American West

The importance of the Dawes Act (1887) for the way of life of the Plains Indians

It brought about changes in the way the Plains Indians lived. The land was broken into allotments and the Native Americans who accepted the deal were given US citizenship. It led to further diminution of the land available to the Plains Indians. Within 10 years the amount of land available to them had halved. It was a major stepping stone on the way to destroying the existing Native Indian way of life. They now had to learn to be farmers, which was an alien concept to them. It reflected the fact that the US government was misguided and mistaken in its approach to the Plains Indians. Dawes wanted to benefit them, but the Act actually seriously damaged them.

Explain two consequences of the Fort Laramie Treaty (1851).

It meant that settlers on the Oregon Trail were guaranteed safety in return for a 50-year annuity, so it helped increase settlement. It allowed roads and houses to be built, which meant that the Native Indian lifestyle was undermined. It reinforced the US government belief that the West could be won by a series of laws and treaties and so paved the way for further 'agreements'. The failure to ensure that the treaty was adhered to led to resentment among the Native Americans (many of whom did not agree with it) and further displacement in the face of mass immigration into the area as a result of, for example, the gold rush, so it embittered relations.

Write a narrative account analysing the events of the plains Indians in the year 1862-64

. 1862-the Dakota Sioux tribe led by Little Crow was facing starvation due to failed crops and compensation that had been promised by the government had arrived. • Little Crow led an attack on both the Agency responsible for running the reservation (August 1862) and a group of 45 US army soldiers, which ended in defeat. • Black Kettle, the chief of the Cheyenne, started attacking wagon trains in order to seize food for starving Indians on the Sand Creek reservation in Colorado. • Following three years of attacks, the government and army commanders reached an agreement to protect the travellers and a camp was set up at Sand Creek, which Black Kettle believed was under US army protection. • In November 1864, Colonel Chivington led a dawn raid on Sand Creek and massacred approximately 150 men, women and children. • News of the Sand Creek massacre was carried by Black Kettle to other tribes increasing attacks on white settlers so conflict had not been resolved by the end of 1864.

The importance of the opening of the First Transcontinental Railroad (1869) for the settlement of the West

People could now travel more easily across the West. This made it easier to carry on settlement by having law officers, officials etc. Supplies, such as machinery, timber, raw materials and seeds could be more easily transported to help settlement in the East and cities such as Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles grew. It made the West less of an outpost. It could be reached with ease and the railroads helped stimulate a second wave of migration to the Plains. It stimulated trade in the West by opening up access to markets in the East and elsewhere. When refrigerated cars were introduced, beef could be transported with ease across the USA and later overseas.

Explain two consequences of the gold rush (1849) for migration

People were eager to become rich as 40,000 people crossed the great plains. San francisco was transformed from a small settlement into a city by the numbers of minors settling.

Write a narrative account analysing the ways in which the cattle industry grew in the years 1865-74.

The establishment of the Goodnight-Loving Trail in 1866 meant it was possible to drive cattle from Texas to Wyoming. This trail crossed Indian territory and so offended local tribes, but also provided beef to supply the Indian reservations. At the beginning of 1866, millions of Texan cattle needed to be moved north to more lucrative markets. This created a need to be able reach the newly built railroad. McCoy became involved in the establishment of Abilene, which provided a safe link to Kansas Pacific Railway. Abilene was near the head of Chisholm Trail and flourished as Texan ranchers sent cattle north, leading to a beef bonanza with around two million cattle passing through. Some cattlemen decided it would be more beneficial to establish ranches on the Plains. One such ranger was Iliff. He set up open-range ranching in Wyoming in 1867 and won a government contract in 1868 to supply beef to the Sioux reservation. The setting up of open range ranching caused conflict with the homesteaders. This was because cattle roamed free. The mass production of barbed wire from 1874 meant areas could be fenced cheaply.

Explain another two consequences of the gold rush (1849) for migration

The need to provide services to miners led to increased migration and the founding of mining towns such as Virginia city. Large numbers of people from around the world heading to California resulted in the non Native American population rising to approximately 225,000.

