1. Goal 4 Part 1
Changes on the Western Front / Indian Wars / Government Support for Settlement

2. Western Settlers Vs. Great Plain Indians
Settler: “We will improve
the land”
G.P. Indian: “Land CANNOT be owned”
What drew them West?
Gold
1834 – GREAT PLAINS = ONE BIG RESERVATION
Native American reaction: continue to hunt

4. Indian Wars (Great Plains)
Massacre at Sand Creek (1864)
Cheyenne THOUGHT they were protected by the government
- 7 hours / over 150 men, women, and children slaughtered
*Treaty of Fort Laramie (1851) (temporary)
PURPOSE: Stop the warfare
Battle at Little Bighorn (1876)
led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull (Sioux)
Col. Custer (*Custer’s Last Stand) DIES at
Little Bighorn (Native American VICTORY!)
****LEGACY**** Prolonged the defeat
of the Native Americans!

5. End of Indian Wars Massacre at Wounded Knee (1890)
Custer’s OLD regiment (7th Calvary) gathered the Sioux and set up camp at Wounded Knee in South Dakota (promised land)
Native Americans were demanded to hand over guns
7th Calvary murdered 300 unarmed Native Americans.
MOST IMPORTANT: THE EVENTS AT WOUNDED KNEE “ENDED” THE INDIAN WARS!!!!!!

6. Events of Wounded Knee

8. Ghost Dance Ghost Dance – a ritual dance to bring
back land and culture
of the Native Americans

9. ***Helen Hunt Jackson’s Century of Dishonor (1881)***
A novel that exploited the federal government’s many broken promises against the Native Americans.
(ex. Fort Laramie)
Main topic: ASSIMILATION
Less dominant culture into a
more dominant culture

10. *Government SUPPORTS Assimilation* DAWES ACT (1887)
Dawes Severalty Act (1887)
Legislation that aimed to “AMERICANIZE” the Native Americans….
Provided education
Focused on Assimilation
CREATED RESERVATIONS and individual land ownership

11. Buffalo
The deliberate destruction of this animal crippled the Native Americans more than anything else
Destroying this animal
Removes resourceful tools
For the Native Americans
To use against the white man

14. Buffalo Soldiers African American soldiers that
Escorted /protected many RR
crews, and other
operations in the West
Enemy:
Native Americans

15. Turner Thesis / Frontier Thesis Frederick Jackson Turner (1893)
Movement Westward explains American development (shapes American culture)
You think America – you think
(1)development
(2)settlement
(3)Expansion
& its effect on cultures
*Going West creates “FREEDOM”

16. Inventions that “TAMED” the Prairie
(1) BARBED WIRE:
Ended the OPEN RANGE
Why : cheap and easy to use (series of plots instead of wide-open West)
(2) Mechanical Reaper – Cyrus McCormick
(3) Steel Plow: - John Deere
(Note:____________________
(4) Steel Windmill –“Dehydration Farming”
- Droughts occur – Windmill brings up underground water!

18. Government Supports Settlement
RAILROADS – – federal government gives 170 million acres of land to R.R. companies to create connection
Central Pacific and the Union Pacific
Meet and create a transcontinental railroad
Union Pacific starts in Iowa
Central pacific starts in California
Finally met each other at
****Promontory Point, Utah May 10, 1869
“GOLDEN SPIKE” to connect the two railroads to create America’s FIRST “COMPLETED” transcontinental Railroad

19. Who built the Railroads?
Civil War Veterans, Irish, Chinese African Americans and Mexicans

21. Homestead Act (1862) ******Homestead Act******
FREE LAND offers from the government of
“160 acres of land in the West” to the head of the household Duration: 5 YEARS
Why just give land away?
Purpose: development, business, better economy

22. Exodusters
African Americans who moved from post-Reconstruction South to KANSAS!
REASON: Escape racial discrimination (JIM CROW) / take advantage of the Homestead Act

23. MORRILL LAND-GRANT ACTS (1862 and 1890)
Federal government gave land to states in order to set up “institutions / colleges”
“Agricultural colleges / Farmer College”
Effect: major boost to
higher education for farmers

24. Farmers Vs. Railroads

25. Farmers Unite to Address Common Problems
Crop Prices = FALLING…so farmers mortgage off their farms so they can buy more land and produce more crops
Most significant problem: RAILROADS were taking advantage of the farmers
EXAMPLES:
R.R. charged too much
on shipping & storage
R.R. had “middle-men”
(relationships with others
besides farmers)

26. Why?
"The Iron Horse Which Eats Up The Farmers' Produce.” 1873

27. Greenbacks Banks Take Advantage
Produced during the Civil War ($500 Million)
COULD NOT be exchanged for gold or silver (greenbacks – low value)
Must be taken out of circulation
When taken out….hard money (coins and bills) increased in value and used!!!
Farmers who BORROWED greenbacks after Civil War….had to repay in HARD money!!! (stuck with debt!)

28. *Oliver Hudson Kelley (1867) Farmer’s Alliance
started the “Patrons of Husbandry”
(also known as the “GRANGE”)
Grange: farmer’s alliance
Purpose: fight against the railroads!
REFORM:
(1) REGULATE railroads (2) pushed for more money in circulation (3) Cooperative buying and selling
First meeting: July 2, 1892 in Omaha, Nebraska , known as the “Omaha Platform”
BIRTH OF THE POPULIST PARTY
(MOVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE)
*Colored Farmers’ National Alliance
Organized by a white Baptist preacher, only housed African American farmers

29. Granger Laws Farmer Laws Reforms: Federal loan program
More $ in circulation
Unlimited free coinage
of silver
*Pushes for government
Regulation / control over the
Railroad industry

30. Munn V. Illinois (1877)
Supreme Court ruling that upheld the Granger Laws! (farmers win!)
Ruling: Federal Regulation of RR
Federal government gave more power to
“STATE GOVERNMENT” to REGULATE a private industry (railroads) if it affects
“PUBLIC INTEREST”
OVERALL: (If the railroad system takes
advantage of the public,
the federal government can step in!)
Farmers think they are gaining power
against the Railroad industry!!!!!
(SHORT-LIVED)

31. Wabash Case (1886)
Ruling: “narrowed” Munn V Illinois / *******Granger Laws are “UNCONSTITUTIONAL”********
Reason: Grangers “CAN’T” regulate interstate commerce throughout the states (federal government controls that!)
What court case????
Limited the rights for states to control interstate commerce…leads to the creation of the I.C.C.

32. Interstate Commerce Act (1887)
Reestablished the fact that the
“federal government” controls interstate commerce & not the state
MAIN PURPOSE: Federal government is loosing MONEY!! (Tax)
Established the
Interstate Commerce Commission -
FIRST TRUE REGULATORY
COMMISSION
(federal government –
Gibbons V. Ogden)

33. Granger Rights
Munn V. Illinois – states get more control and a voice FOR farmers
Wabash Case– Federal government takes power AWAY from the state because of (INTERSTATE COMMERCE ISSUES)
Interstate Commerce Act – “reestablishes” federal control over interstate commerce / forms the ICC

34. Farmers were in trouble because
Mechanization = more machines / more debt
New Farm Land = more land / more debt
Specialization of crops = farmers only raise one crop / leads to problem if that ONE crop has problem growing
Bad Weather = drought or flood / crop less
Corporate Greed = bankers / monopolies / trusts / advantage for elite