Westward Expansion
What does westward expansion mean?
The movement of Americans into and settlement of lands in the West.
What animal was an important source of food and resources for many Plains Native Americans, that ultimately depleted due to overhunting.
The bison
What were areas of land set aside by the government for Native Americans called?
Reservations.
Why did Native Americans resist westward expansion?
To protect their land, resources, culture, and way of life.
Who were the Exodusters, and why did they move West?
African Americans who moved West after the Civil War seeking freedom, land, jobs, and better opportunities.
What is a pull factor?
Something that attracts or draws people to a new place.
What happened during the Sand Creek Massacre, and what does it show about the conflict between Native Americans and U.S. settlers or soldiers?
U.S. soldiers attacked and killed many Native American people, including women and children due to rumor killing of a mining family . It shows how westward expansion led to violence, loss of life, and increased conflict with Native Americans.
What does assimilation mean?
Being forced or pressured to adopt another group's culture or way of life.
Name ONE way Native Americans resisted.
Fighting settlers or soldiers, refusing relocation, resisting government policies, or Ghost Dance.
Why can the term “Wild West” give an inaccurate picture of life in the West?
Stories often exaggerated violence and danger, while many settlers lived ordinary lives working, farming, and building communities.
WO things that pulled settlers West.
Gold, cheap/free land, jobs, resources, or new opportunities
How did the Transcontinental Railroad affect Native Americans?
The railroad brought more settlers onto Native American lands, contributed to the destruction of the bison, and caused Native Americans to lose land and resources.
What was one purpose of reservations? ( Designated areas the government created for Native Americans to live)?
To control where Native Americans lived.
Why did conflict increase as settlers moved West?
Settlers entered Native American homelands and competed for land and resources.
In P.E.G.S., which category would gold, jobs, land, and the railroad belong to?
Economic, because they relate to money, jobs, trade, and resources.
Name TWO job opportunities that attracted people to the West.
Mining, farming, ranching, railroad construction.
Why was westward expansion a threat to Native American cultures?
Native Americans lost land and resources and were pressured to change or give up parts of their cultures.
What is the difference between forced relocation and forced assimilation?
Reservations/Relocation controlled where Native Americans lived, while assimilation attempted to change their culture and way of life.
What happened when the U.S. government broke treaties and promises with Native Americans?
Native Americans lost land, resources, and trust in the government, which contributed to conflict and resistance.
Using P.E.G.S., which TWO categories best explain how westward expansion affected Native Americans? Explain one example.
Political: government policies, treaties, and reservations. Economic: loss of land, bison, and resources. Geographic: settlers moved onto Native homelands. Social: assimilation affected Native cultures and ways of life.
How did the Homestead Act encourage people to move West?
It offered settlers land if they lived on it and improved/farmed it, encouraging more people to settle in the West.
Explain this chain: More settlers → Loss of land/resources → Native American resistance.
As more settlers entered Native American homelands, Native Americans lost land and resources, causing many Native Americans to resist.
How did U.S. government policies affect Native American land AND culture? Provide an example of one.
Government policies caused Native Americans to lose land and pressured them to abandon or change parts of their cultures.
Examples: Allotment Act or Dawes Act
Was Native American resistance simply an attempt to cause conflict( Cause Problems)? Explain.
No. Native Americans often resisted to defend or protect their homelands, resources, cultures, and independence.
When analyzing a primary source using S.O.A.P., what should you identify? What does it stand for?
Speaker, Origin, Audience, Purpose, and Subject.