1. Westward Expansion

2. 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

4. 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?

5. 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

6. 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

7. The Mining Industry
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

8. 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

10. The “Golden Spike” 1896

11. 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 first federal law to restrict immigration to the U.S. It prevented further Chinese immigration and denied citizenship to Chinese residents

12. Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

13. 1883 Harper’s Weekly

14. 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

15. 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?

16. Life on the Plains

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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Dawes Severalty Act of 1887

21. Example of Assimilation Navajo Tom Torlino

22. 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

23. 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

24. Buffalo Genocide

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

26. American Progress, 1872