating blow to Plains Indians Chief resource and basis of lifestyle Railroad began process, but settlers pushed forward as well Hides made valuable leather Professional hunters Buffalo Bill Cody Native American loss of culture only 250,000 remained in U.S. ,000 million Poor lifestyle Poverty, alcoholism, and unemployment Most lived on reservations Became wards of the state Culture became romantic folklore of the West Dime novels, Wild West Show Key Terms: Dawes Severalty Act: Legislation passed by Congress in 1887 that aimed to break up traditional Indian life by promoting individual land ownership. It divided tribal lands into small plots that were distributed among members of each tribe. Provisions were made for education and eventual citizenship. The law led to corruption and exploitation and weakened tribal culture. Crushing the Native Americans 4 4 4 4

Lecture Outline: Image: Huge buffalo herds grazing along railroads in the West frequently blocked passing trains. Passengers often killed for sport, shooting at the beasts with “no intention of using or removing the animal carcasses.” Crushing the Native Americans

Discussion Question How did white Americans crush the culture of the Native Americans as they moved west? Lecture Outline: Through the centuries before Europeans and others arrived, Native Americans had developed a complex culture suited to the various environments in which they lived. The U.S. government and white settlers employed a variety of methods—political, military, legal, and cultural—to oust the Indians from their lands, “civilize” them, and contain and control them. Crushing the Native Americans

Settlement of the West Men and Women on the Overland Trail
Land for the Taking The Spanish-Speaking Southwest Learning Objective: Why did Americans and others move to the West? Home

Settlement of the West Unprecedented settlement 1870–1900
04/06/98 Unprecedented settlement 1870–1900 Most moved West seeking a better life Rising population drove increasing demand for Western goods West was not a major “safety valve” for social and economic tensions Lecture Outline: Unprecedented settlement 1870–1900 Most moved West seeking a better life Rising population drove increasing demand for Western goods Livestock Agricultural, mineral, and lumber products West was not a major “safety valve” for social and economic tensions Poor and unemployed could not afford to move there and establish farms Settlement of the West 12 13 13 13

Men and Women on the Overland Trail
04/06/98 Great migration westward First push aimed for California and Oregon Gold Rush of 1849 Overland Trail Migration usually a family affair Journey was strenuous Lecture Outline: Great migration westward First push aimed for California and Oregon Gold Rush of 1849 Overland Trail 500,000 plus people Walked, rode horses alone or in groups Caravans numbering 150 wagons or more Settlers started from points along Missouri River in early May to get through Rockies before snow Migration usually a family affair Many women regretted leaving family and friends Family groups with in-laws, grandparents, aunts and uncles Journey was strenuous Different tasks for travelers Men - hunting, guard duty, and transportation Women - fixed meals Lonely journey Adjusted clothing - bloomer pants, shortened skirts, carried firearms Children - kindled fires, fetched water, searched for wood and other fuel Up to 16 hours a day in all types of weather conditions, for about 6 months Trail covered in trash and discarded household items Key Terms: Gold Rush of 1849: Prospectors made the first gold strikes along the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California in 1849, touching off a mining boom that set the pattern for subsequent strikes in other regions. Overland Trail: The route from the Mississippi Valley to the Pacific Coast in the last half of the nineteenth century. Settlement of the West 5 5 5 5

Land for the Taking 1860–1900: Federal land grants
04/06/98 1860–1900: Federal land grants Homestead Act of 1862 Most land acquired by wealthy investors Water was dominant issue National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act) Railroads largest landowners in West Eager to have immigrants settle on land Lecture Outline: 1860–1900: Federal land grants Homestead Act of 1862 160 acres – pay registration fee of $10 Must live on land and cultivate it for five years 48 million acres granted 600,000 families claimed free homesteads Most land acquired by wealthy investors Speculators sent agents to stake out best land for high prices Few farmers and laborers had the funds to move to the frontier, buy equipment, and wait out a few years until the farm made a profit Water was dominant issue National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act) Set aside proceeds from sale of public lands in West for irrigation projects Dams, canals, and irrigation systems Railroads largest landowners in West Eager to have immigrants settle on land Sent agents to Europe and the East Key Terms: Homestead Act of 1862: Legislation granting 160 acres to anyone who paid a $10 fee and pledged to live on and cultivate the land for five years. Between 1862 and 1900, nearly 600,000 families claimed homesteads under its provisions. National Reclamation Act (Newlands Act): Passed in 1902, this legislation set aside most of the proceeds from the sale of public land in 16 Western states to fund irrigation projects. Settlement of the West 5 5 5 5

