American West
When was the Battle of Little Big Horn ?
25th of June 1876, during the great Sioux war
1868 fort laramie treaty
agreed the sioux reservation which included the black hills of dakota which was meant only for the indians
1868 fort laramie treaty broken
1874, by General Custer and surveyors who went into the black hills looking for gold. The US government then tried to buy black hills but the indians refused
1875 December
US government ordered all indians onto reservations after hunting season, but the winter made it impossible
Great Sioux war
In spring 1876 there were 7000 warriors ready for war who were angry over black hills and so began many conflicts with the US army
17th June 1876
US army defeated at Rosebud River by Sitting bull and Crazy Horse
Events of the Battle of Little Big Horn
-General Custer attacked the indian camp at the river known as Little Big Horn
-Custer attacked even though there were more indians as he had split his forces and he didn't know the indians had better guns
-US army was badly defeated with all 225 men killed- many of these men were then stripped, disfigured and scalped
Impact of Little Big Horn
-Americans were shocked, they didn't understand how a primitive group like the indians could defeat the US army and a famous general
-Americans wanted indians dealt with and the army wanted revenge- all indians forced onto reservations and had weapons taken away, the Grear Sioux reservation broken up for white settlement, indians were hunted down if they wouldnt leave to reservations
Consequences of Little Big Horn (for the mock)
-Impact on Plains indians way of life-destruction of their way of life as they were forced to live on reservations
-Settlement-more land available for settlement in the Great Sioux reservation taken from indians
Little Big Horn extra points
-Change in attitudes of white americans to plains indians- more negative
-Indian resistance made more difficult- weapons taken away
Problems of Lawlessness in early western settlements (1840's)
-lots of people moving very quickly west into areas where nobody else was, including law enforcement officers so people could freely break laws
-law enforcement officers had to cover incredibly large areas of land and so couldnt enforce law effectively
-new crimes created-i.e claim jumping (stealing another persons claimed land, often happened in mining towns)
Gold rush 1849- issues created for law and order
-lots of people moved west very quickly to california to find gold. The fast influx of people meant it was hard to keep them all in check, especially as there weren't many law officers in California at the time
-lawlessness was really common in mining towns with lots of claim jumping and fights breaking out over gold
-vigilante groups took justice into their own hands, often punishing offenders without a fair trial, sometimes even lynching
Attempts to deal with Lawlessness (1850's)
-Government- land before it became a state had a US Marshal- the area they covered was too large however and they were sometimes corrupt
-Vigilantism
American civil war 1861-65 and Settlement
-between the northern and the southern states
-the south didn't want to be part of the union of the USA anymore in order to continue slavery. Their new group was called the Confederacy
-southern states had blocked certain laws which coukd now be passed (Homestead act and pacific railroad act)
-when the south lost the war all the slaves became free but were still persecuted so decided to migrate west (i.e the Exoduster movement)
Homestead act 1862
-US government wanted settlement of the west by individual farmers
-160 acres of land for $10 which if after 5 years the homesteader paid another $30 and proved up the land would be able to keep the land
-80 million acres of land settled through the homesteader scheme
-rich land owners still managed to find ways to buy up the land and sell the land to homesteaders at a profit
consequences of the Homestead act 1862
-encouraged white settlement of the plains particularly Nebraska as more land became available (6 million acres by 1876)- parts of the Great plains settled for first time ever
-helped the development of new farming techniques
-prevented land speculation as land offered cheaply so ordinary people could buy land and it also encouraged europeans to come to the USA to buy land
Pacific Railroad Act 1862
-huge federal grant given to 2 companies to build the first transcontinental railroad (from Omaha to Sacramento)
-companies also got 45 million acres of free land to sell to settlers- set up bureaus of immigration and sent agents to europe to try and persuade europeans to come west and buy their land
-electric telegraph went along the route
consequences of the Pacific railroad act 1862
-more people migrated west- it was now easier cheaper and quicker
-railroad companies encouraged settlement of land near the railroad-railroad companies sold the land the government gave them cheaply and advertised it well which encouraged people to settle
