Westward Expansion

1. Westward Expansion SEs: 13A, 12A, 3A, 3B, 15A, 26B, Analyze the causes and effects of changing demographic patterns resulting from migration within the US, including western expansion, Analyze the impact of physical and human geographic factors on the settlement of the Great Plains, the Klondike Gold Rush, the California Gold Rush; Analyze economic issues such as the cattle industry boom, the rise of entrepreneurship, free enterprise; describe economic impact of Transcontinental Railroad and the Homestead Act contributed to the closure of the Frontier in the late 19th century. Discuss the Americanization movement to assimilate immigrants and American Indians into American Culture.

2. American Progress by John Gast, 1872

3. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. • What objects/figures do you see in this painting? What do they stand for and/or imply? What title do you think would be most appropriate for it? • Why do people typically move to a new home, another city, state, or country? Migration = the reason for migration was to try to create a better life for American Settlers. However, the motivation for expansion is often fueled by profit and at times leads to cultural conflict and denial of individual rights.

4. This painting (circa 1872) by John Gast called American Progress is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny. In the scene, an angelic woman (sometimes identified as Columbia, a nineteenth-century personification of the United States) carries the light of "civilization" westward with American settlers, stringing telegraph wire as she travels. American Indians, buffalos and wild animals are driven into the darkness before them. • Migration = the reason for migration was to try to create a better life for American Settlers. However, the motivation for expansion is often fueled by profit and at times leads to cultural conflict and denial of individual rights. • What are some of the major causes of the Westward Expansion?

5. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. • Manifest Destiny =This is the belief that the United States had the God given right to own all of the lands from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. • This painting (circa 1872) by John Gast called American Progress is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny.

6. Indian Wars • Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce (1840?-1904) was known to his people as "Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights." He led his people in an attempt to resist the takeover of their lands in the Oregon Territory by white settlers. In 1877, the Nez Perce were ordered to move to a reservation in Idaho. Chief Joseph agreed at first. But after members of his tribe killed a group of settlers, he tried to flee to Canada with his followers, traveling over 1500 miles through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Along the way they fought several battles with the pursuing U.S. Army. Chief Joseph spoke these words when they finally surrendered on October 5th, 1877.

7. Chief Joseph’s Surrender Speech • What are the tone and mood of this speech? • How would you interpret Chief Joseph’s messages delivered in it? “Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before, I have it in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our Chiefs are killed; Looking Glass is dead, Ta Hool Hool Shute is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold, and we have no blankets; the little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are - perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my Chiefs! I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.” Chief Joseph - Thunder Traveling to the Loftier Mountain Heights - 1877

8. Wounded Knee – The End of Native American Resistance • The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. • Mass grave for the dead Lakota after the battle at Wounded Knee Creek • How do you interpret the conflicts between the settlers and the Native Americans in the late 1800s?

9. Westward Expansion: Impact on Native Americans The Homestead Act of 1862 permitted any citizen or intended citizen to select any surveyed land up to 160 acres and to gain title to it after 5 years residence if the person cultivated the land.These sales resulted from lands that were confiscated from the Native Americans.

10. Westward Expansion: Impact on Native Americans Who were the Dawes Act intended to benefit? The Dawes Act = (Also known as the Dawes General Allotment Act of 1887) required that Indian lands be surveyed and that American Indian families receive an allotment of 160 acres of reservation land for farming. Any land that remained would be sold. This had a great impact on Navajo. They didn’t like farming and led to the decline of their people. This opened the Plains to white settlements.

11. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. Settlement of the West was encouraged by lure of cheap land mineral discoveries, farming and ranching

12. In what ways did the settlers adjust to the harsh living conditions and natural environment on the Great Plains? • The natural conditions on the Great Plains: • Sod house (“soddies”) - This photograph was the basis for the U.S. Homestead Act, 1862-1962 commemorative stamp. • What natural factors forced the settlers to adapt to the environment in this way?

13. Think and Share: How did the Transcontinental Railroad impact white settlers and Native Americans’ way of life respectively? Transcontinental Railroad = completed in 1869. Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads were joined to create a single line from Omaha Nebraska to the Pacific Ocean. “Trunk lines” established. Used to develop the Great Plains.Trains led to growth and development of railway stations that led to towns, cities, and commercial industry. They not only transported people but manufactured goods and raw materials.

14. How did the development of railroads affect farmers in particular? How did the farmers respond? • High shipping costs for farmers • Farmers organized and wanted federal regulation of railroads

15. Chinese and Westward Expansion • How did the Chinese workers contribute to the development of the West? • How were they treated?

16. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. The Klondike Gold Rush = sometimes referred to as the Yukon Gold Rush, drew people from all over the world to the Klondike region of northwestern Canada after gold was discovered there in 1896. The gold rush lasted only a few years.

17. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. California Gold Rush = This event led thousands to migrate to California to seek their fortune. In 1849. Miners came to seek their fortune in hopes to make it rich. This started the expansion of saloons, hotels, and cities, like San Francisco.

18. Westward Expansion: People, events, and things that caused expansion to the Western part of the United States. Open range ranching and later farmers = plains area was expanded with the Transcontinental railroad, miners, ranchers, and later farmers. Mining towns developed, ranchers got lands who were interested in open range ranching, and farmers got land to farm so that they could feed the country.All of these actions began to break up reservations into individual pieces of land.

19. Westward Expansion: Impact on Native Americans • Where do you see the Native Americans in John Gast’s painting? • What does this painting tell us about what is happening to them? • Most importantly, why is this happening to them? • Is changing who you are good? How would you feel if you have to be changed into someone else? Do you feel you need to change anything to get ahead? Assimilation of Native Americans =Even after we took all of the Native American’s land. We tried to make them like us.Many were converted to Christianity, many went to school, many started to dress like settlers, and learn the “white man’s values.”There was resistance but, it lead to the destruction of their culture as they once knew it.

20. Westward Expansion: Impact of American philosophy Horatio Alger Jr. = published a series of novels that promoted the ideas of self reliant individualism. Based on Rags to Riches stories. Ideas eventually led to Lassiez-faire capitalism and free enterprise.Pull yourself up from your bootstraps, you control your own destiny, work hard to succeed, determination is half the battle. All slogans that deal with the idea of Self reliant.This ideas have come to be characterized with being an American.

21. Checking for UnderstandingYou will have 10 minutes to practice with the content information that you have just learned through the use of manipulatives.Teacher will walk around and monitor students as they use manipulatives to demonstrate understanding. Manipulatives promote peer tutoring and teaching while giving the teacher an opportunity to check for mastery.