The West

The Last Frontier

The Great Plains, Rocky Mountains and the Great Basin Made up the area west of

Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin and east of California and Oregon

Tha Last Frontier

Great Plains Stretched from Texas to North Dakota

Home to millions of Buffalo and Great Plains IndiansBetween 1870-1890 most buffalo were killed and Indians forcibly moved to

reservations

Known to many Americans as “The Great American Desert”- however this land was extremely fertile

Once they realized this they felt they needed to settle an take over the land

The Great Plains were divided up into ranches and farms, by 1890 the area was officially “closed”to new settlement- no areas remained with less then 2 people per square mile

Push and Pull Factors

In any migration situation there are always going to be push and pull factors Push factors- events or

situations that push people to leave their current home

Pull factors- events or situations that pull people to come to a certain place

Pull Factors

Discovery of Precious Metals California (obvi), but also in Colorado, Nevada, South Dakota, and Arizona

Gold and Silver

Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad Irish Immigrants work on eastern part, Chinese immigrants work on western part,

they met in Utah.

A 6 month sea voyage now by train took just over a week

Main stimulus for settlement of western lands

Mad it possible for farmers and ranchers to ship their grain and cattle back to northeastern markets

Pull Factors

Availability of cheap land Homestead Act of 1862-

promised settlers 160 acres of land for 1.65 an acre after improving it for six months, or for free if they farmed it for five years

Push Factors

Southern Economy was still not recoveredLack of skilled workers

Few southern banks to fund businesses

Space became limited in the NortheastImmigrants from Europe begin arriving

Native American Experience

If settlers found Native American land attractive they were again “asked” to move

Native American Experience

Indian Wars 1864-1890- a series of battles lasting 25 years over white settlers expansion into Native American Lands Sand Creek Massacre- a Colorado Militia will attack and kill a camp of Cheyenne and

Arapaho Indians(mostly women and children), even though they were waiving a white flag of surrender and the American Flag

After Civil War Army focused on West

Battle of Little Big Horn- gold found in Sioux land, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull will gather their forces to drive out the prospectors. The US Army sends troops to stop them, Custer takes his men ahead of the rest and attacks early. Custer’s 250 men will unexpectedly come across the 2,000 Indians led by Crazy Horse who will attack and kill Custer’s 250 men

Native American Experience

Indian Wars 1864-1890- a series of battles lasting 25 years over white settlers expansion into Native American Lands Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce- the Nez Perces were mainly Christian and had assimilated

as ranchers. When the government tried to reduce the size of their land Joseph tried to lead his band of Nez Perce to Canada to reach Political Assylum. Stopped at the border by the Army he will speak his most famous words: “I will fight no more”

Wounded Knee- a religious revival based on the Ghost Dance was sweeping through the Plains Indians. In order to keep this from leading to better organization of the tribes the government will arrest Sitting Bull. During this arrest it became violent, Sitting Bull and other Native leaders were killed, the army will chase the remaining Native Americans who were with Sitting Bull to Wounded Knee, South Dakota where they will kill the remaining 100 Natives from his group

Native American Experience

The Reservation System The government would “reserve” a

portion of land for the Native Americans by signing a treaty with them

The tribe would have to promise not to go beyond the borders of its land, if they did they would be captured and brought back

Reservation land was often the most undesirable and infertile land

Teachers were sent into the reservations to “instruct” students, often trying to convert them to christianity

Public Outcry

Some reformers in government were appalled and upset by the treatment of Native AmericansMany reformers wanted them to become “Americanized” and

assimilate into the white culture

The Dawes Act of 1887- attempted to “Americanize” Natives Each male Indian was given 160 acres of reservation land as

his own private property, those who took advantage of this offer would be rewarded with US citizenship and the right to voteProblems: 1) Individual land was contrary to the survival of Indian

culture 2) Land given to them was often infertile 3) led to a sell off of reservation land