Short Answer
How did the buffalo meet the needs of the Plains Indians in the 1800s?
Provided food, clothing, shelter, shoes and other supplies
James Oliver
Joseph Glidden
George Armstrong Custer
John M. Chivington
- Inventor of a sharper plow that made farming the Plains easier
- Inventor of barbed wire which allowed for the formation of private ranches
- American colonel and leader of the U.S. army at the Battle of Little Bighorn
- American settler who ordered the killing of Cheyenne at the Sand Creek Massacre
The Cattle Boom
- The Spanish bred cattle to create the Spanish longhorn
- Population increase led to higher demand for beef
- Need to transport cattle begins the creation of trails for cattle drives
- Conflict over grazing land forms between sheep farmers and ranch hands
Types of Mining
Placer: the finding of minerals in loose sand or gravel
Hydraulic: the use of water under high pressure to blast away soil and reveal the minerals beneath
Hard-rock: the cutting of deep shafts in rock to expose and extract the minerals within
Explain why the Texas Longhorn thrived on the Plains
They could live on grass alone
Why did Plains Indians live a nomadic lifestyle?
To follow the buffalo herds (food source)
Census Bureau
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Black Elk
James Forsyth
- Declared the Frontier to be closed
- Agency in charge of Native American reservations
- Lakota holy man who fought at the Battle of Little Bighorn and survived the Wounded Knee Massacre
- American commander of the U.S. army during the American-Indian Wars
Oklahoma Land Run
1889 Event in which settlers scrambled to claim territory in Oklahoma previously assigned to Native Americans
Effects of the Gold Rush
- Settlers flock to California following the California Gold rush
- Seattle grows as miners follow exaggerated reports of gold in the Klondike but find a harsh trek which requires a years' worth of supplies
- Miner unions form to demand safer working conditions and are met with violence from mining businesses
What was the goal of the BIA policy of Americanization?
To have Indians give up their culture and live like white Americans
Benjamin “Pap” Singleton
Black Kettle
Wovoka
Bonanza Farms
- Former slave and community-builder who encouraged African Americans to move to Kansas
- Leader of the Cheyenne who advocated for peace
- Paiute holy man who instigated the Ghost Dance movement
- Farms that operated like factories
Acts
Dawes Act: Divided "costly" Native American reservations into individual plots of land
Homestead Act: Granted head of households over the age of 21, 160 acres of land
Pacific Railway Act: Provided loans for Railway companies to build telegraph and Railway lines
Morrill Act: Granted the states land to develop agricultural and mechanical colleges
Chief Joseph's Quote
"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
Why did Congress pass the Homestead Act in 1862?
To motivate settlers to move West
Chisholm Trail
Sitting Bull
Exodusters
Americanization
- Important trail for cattle drives that began in San Antonio and ended in Kansas
- Leader of the Sioux at the Battle of Little Bighorn
- Name for African Americans who moved to Kansas
- The changing of Native American tradition and cultures
Incentives for settling in the Great Plains
Congress and the Railroads
Two Motivations for Creating Indian Reservations
1. Opened up land for white settlers
2. Allowed for Americanization to begin
What conditions made farming on the Plains much different than farming in the East?
Climate was harsh, water scarce, and lumber lacking
Chief Joseph
Geronimo
Leader of the Nez Perce during their forced removal from the Pacific Northwest
- Attempted to relocate to Canada
- Intercepted by U.S. forces in Washington
Leader of the Apache
- Began harassing settlers in New Mexico and Arizona following forced removal
- Stopped by U.S. army
Where were many NA tribes relocated to?
Oklahoma
The Ghost Dance
- Vision of a Paiute shaman
- Movement which was interpreted by some as a hope for NA future and others, a removal of white settlers