Settlement of the West Link to MyHistoryLab asset:
Read the Document, “Homestead Act of 1862” Lecture Outline: Image: Between 1862 and 1890, the government gave away 48 million acres under the Homestead Act of A law of great significance, it gave 160 acres of land to anyone who would pay a $10 registration fee and pledge to live on the land, cultivating it for five years. Settlement of the West

The Spanish-Speaking Southwest
Spanish-speakers of Southwest Contributed to culture and institutions Spanish‒Mexican Californians Culture shaped society Continuous immigration kept culture strong Lecture Outline: Spanish-speakers of Southwest Contributed to culture and institutions Brought techniques from Mexico Irrigated farming Mining Stock raising Ranching methods Chaps and the burro Spanish‒Mexican Californians Lost lands after 1860s Due to droughts and mortgages Culture shaped society Men dominated family and economic life Women had economic rights Higher standard than English American women Wives kept control of property acquired before marriage and half title to all property in marriage Basis of community property laws Economic caste system Strong Roman Catholic influence Spanish language Continuous immigration kept culture strong Settlement of the West

Discussion Question Why did Americans and others to move to the West?
Lecture Outline: There were many reasons Americans moved west, including a desire to get rich, to seek religious freedom, and to improve health, among other things. The federal government helped out with generous land laws and with laws favoring irrigation in the arid West. In the Southwest, a proud culture took shape around Spanish laws and customs, involving water, the rights of women, and the sale, ownership, and use of land. Settlement of the West

The Bonanza West The Mining Bonanza The Cattle Bonanza
The Farming Bonanza Discontent on the Farm The Final Fling Learning Objective: Why was the West a bonanza of dreams and get-rich-quick schemes? Home

The Bonanza West Quest to “get rich quick” Constant change
Produced uneven growth Caused boom-and-bust economic cycles Wasted resources Constant change “Instant cities” Institutions based on bonanza mentality West - an idea as well as a region Lecture Outline: Quest to “get rich quick” Produced uneven growth Caused boom-and-bust economic cycles Wasted resources Constant change “Instant cities” San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver Other cow towns and mining camps also experienced spurts of growth Institutions based on bonanza mentality West - an idea as well as a region Molded people as much as they molded it The Bonanza West

The Mining Bonanza Mining first attraction to the West
California Gold Rush of 1849 Placer mining gave way to big business Comstock Lode Black Hills Towns grew from camps that sprouted with first strike Governed by simple democracy More men than women Many foreign-born Lecture Outline: Mining first attraction to the West California Gold Rush of 1849 Set pattern for later mining booms Placer mining gave way to big business Placer mining: Individual prospectors removed surface gold Gold that was left required heavy, expensive mining equipment, so large corporations moved in Comstock Lode Ore deposit discovered in Nevada in 1859 Produced silver and gold worth more than $306 million Black Hills Final mining rush: 1874–1876 Rush overran Sioux hunting grounds Towns grew from camps that sprouted with first strike Governed by simple democracy Mining district organized Adopted rules governing behavior Size and boundaries of claims Procedures to settle disputes Penalties for crimes More men than women Men outnumbered women two to one Very few children Prostitutes followed camps Women took jobs as cooks, housekeepers, and seamstresses Wages higher than in the East Many foreign-born 25–50 percent of camp citizens were foreign-born 6,000 Mexicans joined California Gold Rush of 1849 25,000 Chinese in California by 1852 Key Terms: placer mining: Mining that included using a shovel and washing pan to separate gold from the ore in streams and riverbeds. Placer miners worked as individuals or in small groups. Comstock Lode: Discovered in 1859 near Virginia City, Nevada, this ore deposit was the richest discovery in the history of mining. Named after T. P. Comstock, the deposit produced silver and gold worth more than $306 million. The Bonanza West

