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Moving Westward: 1850-1890

Moving Westward: 1850-1890. Libertyville HS. Westward Movement. By 1850s frontier had moved to 100 th Meridian Area beyond = “Great American Desert” North = Canada West = Great Plains & Rocky Mountains South = Texas Barriers to settlement Extremes of weather

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Moving Westward: 1850-1890

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  1. Moving Westward: 1850-1890 Libertyville HS

  2. Westward Movement • By 1850s frontier had moved to 100th Meridian • Area beyond = “Great American Desert” • North = Canada • West = Great Plains & Rocky Mountains • South = Texas • Barriers to settlement • Extremes of weather • Lack of trees (fuel, construction, food) • Native Americans

  3. The Indian Barrier • N.A. were masters of their environment • Indian advantages • Horsemanship • Weapons • Knowledge of their terrain • White disadvantages • Unknown environment • Slow loading weapons

  4. Changing Circumstances • Use of the revolver • Telegraph (“singing wires”) • Introduction of alcohol • Diseases • Disappearance of buffalo • Introduction of the railroad • Ex – Union & Central Pacific • “Plenty wagon, no horse”

  5. The Transcontinental Railroad • Transcontinental Railroad – why? • Quick transport across country for goods, people • Congress: land grants to RR companies, as incentive to build • Trunk line + subsidiary lines • Effects • Open up interior to settlement • Hastened defeat of Indians • Buffalo slaughter • Political development of W states

  6. “America’s Second Civil War”1865-1886 • Combat between encroaching whites, Plains Indians • Dilemma: what to do with defeated Indians? Americanize them!

  7. Highlights of “Second Civil War” • 1876 Little Big Horn (Custer’s “Last Stand”) • 1877 Crazy Horse surrendered • 1877 Chief Joseph & Nez Perce fled to Canada • 1882 Oklahoma becomes “Indian Territory” • 1883 Sundance prohibited by the Secretary of Interior • 1886 Geronimo surrendered Custer Crazy Horse Chief Joseph Geronimo

  8. Assimilation of Native Americans • Bureau of Indian Affairs • Manage assimilation of Native Americans into mainstream culture • Confined Indians to reservations • Teach white culture • Christianize • Break up tribes • Disperse family units • Force individual property ownership

  9. Political Timeline of Assimilation • 1887 Dawes Act (Indian Homestead Act) • 160 acres from government • Late 1880s, 90s • Return of Sitting Bull • Popularity of Ghost Dance • 1889 Ghost Dance reached Pine Ridge Res • 1890 Wounded Knee (massacre of Indians) • 1904 Burke Act (Indian homesteads) • 640 acres & potential citizenship Sitting Bull

  10. The Cattle Kingdom (1865-85) • “Open Range” • Cattle business – McCoy linked to Chicago meat packing business • Texas ‘longhorns’ • “Long drive” to railheads • Railheads & “cattle towns” • Trails = Goodnight-loving, Western Chisholm, Shawnee • Cattle towns = Wichita, Dodge City, Abilene Joseph McCoy

  11. Cattle Kingdom • Advances of Cattle Kingdom • Joseph Glidden • Barbed wire (“devil’s hat band”) • Ned Buntline • Dime novels (paperbacks) • John Deere • Steel edged plow Joseph Glidden John Deere

  12. Cattle Kingdom: End of an Era • Over production • Drought (1886) & blizzards (1886-87) ended Cattle Kingdom • Sod busters & “range wars” • Result • Ranches and fences • Big business

  13. Miner’s Frontier • There were approximately two dozen major “mining rushes” (mining rush = discovery of gold or silver) • 1849 – Sacramento, CA • 1859 – Colorado @ Pike’s Peak • 1859 – Nevada (Comstock Lode - silver) • 1874 – Black Hills, SD (Sioux Res, sacred land – Army sent in to protect miners) (Homestake Mine – gold) Pike’s Peak Mining Silver mine

  14. Miner’s Frontier: Black Hills War • George Custer & the 7th Cavalry • Crazy Horse and the Sioux • “Custer’s Last Stand” • Custer, 200 troopers march 30+ miles • Attack 2-3000 Sioux warriors! • Cavalry killed, to the man • Only survivor…

  15. Mining Town Life • Mining towns in territories = little law / justice • New vocabulary • “vigilantes” • “posse” • “suspended sentence” • “necktie parties” • “Winchester litigation” • End of Boom times • Mining becomes just another big business

  16. End of the Frontier: Farmers • Initial settlement of West • Oregon Fever, 1840s • CA Gold Rush, 1849 • Post CW settlement of “American Desert” • Dislocation due to Civil War • Homestead Act of 1862 • 160 acres free, if developed (later increased to 640 acres) • 1.6 million “freeholds” est. • 270 million acres, or @ 10% of all US land • Free RR transport to W

  17. Barriers to Farmers in West Barrier Solution • Housing • Fuel • Plowing • Fencing • Water • “Sod busting” • “Buffalo chips” • Deere plow • Barbed wire • Windmills to pump well water to irrigate

  18. Settlement of West • Last Land Rush: Oklahoma, 1889 (“89ers”) • “Sooners” = those who entered early • Boomers = those who legally entered – cannon boom • 1890 census: officially ended the “frontier” as a part of USA

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