-farming became more successful- easier for farmers to get supplies and sell their goods east to make money
features of life of plains indians
-nomadic-moved around following the buffalo
-hunted buffalo-animal providing all food, clothing and tools
-believed in a spirit world-everything had a spirit and had to be respected
-chiefs gave advice but it didn't have to be obeyed
-communal living-everyone in a tribe worked together as a group for survival
general attitudes of white Americans
-believed land could be owned
-believed land should be farmed and mined
-christians saw indian beliefs as uncivilised and primitive
-white americans elected their leaders who then made laws everyone had to follow
-importance of individualism-a man should work hard only for himself and his family
Manifest Destiny 1845
-belief white americans had a God given right to migrate and take over the land in america and use it how they wanted to benefit mankind
-could remove native people from the land as they were wasting it not farming or mining
consequences of manifest destiny 1845
-more people migrated west
-white americans began to believe they could take land off plains indians so they did
-white americans began to believe they should spread christianity and white american ideas of civilisation to plains indians and force/persuade them to adopt a white american lifestyle
Donner party Migration
-July 1846-80 of the original group left the oregon trail, hoping to use an untested short cut but they ended up being delayed
-October 1846/February 1847-trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains and food ran out
-some survivors of the winter did so by eating those who died
importance of the Donner Party migration
-showed other migrants the importance of following tried and tested routes
-many of the Donner party died and some of those who survived had to resort to cannibalism
-example to other migrants to make sure they are prepared and united as a group when migrating
Oregon Trail 1836
-easier, quicker, cheaper route to get to the west coast from the east coast
-heading to Oregon and California was previously a long sea voyage that could take a year- the Oregon trail took 8-9 months
-in 1841 the government funded an expidition to map and publicise a tested route wagons could use to get across the plains and mountains to the west coast
-between 1836-1869 100,000 people used the oregon trail
consequences of the Oregon trail 1836
-more people successfully travelled west
-whites and plains indians increasingly came into contact as white Americans crossed Indian territory to go west-potential for conflict due to problems created by migrants crossing into Indian territory
-used by the 49's in the Gold Rush to get to California
Mormon Migratuon 1846-47
-Joseph Smith set up the Church of Latter Day saints (mormon church) but members were persecuted in many different locations
-Smith murdered and replaced as leader by Brigham Young in 1844
-Young decided to move to a location nobody else lived so mormons could live how they wanted- the Great Salt Lake area
-Young made sure migration was successful by waiting til spring 1847 to migrate
-an advanced party went first and marked a trail with rest areas and grass and planted crops for the main group who arrived in August 1847
-working as a community they irrigated the land and made Salt Lake city
-June 1846-Waited at winter quarters in Omaha til spring
-July 1847-main group of 1500 set off from Omaha. They were divided into groups, each with a leader and everyone else in the group having a parricular skill to ensure their survival if they were separated from main group
consequences and importance of Mormon Migration 1846-47
-first successful settlement on the plains at the Great Salt Lake
-encouraged other migrants to settle on the Plains as it showed that people could settle successfully on the Plains
Gold Rush 1849
-1848- Gold found in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California
-100,000's of people worldwide came to California to "strike it lucky"-most failed but settled in California as farmers or other associated industries
-many people also followed the 49's to make money by providing services and selling goods
consequences of the Gold Rush 1849
-increased migration to California-miners and support industries
-failed 49's stayed in California to establish a new life as a farmer
-improved the Californian economy
-increased lawlessness
-development of vigilante groups
-White Americans disturbed the movement of buffalo, and cows and pulling oxen ate all the grass so limited buffalo hunting for plains indians
-conflict led to fears of White Americans resulting in fort Laramie treaty 1851 and the indian appropriation act 1851
Problems and solutions of farming on the plains
-there was limited water, no wood and crop varieties couldn't withstand the extreme weather
-large all steel wind pumps (1874) to access undergroujd water up to 30 ft below
