African Americans

Many African Americans moved west after the Civil War tobe farmers, cowboys, or soilders.

Barbed WIre

Barbed wire made fencing possible for farmers in the west; itcaused the end of the open range.

Black Exodus

The Black Exodus is the name giventhe period given the period after theCivil War in which many AfricansAmericans left the South to movewest.

Buffalo

The Plains Indians relied on the buffalo for food, clothing, and shelter. Ranching, railroads, andwhite settlement led to a decrease in the buffalo population and greatly impacted the Plain Indians.

Buffalo Soliders

The Buffalo Soldiers were African American soldiers who served admirably andhad reputation among Native Americans as brave fighters.

Cattle Ranching

Cattle Ranching became a major western industry due to available land and the fact that whitesettlers learned the ranching techniques of Mexicans who already lived and raised cattle in the

Southwest.

Chinese Exclusion Act

Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, restrictingChinese immigration The law was not repealed until 1943.

Chinese Immigrants

Chinese immigrants arrived and often helped construct the nation'srailroad during the late 1800's. They were frequently objects of racism.

Cooperatives

Cooperatives were organizationsthrough which farmers untied to help

one another economically andpolitically.

"Cross of Gold" Speech

This was a famous speech given by William Jennings Bryan atthe 1896 Democratic Convention,in which he called for free silver.

Dawes Act

The Dawes Act was a law passed by Congress in 1887 meant to assimilate Native Americans intoUS culture. It failed because most Native Americans did not want to become farmers or end their

tribal affiliations.

Free Silver

Free Silver was the position that the US government should based the US dollar on silver as well asgold. Populists eventually adopted the cause of free silver.

Greenbacks

Greenbacks referred to paper money. Populists supported the distributions of more greenbacksbecause it increased the money supply and raised farm prices.

Little Bighorn

The Battle of Little Bighorn was the Native American's last great victory over the US army andresulted in the massacre of George A. Custer and over two hundred of his men.

Manifest Destiny

Manifest destiny was the belief that it was the United States destiny toexpand west and conquer territory all the way to the Pacific.

Mexicans

US settlers to the western territorieslearned cattle ranching from theMexicans. They also adopted manyaspect of Mexican culture because ofthe constant interaction between thetwo people groups.

Mining

The discovery of gold in the west made mining a very important industryand led to the establishment of mining camps that grew into towns.

Native Americans

Native Americans who lived int eh West had conflicts with European Americans, fought severalbattles against settlers and the US Army, and were often forced to move from their land to

government run reservations.

Nativists

Nativists were people who did not like immigrants becausethey felt they drove down wages by offering cheap labor

Nez Perce

The Nez Perce were a Naive American people led by Chief Joseph. Despite Joseph's masterfulretreat in an attempt to escape to Canada, the tribe was stopped short of the border and forced to

move to Oklahoma, where many of them died as a result of sickness and malnutrition.

Oklahoma Land Rush

The Oklahoma land rush occurred when the US government openedwhat had previously been native american territory to white settlers.

Populist Movement

The populist movement was a political movement thatsupported farmers and "common man"

Railroads

Railroads allowed farmers and ranchers to import goodsfrom and export goods to important eastern markets.

Reservation

Reservations were government landsto which Native Americans wereforced to move on and which they

were forced to live.

Sand Creek Massacre

The Sand Creek Massacre occured when US soldiers attacked Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creekand killed 270 Native American , many whom were women and childres

Steel Plow

John Deere's steel plow made it possible to farm the tough prairieterrain of the West, helping to make farming a key western industry.

Transcontinental Railroad

The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1862 and connected easternrailroads to western railroads, making transcontinental rail travel possible.

William Jennings Byran

Bryan was a fiery speaker andpolitical leader who won the 1896Democratic nomination for president.He was endorsed by the Populist butlost to Republican William McKinley

Windmills

Windmills made it possible for farmers to pump water water from deep, underground water sourcesto the surface, allowing them to water their crops and farm successfully.

Wounded Knee

Wounded Knee was the last major armed conflict between US soldiers and Native Americans. Itended with 150 Native American men, women, and children being killed by US troops at Wounded

Knee Creek