The Great Plains
Inventions & Adaptations
Why Move West?
Government & Expansion
Impact on Indigenous Peoples
Resistance & Conflict
Cause & Effect
100
This region covers a large area of mostly flat land in the central United States and gradually rises toward the Rocky Mountains.
The Great Plains
100
John Deere's invention made it easier to break through the tough, dry soil of the Great Plains.
The Steel Plow
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/c9/76/c976d920-5860-4e37-ac07-afcabcabe9ba/nmah200335624web.jpg)
100
Many settlers moved west because they wanted this resource to farm, build homes, or start a new life.
Land
100
This 1862 law offered settlers up to 160 acres of land if they lived on and farmed it.
The Homestead Act
100
As more settlers moved west, Indigenous peoples lost large amounts of this.
Land/homeland
100
This 1876 battle ended with Indigenous forces defeating U.S. troops led by George Custer.
Battle of Little Bighorn
100
Settlers needed a way to break through the tough, dry soil of the Great Plains. What invention helped solve this problem?
Steel Plow
200
Compared with the eastern United States, the Great Plains had much less of this resource, making it difficult to build traditional wooden homes and fences.
Trees
200
This invention used wind power to pump underground water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and crops.
Windmills
200
Discoveries of these two valuable resources attracted people who hoped to become wealthy.
Gold and Silver
200
This transportation system connected the eastern and western parts of the United States and made travel and shipping much easier.
The Transcontinental Railroad
200
This animal was extremely important to many Indigenous peoples because it provided food, clothing, shelter materials, and tools.
The Buffalo
200
Who was the important leader of the Lakota tribe?
Sitting Bull
200
There were few trees on the Great Plains. What invention helped settlers create fences anyway?
Barbed Wire
300
Strong winds, little rainfall, and frequent dust storms made this activity difficult for settlers on the Great Plains.
Farming
300
Settlers used this invention because there weren't enough trees to build traditional wooden fences.
Barbed Wire
300
Some people moved west because they wanted jobs, a fresh start, or a better life. These are examples of this reason for moving.
New opportunities
300
The government used these agreements with Indigenous nations to establish rules about land.
Treaties
300
Settlers and railroads contributed to the dramatic decline of this important animal on the Great Plains.
The Buffalo
300
Why did many Indigenous peoples resist westward expansion?
to protect their land, freedom, culture, and way of life
300
Why did the Transcontinental Railroad encourage more people to move west?
It made travel and transportation of people and goods faster and easier.
400
What crop is able to grow in the harshest of climates and was grown in the Great Plains due to this?
Wheat
400
Farmers used this method to deal with the Great Plains' limited rainfall by using drought-resistant crops and mulch to help the soil hold moisture.
Dry Farming
400
Some formerly enslaved African Americans moved west after the Civil War hoping for greater equality, land ownership, and a fresh start.
New Beginnings
400
This law divided Indigenous tribal land and offered land and U.S. citizenship to Indigenous people who gave up their tribal ties.
The Dawes Act
400
These were areas where many Indigenous people were forced to live after being removed from their traditional lands.
Reservations
400
Indigenous people were often forced to move to these areas after losing their traditional lands.
Reservations
400
Why did the U.S. government's westward expansion policies lead to conflict with Indigenous peoples?
Because settlers wanted Indigenous lands, and Indigenous peoples were increasingly forced off their traditional lands.
500
What was a major challenge settlers faced when trying to farm on the Great Plains?
limited rainfall/dry weather
500
A settler wants to build a house but cannot find enough trees. This adaptation would solve the problem by using blocks of grass and soil.
Sod Houses
500
A person moves west because they want to explore a new place and experience something different. Which motivation does this represent?
Adventure
500
The government took Indigenous children from their families and sent them to schools where they were forced to give up their Native languages and culture. What was the main goal of these schools?
Assimilation
500
Name two major ways westward expansion disrupted traditional Indigenous ways of life.
loss of land, loss of buffalo, warfare, disease, forced relocation, and broken treaties.
500
Unlike the Battle of Little Bighorn, this 1890 event ended with a large number of Lakota men, women, and children being killed by U.S. soldiers.
Wounded Knee
500
What was one major result of westward expansion on traditional Indigenous ways of life?
loss of land, loss of buffalo, forced relocation, warfare, disease, and broken treaties