-barbed wire (1874)-cheap and effective way for farmers to fence off their land
-Turkey red wheat-crop could cope with the extreme weather
consequences of solving the problems of farming on the plains
-easier for homesteaders to farm and survive on the plains
-conflict between homesteaders and cattle ranchers during era of open range as homesteaders fenced off land which made it harder for cattle to access water supplies
Timber culture act 1973
-homesteaders allowed to claim an extra 160 acres of land if trees were planted on a quater of the new land
-correction to the Homestead act of 1862 as 160 acres wasn't enough land for the average homesteader to survive on
-more land became available for settlement but not for some as in some areas the climate was too harsh to grow trees
consequenfes of timber culture act 1873
-solved a problem created by the homestead act and gave more land to settlers-could make a success of their fatms and so establish a permanent life out west
-helped develop plains with trees for windbreakers and a fuel and material resource-encouraged more settlement as migrants more likely to be successful
-encouraged more migrants to move west
-more land speculation rather than settlement-land speculators claimed more land and waited for land prices to go up to sell it on for profit which restricted settlement
Desert land Act 1877
-allowed settlers to buy an extra 640 acres of desert land cheaply
-hoped settlers would irrigate land and make it agriable
-claimants didn't have to live on the land
consequences of Desert Land act 1877
-led to land speculation and land wasn't developed-people often hired people to make claims for them and then did nothing with the land
offen cattlemen did this to prevent farmers from closing off more of the open range. This declined with the cattle industry in the 1880's
-more land was taken away from the indians as US government were sellinh to anyone
The Exoduster movement and Kansas 1879
-after civil war and end of slavery many black americanss wantwd a better life-in the south they faced extreme discrimination and limited opportunity
-claiming land under the 1862 homestead act would give them a new life
-encouraged by Benjamin Singleton who promoted Kansas as a good destination for black settlers
-in 1879 a rumour spread that the US government had given the whole state to ex-slaves but this wasn't true. It still triggered many to go there though
-by the end of 1879 40000 had set off to Kansas but also Missouri, Indiana and Illinois. By 1880 43,000 black americans had settled in the west in their own settlements they founded, like Nicodemus in Kansas
-from Kansas black settlers moved to ofher parts of America further settling the west in the 1880's eg Nebraska
consequences of the exoduster movement and kansas 1879
-mass migration of black americans to settle in the west
-continued poverty of black americans-often recieved the poorest quality land and there was opposition by white americans in Kansas to migrants
the Dawes act 1887
-reorganised the way land was allocated to Indians
-each Indian family would get 160 acfes rather than a large area to a tribe but had to accept they were US citizens and to follow US laws not tribal ones
-surplus land was then sold by government to settlers in land rushes of 1889-90
-aimed to get plains indians to become homesteaders and follow american culture but this failed
consequences of the Dawes Act 1887
-Indians lost land as only allocated so much. Many Indians sold the land as they didn't want to become farmers. By 1890 the indians had lost half the land they had in 1887
-destroyed the communal way of life of plains indians as land now allocated to individual families
-increased settlement with more land sold to settlers and for building railroads
Oklahoma Land rush 1893
-land became available after 1887 Dawes Act with 8 million acres opened up for settlement
-Oklahoma land rush of 1893 the largest
-there were seven land rushes in Oklahoma between 1889-95-first land rush 1889
-160 acre sections were stakes out at 12 pm on 22nd April 1889 and claimants rushed to stake their claim of the 2 million acres of land available
consequences of Oklahoma Land rush
-increased settlement with more land to sold to settlers and for building railroads
-Indians lost land-nowhere to live as free nomadic people
-Destroyed the communal way of life as they were forced to live a white American way of life or live on a reservation
The American Civil war and the cattle industry
-number of cattle-war left cattle in the south unattended and resulted in uncontrolled breeding-end of the war there were millions of cows in the southern states, especially Texas
-people willing to try new ideas-South lost and economy was destroyed-some entrepeneurs took advantage of all the cows to make money eg Goodnight, McCoy and Iliff
-government legislations like the pacific railroad act helped
What were cattle barons ?
