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What were the causes and effects of settling the West?Â
What were the causes and effects of settling the West?Â
The settling of the American West, primarily driven by the concept of "Manifest Destiny" and the desire for economic opportunity, led to a large-scale migration westward, fueled by the Homestead Act, gold rushes, and the development of railroads, resulting in the displacement of Native American populations, significant environmental changes, and the creation of new communities across the continent, but also causing conflict with indigenous tribes and challenging conditions for settlers due to harsh environments
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"The West"
"The West"
Class Discussion Questinons
How would you describe the changes in the American West after Reconstruction?Â
What obstacles confronted independent Native Americans after Reconstruction?Â
What caused the so-called “Indian Wars?”Â
How did technology shape the West?Â
What can the Turner thesis teach us about the late nineteenth century United States?Â
How did government policies shape the development of the West?
How did government policies shape the development of the West?
Homestead Act
Homestead Act
The Homestead Act of 1862 allowed American citizens to claim 160 acres of free public land in the West if they lived on it and improved it for a set period, essentially enabling westward settlement by providing land for individual farmers. The Morrill Land Grant Act, on the other hand, allocated federal land to states to establish public universities focused on agriculture and mechanical arts, providing access to higher education for a wider population. Both acts significantly impacted the development of the American West.
Reservation Treaties
Reservation Treaties
The Indian Appropriations Act of 1871 ended the practice of the US government making treaties with Native American tribes. The act made Native Americans wards of the federal government, and gave the government more power over their lives and land.
Dawes Act 1887
Dawes Act 1887
The Dawes Act of 1887 authorized the federal government to break up tribal lands by partitioning them into individual plots. Only those Native American Indians who accepted the individual allotments were allowed to become US citizens.
The objective of the Dawes Act was to assimilate Native American Indians into mainstream US society by annihilating their cultural and social traditions.
Over ninety million acres of tribal land were stripped from Native American Indians and sold to non-natives.
What happened to the Native Americans?Â
Who was able to preserve their culture?Â
How did government policies promoting assimilation impact people?Â
Were any of the Native Americans able to develop self-sustaining economic practices?Â
How did farmers respond to the issues created by new systems of production and transportation?
How did farmers respond to the issues created by new systems of production and transportation?
New Farm Technology
New Farm Technology
Steam Plow in America.pdfWhat were the environmental consequences of westward expansion?
What were the environmental consequences of westward expansion?
Deforestation in the West
NPS trends in conservation Link
Soil depletion due to overfarming
Agricultural Experiment Station Reports Link
Pollution from mining operations
Mining Reports Link
Disruption of Native American hunting grounds
Testimony from Native Leaders Link
Erosion and flooding caused by land use changes
Geological Surveys Link
Agricultural Experiment Stations
Agricultural Experiment Stations
What were the reasons for Native American resistance, and what were the outcomes?
What were the reasons for Native American resistance, and what were the outcomes?
Contextualization: The forced relocation through the Indian Removal Act sets the stage for escalated aggression toward native Americans who were unwilling to assimilate to the capitalist economic lifestyle.
The Indian Wars were a protracted series of conflicts between Native American Indians and white settlers over land and natural resources in the West.
Many of these battles resulted from Indian resistance to the imposition of the reservation system and the repeated attempts of the US Army and white settlers to forcibly remove Native Americans from their tribal lands.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, marked the beginning of the end of the Indian Wars.
Battle of Little Big Horn ... "Custer's Last Stand"
Battle of Little Big Horn ... "Custer's Last Stand"
The federal government opened Black Hills to gold mining in 1875, but Native Americans refused to leave the area because of its religious significance. As the U.S. military gathered to forcibly relocate the warriors, Custer's troops disregarded orders and attacked a village (loc.gov).
Chief Joseph Surrender
Chief Joseph Surrender
Earlier in the year, the U.S. government broke a land treaty with the Nez Perce, forcing the group out of their homeland in Wallowa Valley in the Northwest for relocation in Idaho. In the midst of their journey, Chief Joseph learned that three young Nez Perce warriors, had killed a band of white settlers. Fearing retaliation by the U.S. Army, the chief began one of the great retreats in American military history (history.com).
Chief Joseph surrenders.pdfWounded Knee Massacre (1890) and Ghost Dance Movement
Wounded Knee Massacre (1890) and Ghost Dance Movement
As part of the crackdown against the Ghost Dance, soldiers from the Seventh U.S. Cavalry Regiment arrested a band of Lakota who were traveling toward the Pine Ridge Reservation and confined them to a camp near Wounded Knee Creek (loc.gov).
Turner's Thesis
Turner's Thesis
Frederick Jackson Turner wrote "The Significance of the Frontier in American History." His thesis has become a point of debate over the role of the West in the development of the United States.
Read it below and answer the questions on the PDF to the right in a google doc.
Turner's Thesis.pdf
Skills Packet
Skills Packet
"Argumentation: 'The development of the West ... '"
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