Settlement and Conflict on the plains Flashcards
(20 cards)
What was the Homestead Act and why was it important
- Passed by Lincoln in 1862 and gave each settler 160 acres of land if they farmed it for 5 years.
What was the Pacific Railroad Act?
1862 passed by Lincoln and it authorised two companies (The Central Pacific and The Union Pacific) to build a transcontinental railroad.
What were some difficulties faced by Homesteaders living on the plains (8)
- Lack of water more specifically clean water which led to the spread of diseases such as cholera and typhoid
- Risks of buffalo stampedes
- Native American Attacks
- Locusts (ate all crops)
-Homesteaders were isolated miles away from their neighbours - Extreme weather - freezing winters and scorching summers
-The ground was dry and tough to farm. The dryness also led to prairie fires.
-Shortage of building materials due to lack of trees,
How did the Homesteaders overcome their difficulties on the plains? (7)
- People made their houses out of sod (lack of wood) which made their houses relatively cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
- Fenced their land - protected against wild animals with barbed wire.
Acts such as The Timber Culture (1873) and Desert Land Act 1877 gave settlers who lived in less fertile areas more land.
New Crops - e.g Turkey Red Wheat could survive the harsh climate of the Plains
-Church groups were formed to combat loneliness0
-Sodbuster plough by John Deere could break through the tough soil in 1830s.
-Windpumps - used strong prairie winds which powered a drill to provide water from deep down.
What were four of the Conflicts during Indian Wars
Little Crows War
Sandcreek Massacre
Red Clouds WAR
The Great Sioux War
What were the positives of the Pacific Railroad Act
- Cities like Denver, Dallas and LA grew along the train networks
-Cattle could be moved by trains
-People could travel from east to west in 4-10 days compared to 6 months.
-Opened up the Great Plains to settlers
-Helped the West become law-abiding (law officers, judges, gov officials and teachers could get there more easier.
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What were the Negatives of the Pacific Railroad Act
- Railroads passed through the Indians Land causing tribes to move. The Indians hated the noise and pollution that trains brought
- Bison were disrupted
- ## Railway workers treated their workers horribly (poor wages and horrible hours) and many died.
Threats to the Longdrive
- Stampedes
-weather and landscape were harsh
-Natives posed a threat - 187- Cheyenne stampeded valuable heard
-Rustlers - stole cattle
What was the Long drive
- movement of cattle from Texas to railraods in Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri to be sold.
4 Cattle Trails
-Goodnight-Loving Trail
-The Shawnee Trail
-Chisholm Trail
-Western trail
Jacob Mccoy
-set up cowtowns along the railroad (Abilene in1867)
What were cowtowns?
- places where cattle could be bought and sold and developed into thriving towns due to the growing demand of beef during this period,
Issues surrounding cow towns.
- Cattle needed a lot of grass and water
-Open ranch farming replacing it (John Illif)
Cowtowns (The names)
- Wichita, Ellsworth, Dodge City.
Little Crow’s War (Summary)
1862
1861 - Dakota Sioux forced onto a small reservation in exchange for 28 million acres of land.
-In summer of 1862, starving but Indian Agent refused to open emergency food stores,
They then attacked white settlements in Minnesota to seek supplies.
500 settlers killed and Little Crow died along with many of his warriors when government attacked.
-December 26 - 38 Dakota publicly hanged and rest moved to reservation,
Sandcreek Massacre (Summary)
1864
Gold discovered at Pike’s Peak in 1858 which forced Native’s (Cheyenne) onto reservations near Sandcreek where they faced starvation as a a result of a lack of supplies and unable to find buffalo.
-Attacked settlements for food.
Chief Black Kettle made peace with the government in 1864
John Chivington in November 1864 attacked the camp killing 163 (mostly women and children) to which they retaliated.
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Red Clouds War (Summary)
1866-1868
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 had guaranteed land however in 1862 gold was discovered causing prospectors to rush to the land.
-Red Cloud attacked those coming through
-US were forced to construct forts on the Bozeman trail which failed and they were forced to surrender throgh 1866-1888
-In 1868, the second Fort Laramie Treaty was signed granting them more land.
The Great Sioux War (Summary)
1876-1877.
Gold discovered in Black Hills of Dakota in 1874 causing miners and settlers to flood.
US government attempted to purchase the lands but the Sioux refused as the Black Hills were sacred and they had already been promised the lands.
-Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse started a resistance and won.
However soldiers sent to plains to hunt the Sioux and did so all throught the winter of 1876 and cut rations going to Sioux Reservations. Eventually Sioux had to sell all their land move into reservations.
Why did the Indians go to war with the white settlers?
- Treaties being broken constantly (e.g Gold being discovered in Montana brought miners onto Indian Reservations)
-Buffalo wiped out due to cattle grazing on land and hunters
-Railroads which disrupted bufallo.
-Reservations.
Why did the Indians lose?
-US army greater in number
-Indians didn’t work as a unit
-Indians less armed
-They had their families to look after.