men who got really rich from making money in the cattle industry;they also became very politically powerful
The Goodnight-Loving trail 1866
-after the civil war there were millions of cattle in the south but nobody wanted to buy so they were cheap - $5 a head
-Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving realised if they moved cattle from Texas to western settlements (avoiding Kansas) they could sell them for 4x the price they were sold at in Texas
-with 18 cowboys they drove 2000 cattle through hostile Comanche indian territory to an Indian reservation in the west at Fort Summer in New Mexico to provide food for the indians
-the route they used other ranchers could use to reach new western markets, like reservations, forts and mining towns
consequences of the Goodnight-Loving trail
-helped to develop the cattle industry-other cowboys used the trail to drive cattle north and west and other entrepeneurs thought of new ideas (McCoy & Iliff)
-more people moved west to get involved in the industry and with cheaper meat ensured the survival of settlements as they had food to live so stayed and established permanent settlements
Joseph McCoy and Abilene (first cow town) 1867
-McCoy saw the potential of Abilene as a centre for the cattle industry- it was on the railroad and could be reached by the Chisholm trail in a safe area
-1867 McCoy bought 450 acres of land in Abilene and built large stockyards to keep cattle safe before transportation north
-negotiated go have a side track of railroad built where 100 railroad cars could be loaded with cattle
-Abilene had a hotel and other services for cowboys at the end of a long drive which encouraged cattle ranchers to bring cattle to this town "cow town"
-he promoted Abilene and the routento it with advertisinh ie sent people south to tell ranchers
Consequences of Abilene
-helped grow the cattle industry as it was easier to trade cattle with this link to the railroad as could get cattle from where they were to where they were wanted-encouraged more people to get involved
-set an example for other towns to become cow towns eg Dodge City and Wichita
-cow towns established in new areas of the west and remained even after cattle industry declined
-cow towns saw high levels of lawlessness due to cowboys recieving wages after a long drive- they then spent a lot on drinking,gambling and prostitutes which resulted in violence and crime
John Iliff and ranching on the plains
-Iliff realised money was to be made out of cattle as meat was needed by different groups in Denver City as Colorado grew rapidly-miners, indian reservations, railroad gangs
-a long cattle drive from Texas made cattle too thin so in 1866 Iliff decided to establish a ranch on the plains grazing the cattle for free on the public open range
-1870, Iliff had a herd of 26,000 with a ranch stretching 16000 acres and becamr Denver's first millionaire
consequences of ranching on the plains
-Iliff started the trend of ranching on the plains which other ranchers copied leading to the development of the cattle industry
-Beef Bonanza-huge investment in the cattle industry
-settlements in the west could survive better now as they were provided with food
-conflicts between homesteaders and cattlemen
Beef Bonanza 1870's
-a time of huge profits from investment in the cattle industry
-people could see the success of the cattle industry with many people getting rich out of cows
-encouraged people to buy catfoe and let them roam on the open range for free until sold
-more and more cows on the plains
consequences of the beef bonanza
-plains became fill of cattle and led to problems of overstocking of the open range
-a few cattle ranchers became incredibly rich and politcally powerful
-helped develop towns and settlements in the west
-cattle trails went through indian territory and had to ask permission of the Indians but not always friendlynas cows ate the grass of the buffaloes which affected their hunting and survival as they relied on the buffalo for all their resources
Winter of 1886-87 "the Great Die up"
-winter was very harsh- deep snow and temperatures as low as -55C
-cattle weakened by overstocking in the 1870's and found it difficult to reach grass through the snow
-15% of cattle died and those that survived not in good condition
consequences of the great die up 1886-87
-drop in price of beef and many cattlemen went bankrupt
-end of the open range for cattle farming and smaller ranches became the future of the cattle industry
-homesteaders on the open range as settlers claimed the land for farming
end of the open range
land all claimed by homesteaders of cattlemen for smaller enclosed ranches
consequences of the end of the open range
-cattle industry changed-higher quality beef
-changes in life of a cowboy-changed jobs and responsibilities
-settlement of the west by homesteaders and farms
life of a cowboy
