1. THE WEST: EXPLOITING AN EMPIRE America: Past and Present Chapter 17

2. Beyond the Frontier n 1840--settlement to Missouri timber country n Eastern Plains have rich soil, good rainfall n High Plains, Rockies semi-arid n Most pre-Civil War settlers head directly for Pacific Coast

3. Crushing the Native Americans n 1867--250,000 Indians in western U.S. – Displaced Eastern Indians – Native Plains Indians n By the 1880s – Most Indians on reservations – California Indians decimated by disease n By the 1890s Indian cultures crumble

4. Life of the Plains Indians: Political Organization n Plains Indians nomadic, hunt buffalo – Skilled horsepeople – Tribes develop warrior class – Wars limited to skirmishes, "counting coups" n Tribal bands governed by chief and council n Loose organization confounds federal policy

5. Life of the Plains Indians: Social Organization n Sexual division of labor –Men hunt, trade, supervise ceremonial activities, clear ground for planting –Women responsible for child rearing, art, camp work, gardening, food preparation n Equal gender status common –Kinship often matrilineal –Women often manage family property

6. "As Long as Waters Run“: The West to 1850 n Trans-Mississippi West neglected to 1850 n Indian Intercourse Act of 1834 excludes any white from Indian country without a license n Land regarded as Indian preserve

7. “As Long as Waters Run: The West after 1850 n After 1850 white travel on Great Plains rises n Federal government sparks wars by confining Indian tribes to specific areas n Sioux War of 1865-1867 prompts "small reservation" policy to protect white migration

8. Final Battles on the Plains n Small reservation policy fails – Young warriors refuse restraint – White settlers encroach on Indian lands n Final series of wars suppress Indians – 1876—Little Big Horn: Sioux defeat Custer – Most battles result in Indian defeat, massacre – 1890—Wounded Knee massacre to suppress "Ghost Dances"

9. The End of Tribal Life n 1887--Dawes Severalty Act – Destroys communal ownership of Indian land – Gives small farms to each head of a family – Indians who leave tribes become U.S. citizens n Near-extermination of buffalo deals devastating blow to Plains Indians

10. Settlement of the West n Unprecedented settlement 1870-1900 n Most move west in periods of prosperity n Rising population drives demand for Western goods

11. Men and Women on the Overland Trail n California Gold Rush begins Great Migration n Settlers start from St. Louis, Missouri, in April to get through Rockies before snow n Pacific trek takes at least 6 months

12. Land for the Taking: Federal Incentives n 1860-1900—Federal land grants –48 million acres granted under Homestead Act –100 million acres sold to private individuals, corporations –128 million acres granted to railroad companies n Congress offers incentives to development –Timber Culture Act 1873 –Desert Land Act of 1877 –Timber and Stone Act of 1878

13. Land for the Taking: Speculators and Railroads n Most land acquired by wealthy investors n Speculators send agents to stake out best land for high prices –River bottoms –Irrigable areas –Control of water n Railroads settle grants with immigrants

14. Land for the Taking: Water and Development n Water scarcity limits Western growth –Much of the West receives less than 20 inches of rainfall annually –People speculate in water as in gold n 1902--Newlands Act sets aside federal money for irrigation projects

15. Territorial Government n Western territorial officials appointed n Territorial patronage systems persist n Some Westerners make livings as Congressmen n Territorial experience produces unique Western political culture

16. The Spanish-Speaking Southwest n Spanish-speakers of Southwest contribute to culture, institutions – irrigation – stock management – weaving – natural resource management n Spanish-Mexican Californians lose lands after 1860s

17. The Bonanza West n Quest to “get rich quick” produces – uneven growth – boom-and-bust economic cycles – wasted resources – "instant cities" like San Francisco n Institutions based on bonanza mentality

18. The Mining Bonanza n Mining first attraction to the West n Mining frontier moves from west to east – Individual prospectors remove surface gold – Big corporations move in with the heavy, expensive mining equipment n 1874-1876--Black Hills rush overruns Sioux hunting grounds

19. Mining Bonanza: Camp Life n Camps sprout with each first strike n Camps governed by simple democracy n Men outnumber women two-to-one n Most men, some women work claims n Most women earn wages as cooks, housekeepers, and seamstresses

20. Mining Bonanza: Ethnic Hostility n 25-50% of camp citizens were foreign- born n French, Latin Americans, Chinese hated n 1850--California Foreign Miner's Tax drives foreigners out n 1882--federal Chinese Exclusion Act suspends Chinese immigration for 10 years

21. Effects of the Mining Boom n Contributes millions to economy n Helps finance Civil War, industrialization n Relative value of silver and gold change n Early statehood for Nevada, Idaho, Montana n Invaded Indian reservations n Scarred, polluted environment n Ghost towns

22. Gold from the Roots Up: The Cattle Bonanza n The Far West ideal for cattle grazing n Cattle drives take herds to rail heads n Trains take herds to Chicago for processing n Profits enormous for large ranchers n Cowboys work long hours for little pay n Cowboys self-governing

23. From Grazing to Farming n By 1880 wheat farmers begin fencing range n Mechanization modernizes ranching n 1886--harsh winter kills thousands of cattle n Ranchers reduce herds, switch to sheep

24. Sodbusters on the Plains: The Farming Bonanza n 1870-1890 farm population triples on plains n African-American “Exoduster” farmers migrate from the South to escape racism n Water, building materials scarce n Sod houses common first dwelling

25. New Farming Methods n Barbed wire allows fencing without wood n Dry farming--deeper tilling, use of mulch n New strains of wheat resistant to frost n 1885-1890--drought ruins bonanza farms n Small-scale, diversified farming adopted

26. Discontent on the Farm n Farmers’ grievances – Declining crop prices – Rising rail rates – Heavy mortgages n The Grange becomes a political lobby n Trans-Mississippi farmers become more commercial, scientific, productive

27. The Final Fling n 1889--Oklahoma opened to white settlement n Changing views of Far West – “Frontier thesis” treated West as cradle of individualism, innovation – New Western History sees West as arena of conflicting interests, erosion of environment