The importance of the winter of 1886-87 for the cattle industry

The terrible conditions led to the death of thousands of cattle and dealt a serious blow to the cattle trade and traders. It marked the end of the cattle boom at the time. The cattle traders decided that a new approach was needed. There was no point restocking to the levels that had existed before. It intensified the impact of other factors that brought the cattle boom to an end - most notably the diminishing supply of grass, falling demand and falling prices. It changed the basic way of cattle rearing in the West. The system of large, free-roaming herds that had to be collected by 'round ups' was gone. Now there were smaller-scale, penned-in farms with hay fed to cattle to survive the

The importance of Abilene for the growth of the cattle industry

• Abilene's position was important as it was on the Kansas Pacific Railroad where the southern cattlemen and northern buyers could trade. • Abilene's growth as a settlement with offices, cattle pens, saloons and hotels, encouraged the growth of the cattle industry. • Abilene's growth as a settlement meant it was not threatened by attacks from Native Americans and this encouraged use of the town by those involved in the cattle industry. • As the first cow town, Abilene set an example for other towns to follow, such as Dodge City.

Write a narrative account analysing the destruction of the traditional way of life of the Plains Indians in the years 1876-c1895.

• Calls for revenge after the defeat of Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn led to the US Government increasing the use of reservations which restricted the Plains Indians' movement, customs and raising of children. • From 1878 the pursuit of the Plains Indians by General Crook and General Terry forced many onto reservations. • The destruction of buffalo herds by the late 1870s removed the fundamental element of the Plains Indians' traditional way of life. • In 1887, the Dawes Act allocated land to white settlers which restricted the amount of land that could be used by the nomadic Plains Indians. • The US Army's strengthening of its military position, with the building of more forts on the Yellowstone River, restricted the Plains Indians' nomadic lifestyle. • By 1895 almost all the Plains Indians' had been moved from their traditional hunting grounds to reservations where they were forced to live a non-traditional lifestyle.

The Importance of the Plains Indians' beliefs about land and nature for relations between Plains Indians and settlers

• Native Americans believed the land was provided by the Great Spirit to share and could not be owned. This caused tension with settlers who would claim land as their own. • Plains Indians did not cultivate the land, which led the white settlers to think that the Plains Indians were holding up progress and preventing the settlers from achieving Manifest Destiny. • Areas such as the Black Hills of South Dakota were deemed sacred. The encroachment of the white settlers was seen as a threat by the Plains Indians. • The Plains Indians believed nature and animals had spirits and all living things had to be treated with respect. This was not understood by the settlers and led to tension, e.g. buffalo.

The importance of The Homestead Act (1862) for the development of the Plains

• The Act encouraged homesteading and the consequent growth of settlement on the Plains as it enabled settlers to claim a quarter section of land on which to live and to farm. • The Act made land on the Plains more affordable as it prevented land speculators buying and then selling land at high prices. • Settlers were encouraged to move to the isolation of the Plains with the Act granting ownership of the land after five years for just $30. 220 • The homesteaders' ownership of land incentivised the development of new farming methods.

The importance of the Johnson County War (1892) for relations between homesteaders and cattlemen.

• The Johnson County War escalated the long-standing disputes during the range wars between cattle barons and homesteaders over issues, such as fencing of waterholes. • The reaction of the homesteaders to the invasion of Johnson County created a newly found willingness to stand up to the powerful cattle ranchers. • The willingness of cattlemen to take the law into their own hands during the Johnson County War increased the level of violence towards the homesteaders. • In the longer term, the Johnson County War contributed to the end of the open range, nullifying the specific causes of the poor relations between the cattlemen and homesteaders.

The importance of the Timber Culture Act (1873) for the settlement of the Plains.

• The Timber Culture Act allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of extra land at no cost, helping farmers produce enough food to feed a family, which had not been possible before. • It was believed white settlements would become more permanent as planting more trees would provide settlers with fuel, timber for construction and shelter crops from the winds on the Great Plains. • The Act was exploited by speculators who were hoping to sell it at a later date for a profit. This meant the government plan did not achieve the aim of increasing the number of trees in the west to help settlers. • The offer of more land increased the number of settlers attempting to set up homesteads despite the unsuitable nature of the climate for the planting of trees.

The importance of the concept of Manifest Destiny for migration West

• The concept provided a motive for migration to the West in order to occupy the land and claim it as U.S territory. • The concept provided justification for the migration to the West to exploit the natural resources. • Manifest Destiny was believed to be the 'right' and 'natural' course of events and necessitated the spread of Christianity with migration West. • Manifest Destiny encouraged migration to the West as a means to spread civilisation and white values

Explain two consequences of the end of the open range.

• The fencing-in of land meant managing the breeding of animals was made easier and led to higher quality meat. • The fencing-in of land led to conflict with homesteaders who had less access to water. • Living under the rules of ranch owners made the lives of cowboys more mundane. • Managing the land made it easier to look after herds during extreme weather conditions.