History American West

Nomadic lifestyle of the Plains Indians

Cause: Buffalo moved across the Great Plains and farming was difficult in many areas.

Event: Plains Indians lived nomadically, following buffalo herds.

Consequence: Tribes became highly skilled hunters and depended heavily on buffalo for survival.

Importance of the buffalo

Cause: Buffalo were widely available on the Plains.

Event: Plains Indians used buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, and tools.

Consequence: Buffalo became central to Plains Indian culture and survival.

Introduction of horses

Cause: Horses spread north after being introduced by the Spanish.

Event: Plains Indians adopted horses for transport and hunting.

Consequence: Hunting and warfare became faster and more effective.

Warrior Culture develops

Manifest destiny

Cause: Many Americans believed expansion across the continent was their right and duty.

Event: Large numbers of settlers moved westward.

Consequence: Increased settlement created conflict with Native Americans.

Oregon Trail Migration

Cause: Settlers wanted fertile land and economic opportunities.

Event: Thousands travelled west along the Oregon Trail.

Consequence: Permanent settlement in the West increased rapidly.

Mormon migration to Utah

Cause: Mormons faced persecution after the death of Joseph Smith.

Event: Brigham Young led Mormons to Utah in 1847.

Consequence: The Mormons built successful settlements around Salt Lake City.

Homestead Act

(1862)

Cause: The government wanted to encourage western settlement.

Event: Settlers could claim 160 acres of land cheaply.

Consequence: Thousands of homesteaders moved onto the Plains.

Problems faced by homesteaders

Cause: Plains conditions were harsh, dry, and isolated.

Event: Homesteaders struggled with weather, lack of water, and locusts.

Consequence: Many settlers abandoned their land.

Farming improvements

Cause: Farmers needed ways to survive difficult Plains conditions.

Event: New methods like dry farming and inventions like steel ploughs were introduced.

Consequence: Farming on the Plains became more successful over time.

California Gold Rush

(1848)

Cause: Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill.

Event: Thousands rushed to California searching for wealth.

Consequence: Western settlement and economic growth increased dramatically.

Growth of boomtowns

Cause: Miners needed places to live and trade.

Event: Settlements rapidly developed near mining areas.

Consequence: Boomtowns often suffered from crime and weak law enforcement.

Decline of Mining towns

Cause: Gold and silver supplies eventually ran out.

Event: Miners left settlements to search elsewhere.

Consequence: Many boomtowns became ghost towns.

Pacific Railway Act

(1862)

Cause: The government wanted a railroad linking east and west.

Event: Railroad companies received land and financial support.

Consequence: Construction of the Transcontinental Railroad accelerated.

completion of the transcontinental railroad

(1869)

Cause: Businesses and the government wanted faster transport and communication.

Event: The Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads connected.

Consequence: Trade, migration, and settlement expanded rapidly.

Railroads affect plain Indians

Cause: Railroads crossed buffalo hunting grounds.

Event: Settlers and hunters moved further west.

Consequence: Buffalo numbers collapsed and Native American lifestyles declined.

Growth of cattle industry

Cause: Eastern cities demanded more beef after the Civil War.

Event: Ranchers raised large herds of longhorn cattle in Texas.

Consequence: Ranching became a major western industry.

Long drives

Cause: Cattle needed transporting to railroad towns.
Event: Cowboys drove herds along trails like the Chisholm Trail.
Consequence: Cow towns such as Abilene grew quickly.

Life of Cowboys

Cause: Ranchers required workers to manage cattle herds.
Event: Cowboys spent long periods herding cattle across the Plains.
Consequence: Cowboys became symbolic figures of the American West.

Barbed wire and the end of open range

Cause: Farmers and ranchers wanted to protect land cheaply.

Event: Joseph Glidden developed barbed wire fencing.

Consequence: Open range ranching declined and land disputes increased.

Decline of cattle industry

Cause: Overgrazing, severe winters, and fencing damaged ranching profits.

Event: The cattle boom collapsed in the late 1880s.

Consequence: Ranching became smaller and more controlled

Law and order: Growth of lawlessness in cow towns

Cause: Towns expanded faster than legal systems developed.

Event: Gambling, violence, and crime increased.

Consequence: Many western towns gained reputations for disorder.

Vigilante groups form

Cause: Official law enforcement was often weak or corrupt.
Event: Citizens formed vigilante groups to punish criminals.
Consequence: Justice was sometimes harsh and unfair.

Role of sheriffs and marshals

Cause: Western towns needed stronger law enforcement.
Event: Lawmen attempted to control crime and violence.
Consequence: Law and order gradually improved across the West.

OK, Corral gun fight

(1881)

Cause: Conflict existed between lawmen and outlaw groups in Tombstone.
Event: Wyatt Earp and others fought the Clanton gang.
Consequence: The event became one of the most famous examples of frontier violence.

Conflict between plain Indians and the US government: Indian appropriations act

(1851)

Cause: Settlers increasingly moved through Plains Indian territory.
Event: The government created reservation areas for Native Americans.
Consequence: Plains Indians lost freedom to move across traditional lands.

Sand Creek massacre

(1864)

Cause: Tensions between settlers and Plains Indians increased in Colorado.
Event: Colorado militia attacked a Cheyenne camp.
Consequence: Native American resistance and distrust of the government increased.

Bozeman Trail conflict

Cause: Gold seekers crossed Sioux hunting grounds.

Event: The Bozeman Trail caused conflict between settlers and Sioux tribes.

Consequence: Fighting developed into Red Cloud’s War.

Red clouds War

(1866-68)

Cause: The US Army built forts along the Bozeman Trail.
Event: Red Cloud led attacks against US forces.
Consequence: The government agreed to close the forts in the Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Second Fort Laramie Treaty

(1868)

Cause: The government wanted peace after Red Cloud’s War.

Event: The Sioux were guaranteed control of the Black Hills.

Consequence: The treaty later collapsed after gold was discovered there.

Destruction of the Buffalo

Cause: Commercial hunters and railroad workers killed buffalo in huge numbers.

Event: Buffalo herds were almost wiped out by the 1880s.

Consequence: Plains Indians became increasingly dependent on reservations.

Battle of Little Bighorn

(1876)

Cause: The US government attempted to force Sioux tribes onto reservations after gold discoveries.

Event: Sioux and Cheyenne warriors defeated George Armstrong Custer and his troops.

Consequence: The US government increased military action against Plains Indians.

Reservation system expands

Cause: The government wanted full control over Native American populations.

Event: More Plains Indians were forced onto reservations.

Consequence: Traditional Plains Indian lifestyles declined sharply.

Dawes Act

(1887)

Cause: The government wanted Native Americans to adopt white American lifestyles.
Event: Tribal land was divided into individual farms.
Consequence: Native Americans lost large amounts of tribal land.

Ghost dance movement

Cause: Native Americans hoped spiritual beliefs would restore their way of life.

Event: The Ghost Dance religion spread among tribes.

Consequence: US authorities feared rebellion and increased military intervention

Wounded knee massacre

(1890)

Cause: The US Army attempted to stop the Ghost Dance movement.

Event: Hundreds of Sioux were killed at Wounded Knee Creek.

Consequence: Armed Native American resistance on the Plains effectively ended