-era of cattle trails-spring round up of cattle to drive them to destination called long drive- care of cattle on a long drive dangerous due to stampedes, harsh weather, hostile Indians and cattle rustlers (cow thieves). Paid at end of the long drive in autumn
-era of open range-round up of cattle from open range-checking branding of different ranches and branding calves moving to railheads-dangers of rustlers and harsh environment. Cowboys lived together in a bunkhouse near a ranch house
-end of open range-smaller ranches with fewer animals nearer the ranch house with fenced areas-jobs now included setting up and repairing barbed wire fences,growing hay for food in winter-became animal farmers rather than cowboys in other areas
attempts to deal with lawlessness
-land before it became a state had a US marshal-covered large areas and sometimes corrupt so were ineffective
-vigilatism
-railroad and electric telegraph made communication and links between towns easier so law officers could het to trouble spots quicker eg US marshal would travel by train to track and capture suspects
-as more settler families arrived they wanted better law and order-sherrifs were elected when a population hit 5000 and made to enforce laws eg banning cowboys from towns-when an area had 60,000 people it could be a state in control of its own law and order
-railroad safer way to transport suspects from local jails and get juries from different towns who were more independent and not influenced or corrupted as they didn't know the accused
consequences of the railroad on law and order
-cow towns
-reno gang
-easier to establish and maintain law and order
Billy the Kid and "range wars"
-Billy the Kid had a bad childhood and in 1878 got involved in the Lincoln County war between John Chisum and smaller cattle ranchers
-when his friends were killed he swore revenge and he and his gang caused chaos in New Mexico
-a new sherrif, Pat Garrett, tracked down and killed Billy in 1881
Wyatt Earp and 1881 OK corral
-Earp had been a deputy marshal of cow towns Wichita (1874) and Dodge City (1879)
-1880 hired by a business man in Tombstone-joined by his brothers. Tombstone was a boom town with mine owners and businessmen trying to control the area but 2 important ranching families against them, the Clantons and McLaurys
-26 October 1881 at the OK corral the Earps confronted the cowboys- 2 McLaurys and 1 Clanton killed
-later Morgan Earp is killed and Wyatt Earp kills 2 men he thinks responsible
-there were disputed stories about who fired the first gunshot at the gunfight but public opinion turned against the Earps as they were considered murderers with no respect for the law so they left Tombstone in 1882
rivalry between cattle ranchers and homesteaders
-both wanted to the same land and use it in a different way-homesteaders wanted it for crops and cattle ranchers wanted to keep it the open range
-"range wars"-fences pulled down, water supplies restricted, attacks on each other
-Johnson County War most infamous
consequences of the rivalry between homesteaders and cattle barons
-conflict between the two groups with deaths and destruction of property
-Johnson County War
1892 Johnson County War
-1870's- Wyoming developed due to cattle ranching
-cattle barons dominated political and legal systems
-winter of 1886-7 and end of the open range saw cattle barons set up the WSGA to help protect their interests from smaller ranchers and homesteaders
-1889-in Johnson County arguments between a cattle rancher Albert Bothwell and smaller ranchers led to the murders of smaller ranchers Ella Watson and Jim Averill- Bothwell not convicted
-smaller ranchers set up their own organisation and so WSGA took action
-WSGA hired 22 texan gunmen to kill 70 smaller ranchers and homesteaders
-1892 the gunmen came by train to Johnson County but got held up by a shoot out at the first ranch they came to (KC ranch)
-sherrif of Johnson County together with outraged residents from Buffalo surrounded and arrested the invaders
-WSGA hired lawyers to defend the gunmen and had their trial delayed
-eventually Johnson County dropped the charges as it couldn't afford to look after the prisoners
-people were outraged at the cattle barons power and wanted a government intervention- some cattle barons left the area
consequences of the 1892 Johnson County war
-cattle barons in Wyoming never had the same power and influence again
-vigilante justice no longer tolerated by the public
1834 permanent Indian frontier
-US government had a policy to keep plains indians and white americans seperate
-the frontier was the mississippi border
-all lands west of the border weren't wanted by white Americans at the time
consequences of the 1834 permanent Indian frontier
-separation of indians and white americans
-conflict when the groups met due to misunderstanding of lifestyles
1848 the USA gets new lands