The Mining Bonanza (continued)
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Hostility toward foreign miners grew Suspended Chinese immigration for ten years 1890s - bonanza over Contributed millions to economy and helped finance Civil War Scarred and polluted environment Left ghost towns Lecture Outline: Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 Hostility toward foreign miners grew Riots occurred against Chinese laborers in the 1870s and 1880s Suspended Chinese immigration for ten years 1890s - bonanza over Contributed millions to economy and helped finance Civil War Scarred and polluted environment Left ghost towns Key Terms: Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882: Legislation passed in 1882 that excluded Chinese immigrants for ten years and denied U.S. citizenship to Chinese nationals. It was the first U.S. exclusionary law aimed at a specific racial group. The Bonanza West

What New Economic Patterns Emerged in the West?
How did railroad expansion shape population growth in the West? How did western agriculture develop during the late 1800s? How did the federal government’s presence manifest itself as settlers moved west? The Bonanza West

The Bonanza West Lecture Outline:
Image: This patriotic lithograph, titled “Across the Continent – Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way,” represents the expansion into the American West made possible by the nation’s first transcontinental railway, which was completed in 1869. The Bonanza West

The Bonanza West Link to MyHistoryLab asset:
Read the Document, “John Lester, ‘Hydraulic Mining’ (1873)” Lecture Outline: Image: Map 17.3 Mining Regions of the West - Gold and silver mines dotted the West, drawing settlers and encouraging political organization. The Bonanza West

The Cattle Bonanza The far West ideal for cattle grazing
Cattle ranching dominated open range Getting beef to eastern markets Cowboys worked long hours for little pay Laws and rules End of the great cattle drives Farmers moved in Mechanization modernized ranching Weather connection Ranchers adapted Lecture Outline: The far West ideal for cattle grazing Cattle ranching dominated open range Western grasslands Covered with buffalo or grama grass Fenceless area from Texas panhandle to Canada Techniques came from Mexico Mexican vaqueros – cowboys Branding, roundups, and roping Texas longhorns also came from Mexico Multiplied rapidly Meat was course and stringy Needed to feed a nation hungry for beef Getting beef to eastern markets Cattle drives took herds to railheads Abilene, Kansas; Dodge City, Kansas Chisholm Trail most famous Trains took herds to Chicago for processing Profits enormous for large ranchers Cowboys worked long hours for little pay Mixed group At least a quarter were black and possibly another quarter were Mexican Trail bosses usually white Laws and rules Trail rules Wyoming Stock Growers’ Association Largest ranchers organization Laws of association were laws of the land End of the great cattle drives Farmers moved in Planting wheat and using barbed wire fences Mechanization modernized ranching Improvements in slaughtering, refrigerated transportation, and cold storage Weather connection 1885‒ harsh winter killed thousands of cattle Ranchers adapted Last roundup Outside capital dried up, so ranches became smaller Ranchers fenced lands, reduced herds, grew hay for winter food Some ranchers switched to raising sheep The Bonanza West

Image: Charles M. Russell, Cowboy Camp During Roundup, c. 1885– Artist Charles Russell here documents the cowboys’ activities during the annual spring roundup. Before setting off on the long trek to drive cattle to market, the cowboys had to rope and break in horses that might have gone wild over the winter. The Bonanza West

Image: Map 17.4 Cattle Trails - Cattle raised in Texas were driven along the cattle trails to the northern railheads where trains carried them to market. The Bonanza West

The Farming Bonanza 1870‒1900 – Millions of farmers moved West to cultivate land Population on Plains tripled percent of population in West, compared to less than 1 percent in 1850 Exodusters Problems on the Plains New farming methods Lecture Outline: 1870‒ Millions of farmers moved West to cultivate land Population on Plains tripled percent of population in West, compared to less than 1 percent in 1850 Indians pushed out of land Years of above-average rainfall convinced farmers that the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and eastern Colorado were “the rain belt” Exodusters African American farmers migrated from the South To escape racism To live freer lives in Kansas and Oklahoma Problems on the Plains Water and building materials scarce Sod houses common first dwelling Grasshoppers came in clouds 1885–1890: Drought ruined bonanza farms New farming methods Glidden invented barbed wire New strains of wheat resistant to frost Small-scale, diversified farming adopted Key Terms: Exodusters: A group of about 6000 African Americans who left Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas in 1879, for freer lives as farmers or laborers in Kansas. The Bonanza West

