Vocabulary
Assimilation
What is when one group of people adopt the culture, lifestyle, and beliefs of another group of people
Why did the government want to make treaties with Native Americans?
Space for settlers to claim, access to natural resources, and a path for a transcontinental railroad
What initially brought people to Montana?
Fur trapping
What were the environmental factors that led to the Hard Winter?
Hot, dry summer that shrank waterholes and led to fall fires which reduced grazeland even further.
Monopoly
What is when one person or business holds a significant majority of production in a certain industry
What were the issues that arose during the treaty era?
Language barriers, cultural differences, and shifting terms
What allowed many industries, including ranching, to get their start in Montana
The explosion of population due to mining
Boom-and-Bust
When an area explodes in population due to access to resources, and then steeply declines after that resource is depleted
How did a misunderstanding of Native political structure create troubles with treaties being effective?
Assumptions that Native chiefs spoke for everyone in their tribe made it so the government thought that by getting the chief to agree the entire tribe would fall in line
Sovereignty
When a group of people owns a territory and is able to make their own decisions on behalf of that territory.
What were the political outcomes of the treaty era?
The government recognized Natives as the rightful owners of the land and allowed the Indians to govern their territory as they pleased
How did horses and guns come to Montana
The Spanish brought horses from the south, and French/British trappers brought guns from the north
Northwest Passage
A water route that would allow boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
What is meant by Native American's trying to develop financial independence?
Adopting American practices like farming in order to acquire economic (and therefore political) security