-Oregon and California on west coast and Texas in south west now part of the USA
-government offers free land available in Oregon (320 acres)
consequences of the USA getting new land in 1848
-more white americans settle in new lands
-conflicts with plains indians-migrants crossing west across indian lands
1851 Indian Appropriations Act
-money given to Indians to move to allocated areas in Oklahoma
-encouraged to become farmers
consequences of the 1851 Indian Appropriation act
-more land for white settlers
-indian lifestyle threatened
1851 Fort Laramie treaty
-plains indians agreed to allow safe passage to Oregon and California
-allowed building forts along the route
-Indians recieved $50000 for 50 years
-more land division between tribes and US government- separation of people policy leading to reservations
consequences of the 1851 Fort Laramie treaty
-increased migration west
-increased contact between white americans and plains indians leading to misunderstandings about their lifestyles
-led to reservations
1862 Little Crow's war
-1851 the Dakota Sioux led by Little Crow agreed to give up land and move onto a reservation with $80000 and food and supplies every year
-reservation agents and traders took advantage of indians holding back money and supplies and charging them high prices
-August 1862 after bad harvest the indians starving so Indians attacked the agency building to get the food- burned the buildings at 600 settlers and soldiers were killed
-US army arrived, Indian warriors captured with 38 executed
-Indians moved to another reservation with worse land
consequences of Little Crow's War 1862
-reinforced attitudes that the indians were savages and needed to be removed from the land
-more land for settlers
-forced to move to an unsuitable reservation and many starved to death
1864 Sand Creek Massacre
-1858 gold discovered in Colorado some indians including Black Kettle agreed to move to different area but could return for hunting
-years of conflict between Dog soldiers who didn't want white americans on their sacred land hunting for gold
-Black Kettle and US officials tried to reach a new agreement
-Black Kettle set up camp at Sand Creek believing he was under army protection
-29th November 1864 Colonel Chivingtonnwas appointed by the territory's governor John Evans to kill and destroy hostile Indians
-700 US troops attacked Black Kettle's camp and massacred 130 men, women, children and babies after Indians surrendered
-they scalped their victims and took other body parts as trophies and claimed they fought a battle against 1000 warriors
consequences of Sand Creek Massacre 1864
-many indians said this showed the white americans couldn't be trusted so attacked forts and white settlers
-influenced Red Cloud's actions
1866-68 Red Cloud's war
-1851 Fort Laramie treaty guaranteed Lakota Sioux hunting grounds
-1862 gold found in Montana so prospectors crossing Sioux hunting grounds- using short cut off Oregon Trail- Bozeman trail- breaking treaty
-1865 2000 had used the trail despite Indian attacks
-1866 the government calls a council to agree a new treaty to allow people to pass through the land
-Red Cloud the Lakota discovered the army were going to build forts anyway no matter what was agreed
-Red Cloud decides to go to war remembering what had happened to Little Crow- joined by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
-3000 indian warriors attacked soldiers and workers building forts
-1868 December Fetterman's trap- Captain Fetterman and 80 soldiers fall for a trap and are killed
-too dangerous to use the Bozeman trail so US government forced to negotiate Fort Laramie treaty 1868
-victory for indians because different tribes had fought together in the winter
consequences of Red Cloud's War 1866-68
-Fort Laramie treaty 1868
-further conflict between indians and the US army
-US government realised it needed a new policy to deal with the "indian problem" as separation wasn't possible as white americans constantly broke the treaty
1868 Fort Laramie treaty
-a consequence of Red Cloud's war 1866-68
-US government agreed to close the Bozeman trail and get rid of all the forts
-created the great sioux reservation stretching from the Black Hills of Dakota to the Missouri river
-Red Cloud agreed to move his tribe to the reservation where they would stay unless it was hunting season when they were allowed to leave to hunt buffalo
-no white american migrants,settlers or prospector's allowed on the reservation
-Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse didn't agree with the deal and refused to sign
consequences of the 1868 Fort Laramie treaty
-creation of the Great Sioux reservation to continue traditional way of life
-US government realised it needed a new policy towards the "indian problem" as separation wasn't possible with white american's constantly breaking the treaties