Discontent on the Farm 04/06/98 National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (the Grange) Provided social, cultural, and educational activities Banned political involvement Farmers’ grievances Transformation of American agriculture Nation’s garden Commercial and scientific Lecture Outline: National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry (the Grange) Provided social, cultural, and educational activities Banned political involvement But Grangers often ignored rules and supported railroad regulation and other measures Grew rapidly during depression of 1870s Set up cooperative stores, grain elevators, warehouses, insurance companies, and farm machinery factories Many failed, but organization made its mark Groups like Farmers’ Alliance picked up where the Grange left off Farmers’ grievances Farming boom ended abruptly after 1887 Harsh droughts in 1880s and 1890s wiped out many new farmers on western Plains Declining crop prices, rising railroad rates, heavy mortgages Transformation of American agriculture Nation’s garden California – fruit, wine, and wheat Utah flourished with irrigation under the Mormons Texas – beef Wheat fields in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana, and eastern Colorado Produced surplus – by 1890 farmers exporting wheat and other crops Commercial and scientific Mail-order houses and rural free delivery diminished isolation Key Terms: National Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry: Founded by Oliver H. Kelly in 1867, the Grange sought to relieve the drabness of farm life by providing a social, educational, and cultural outlet for its members. It also set up grain elevators, cooperative stores, warehouses, insurance companies, and farm machinery factories. The Bonanza West 17 18 18 18

The Final Fling 1889 - Oklahoma opened to white settlement
04/06/98 Oklahoma opened to white settlement Indians forced to give up rights to land Sooners and Boomers Lecture Outline: Oklahoma opened to white settlement Indians forced to give up rights to land Sooners and Boomers Sooners – jumped the gun Boomers – waited for the official signal The Bonanza West 17 18 18 18

Discussion Question Why was the West a bonanza of dreams and get-rich-quick schemes? Lecture Outline: The West attracted hundreds of thousands of people seeking a better economic life. Many failed, of course, but many also succeeded, finding their own particular bonanzas in mining, cattle ranching, and farming. In many of these areas, western development paralleled trends in the rest of the nation: larger and larger businesses, new uses for technology, and the employment of outside capital. The Bonanza West

Conclusion: The Meaning of the West
04/06/98 Historians differ in their interpretation of the American frontier experience Frederick Jackson Turner – Turner’s thesis “New Western historians” Image of frontier and the West influenced American development Lecture Outline: Historians differ in their interpretation of the American frontier experience Frederick Jackson Turner – Turner’s thesis West as cradle of individualism and innovation “New Western historians” Arena of conflicting interests and erosion of environment Image of frontier and the West influenced American development Attracted immigrants Adding to nation’s talent and diversity Resources fueled economy Mines, forests, farms, raw materials sent to factories, fed growing cities Culture Native Americans and Mexicans influenced art, architecture, law, and western folklore Key Terms: Turner’s thesis: Put forth by historian Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893, this thesis asserted that the existence of a frontier and its settlement had shaped American character; given rise to individualism, independence, and self-confidence; and fostered the American spirit of invention and adaptation. Later historians modified the thesis by pointing out the environmental and other consequences of frontier settlement, the federal government’s role in peopling the West, and the clash of races and cultures that took place on the frontier. 26 25 25 25

Link to MyHistoryLab asset:
Read the Document, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History (1893)” Lecture Outline: Image: During a gathering of historians at the World’s Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893, Frederick Jackson Turner presented an essay titled “The Significance of the Frontier in American History.” Turner’s article, also known as the Frontier Thesis, argued that the settlement of the frontier made the American nation unique. Turner credited the frontier’s settlement as the primary force in shaping the nation’s democratic institutions.

The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "The West: Exploiting an Empire 1849‒1902"— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback