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American West: Frontier Myths and Realities

Explore the historical significance of the American West, from westward migration to the role of iconic figures like cowboys and gunslingers. Understand the impact of laws, cultural romanticization, and conflicts that shaped this era. Delve into the lives of diverse groups who migrated and settled the West and the complex interactions with Native American tribes.

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American West: Frontier Myths and Realities

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  1. Chapter 16APUSHMrs. Price “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” - Vince Lombardi

  2. Essential Questions What national issues emerged in the process of closing the western frontier? Why does the West hold such an important place in the American imagination? In what ways is the West romanticized in American culture?

  3. The Myth of the West

  4. Western Migration • Numbers increased after Civil War • Over 2 million immigrants between 1870 - 1900 • Who? * White Easterners * Black Southerners (Exodusters) * Immigrants

  5. Reasons for Coming • Gold & silver deposits • Farming • Ranching • Railroads encouraged settlement

  6. Laws that Promoted Westward Migration • Homestead Act of 1862: 160 acres for a small fee if settlers stayed 5 years & improved land • Timber Culture Act (1873): settlers could receive 160 acres if they planted 40 acres of trees • Desert Land Act (1877): settlers could buy 640 acres for a small fee if they irrigated a portion of it within 3 years

  7. Cultural importance of frontier “The Significance of the Frontier in American Society” (1893) Frederick Jackson Turner

  8. Railroad Construction

  9. “The Big Four” Railroad Magnates Charles Crocker Collis Huntington Mark Hopkins Leland Stanford

  10. Promontory Point, UT(May 10, 1869)

  11. Who lived in the West? • Cowboys • Gunslingers • Miners • Cattlemen & Sheep herders • Farmers • Minority Groups • Plains Indians

  12. The Bronc BusterFrederick Remington

  13. Legendary Gunslingers & Train Robbers Jesse James Billy the Kid

  14. 1860-1890s News of gold or silver strikes led to new towns (boom towns) After the mines went bust – ghost towns Miners

  15. Mining Centers: 1900

  16. Cattle Kingdom • Tied to railroads • Cattle drives allowed cattle from TX to get to railroad & then Eastern cities * 2000 – 5000 head * cowboys (Confederate vets, African Americans) • Cowtowns: Dodge City, KS; Wichita, KS; Cheyenne, WY; Laramie, WY; Abilene, KS

  17. The Cattle Trails

  18. Land Use: 1880s

  19. The Range Wars SheepHerders CattleRanchers

  20. End of the Open Range • Open-range cattle industry declined • Competition from sheep herders & farmers • Overgrazing • Harsh weather (1885-1887) • Shift to cattle ranches with fenced-in grazing land

  21. A Pioneer’s Sod House, SD

  22. Women & the West • Had more opportunities • Won the right to vote in west first

  23. Minority Groups in the West • African Americans • Hispanics • Chinese

  24. Black“Exoduster”Homesteaders

  25. Blacks Moving West

  26. The Buffalo Soldiers on the Great Plains

  27. Hispanics • Once whites moved in, lost their authority and wealth • Moved into the working class

  28. Chinese • Came as free laborers • By 1880: 200,000+ in US (mostly in CA) • At first viewed favorably; later as economic rivals • Important to construction of railroads

  29. Anti-Chinese Sentiment • 1860 – 1870s: anti-coolie clubs • 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act

  30. African American & ChinesePopulations:1880-1900

  31. Plains Indians • 200,000 after Civil War • Diverse group of tribes & language groups • Tribes were divided into bands of about 500; controlled by governing council • Tasks divided by gender • Nature was significant • Weaknesses: unable to unite against whites; vulnerable to disease

  32. Importance of Buffalo • Provided economic basis for the Plains’ Indians way of life • Used all of it: meat, skin, manure, bones, tendons

  33. Indian Tribes & US Govt • Traditionally: * tribes were independent nations * president could negotiate with tribes * treaties were ratified by Senate *** Many broken treaties!

  34. Concentration Policy (1850s) 1. Each tribe assigned its own reservation 2. Easier for govt to control 3. Whites get best land Federal Govt Indian Policy

  35. Indian Peace Commission (1867) • Created by Congress (soldiers & civilians) • To create a permanent Indian policy • Move all Plains Indians to 2 reservations (1 in OK & 1 in Dakotas) • Govt agents bribed & tricked Indian reps into signing treaties • Poorly administered reservations - corrupt • Destruction of buffalo herds

  36. Indian Wars • Constant fighting from 1850s to 1880s • Indian warriors (30-40) attacked wagon trails, stagecoaches, & ranches

  37. Eastern CO Forces led by Colonel J.M. Chivington massacred 133 people (mostly women & children) Indians believed they were under army protection Sand Creek Massacre

  38. Gold is Found in the Black Hills (1874) • Conflict began over US army trying to build a road (Bozeman Trail) to connect Fort Laramie to new mining centers • The trail ran through Sioux hunting grounds & violated a earlier treaty • Sioux tried to end the trail & white settlement by appealing to govt – efforts failed

  39. Battle of Little Bighorn (1876) • 1875: Sioux led by Crazy Horse & Sitting Bull left reservation • Battle took place in southern MT • Sioux surprised George A. Custer’s troops & killed all 264

  40. The Battle of Little Big Horn1876 Gen. GeorgeArmstrong Custer Chief Sitting Bull

  41. Nez Perce – Chief Joseph

  42. Apache Resistance - Geronimo

  43. Part of a spiritual revival movement Scared US military Ghost Dance

  44. Dec 29, 1890 7th Calvary tried to round up 350 Sioux in S. Dakota Fighting broke out 40 whites died; 200 Indians died Wounded Knee

  45. Dawes Act (1887) • Transferred land ownership to individuals; not tribes • 160 acres to each family • Adults were given US citizenship but could not gain full title to property for 25 years • To promote assimilation • Applied to western tribes • Between 1887-1934: Indians lost over half their reservation land to whites

  46. Sent children to boarding schools Encouraged spread of Christianity Often corrupt & incompetent Carlisle Indian School Bureau of Indian Affairs

  47. Author of A Century of Dishonor (1881) Exposed the govt’s history of broken promises to Indians Helen Hunt Jackson

  48. Indian Reservations Today

  49. Crazy Horse Monument:Black Hills, SD Lakota Chief

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