1868 President Grant's peace policy
-President Grant realised problems on reservations led to conflict so wanted to improve management on reservations- the policy was set out in the Indian Appropriation Act 1871- Indians were now viewed as wards so the government decided what happened as Indians no longer treated as seperate group-$2 million for reservations already set up and to make new ones
-American Indian Ely Parker was appointed commisioner of Indian Affairs but he supported the white american view that Indians were like children
-any indian refusing to fo onto a reservation would be treated as hostile and attacked by the army
consequences of president grants peace policy 1868
-increased settlement on the plains as more indian land became available
-loss of indian land so impact on their traditional way of life as more indians lived on reservations
1890 Wounded knee Massacre
-Indians on reservations in despair at lack of food- crop failures, ration cuts and an end of their traditional way of life
-Ghost dance-belief that if the tribe danced a sacred dance the great spirit would bring back all the dead plains indians and a great flood would carry away all the white people giving the indians back the great plains
-ghost dance spread through reservations
-ghost dance worried indian agents and white settlers as they thought the indians were preparing for an uprising and the army was sent in to stop them
-1890 Big Foot's band who had left their reservation had been captured by the US army and taken to Wounded Knee creek
-as the soldiers disarmed them the indians began to ghost dance and the soldiers massacred 250 sioux indians-men,women and children
consequences of the Wounded Knee massacre 1889
-massacre became a key symbol of oppression in later fights for indian civil rights
-end of sioux resisting army control-confirmation of white american domination
consequences of the ghost dance
-Wounded Knee massacre
-confirmed white american views that they needed to exterminate all the hostile indians
extermination of the buffalo
-1840's and 1883 buffalos were hunted almost to extinction
-estimated 13 million in 1840 to 325 in 1884
-settlers heading west disturbed the buffalo and their cows and horses ate the grass and brought diseases
-1872-74 the southern herd was effectively wiped out
-1871 a new process to turn buffalo soin into leather found
-prices of hides rose so quickly professional buffalo hunters came by railroad and used Sharps hunting rifles to kill an estimated 4.5 million buffalo
-1876-83 the northern hers destroyed as animals on Great Sioux reservatuon no longer protected after 1876- 5000 white hunters descended
impact of the extermination of the buffalo
-destroyed the indians way of life-had to live on reservations as they couldn't be independent anymore and live off buffalo hunting
-land buffalo roamed now available to settlers, railroads and cattle ranchers
-disturbances in buffalo herds in 1840's led go conflict between settlers and plains indians
Indian reservations
-first reservations-1851 Fort Laramie treaty allocated areas- in these areas they could still hunt and follow traditional life- introduced to keep them seperate from white americans
-1862-76-some tribes moved onto reservations because:
-thought the only way to survive as more white settlement and food became scarce
-US government promised to protect the tribe and still allow hunting
-reservations after 1876 forced plains indians to adopt a white american lifestyle. They did this by:
-stopping indians leaving the reservations to hunt
-had to learn to farm-lost skills of hunting,horsemanship and fighting
-Indian spirit world beliefs banned-had to become christian
-children educated in white american values-punished for using their own language,religion or culture-taught to look down on it
-tribal chiefs no longer allowed to guide their people-powers taken under the 1871 indian appropriation act-by 1885 indians had to obey US laws and didn't have special courts
-by 1885 all plains indians had been forced onto reservations
consequences of indian reservations
-no longer independent as they couldn't hunt
-forced to give up belief system for christianity
-forced to give up communal tribal living and follow US laws
-bad management of reservations- Little Crow's war
-refusal of some indians to move onto reservations- Black Kettle and Wounded Knee Massacre
Closure of the Indian frontier
in 1890 the US government declared there was no longer a border between white settlement and indian lands
consequences of the closure of the indian frontier
-white americans way of life and control of land victorious. All land settled, owned and used by USA citizens according to laws of the country
-end of plains indians lifestyle and culture- couldn't follow key features of their lifestyle as they were forced onto reservations to live like white americans