History Key Dates and Knowledge -American West

Key dates and knowledge from the American West

1600’s

the Spanish built farms and bred horses in America

1640

the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spanish, stealing their horses and selling them to other tribes

1827

the book of Mormon was created

1831

the Mormon church had 1000+ members

1837

economic depression

1838

Mormons forced to leave independence Missouri

1844

Joseph Smith had declared that God had said man could have more than one wife. He also ran for president

1845

Joseph Smith murdered in jail in Carthage

1846

harsh winter whilst Mormons migrated to the Great Salt Lake.

1847

2000 Mormons had reached Salt Lake Valley

1823-31

Mormons in New York

1831-37

Mormons in Kirtland, Ohio

1837-38

Mormons in Independence, Missouri

1838-46

Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois

1846-47

Mormons in Winter Quarters

1847+

Mormons in Great Salt Lake

1845

Brigham Young becomes Mormon leader

1861-65

American civil war

1862

Homestead Act

1866

Southern Homestead Act to help poor farmers after Civil War with the aim to help freed slaves, failed and was repealed in 1876

1873

Timber Culture Act to provide land in return for planting of trees for shelter and fuel across Great Plains, failed

1877

Desert Land Act where settlers could cheaply buy up to 640 additional acres in areas of low rainfall

1866

Goodnight-Loving Trail established

1866

John Iliff begins ranching on the Plains in Denver

1867

the first cow town, Abilene, Kansas is established by Joseph McCoy

1870’s

beginning of the ‘beef bonanza’

1874

barbed wire invented by Joseph Glidden

1875

refrigerated rail cars developed

1876

Dodge City becomes the largest cow town in the West

1886-87

the great die up

1895

end of the open range

1836

Texas becomes independent from Mexico

1850’s

Texas was the major centre for cattle ranching as beef became popular

1855

Missouri farmers formed vigilance committees to block the drives. A quarantine law was passed preventing infected Texan cattle from entering Missouri

1859

Kansas passes a quarantine law to prevent infected Texan cattle from entering.

1865

cattle cost 10 times the amount in the North as they did in Texas

1866

Texan cattle were driven up to Sedalia, a town on the railroad which Joseph McCoy exploited and made Abilene

1867-1885

the peak of cattle drives where nearly 4 million cattle passed through cow towns

1861-62

Little Crows War

1864-67

The Cheyenne Wars

1864

The Sand Creek Massacre

1866-68

Red Clouds War

1868

Fort Laramie Treaty

1861

cutworms devastated the Santee Sioux’s crops, forced to live on credit

1862

Santee Sioux’s annual cash payment was late and credit stopped

1863

remainder of the Santee Sioux were placed on a reservation

1859

Discovery of gold at Pikes Peak in Colorado

1861

Thousands of miners and settlers demanded that the government do something about the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes who began attack

1864

Fighting escalated when the army tried to move the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Kiowa tribes onto reservations

1868

Battle of Washita, Cheyenne Wars

1874

defeat of Arapaho and Cheyenne

1876

the battle of Little Bighorn

1890

The Wounded Knee Massacre

1890

drought in the summer led to failure of Sioux crops

1851

the reservation solution was first pitched to the US government

1875

thousands of miners arrive on the Black Hills

1876

all Sioux who are outside their reservation are declared hostile

1877

Crazy Horse surrenders

Why was the horse important to the Native Americans?

they were essential for hunting, travel and status.

Who brought the horse to the US?

The Spanish brought in and bred horses which were stolen and traded to all tribe

What are two consequences of the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868)

1. Red Cloud lost lots of his power and influence after moving the the Great Sioux Reservation

2. Not everyone agreed with the treaty, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse

What did people think of the Mormons in 1846-7?

The Mormons weren’t popular with Christians or the Us government, some felt sorry for them because of all the hardships they’d endured.

Why did the Mormons choose the Great Salt Lake?

It was isolated, but supposedly had water and farming land and wasn’t part of the US

What difficulties did the Mormons face getting to the great salt lake?

Harsh weather, rough terrain and lack of water sources

Who was Brigham Young?

The Mormon leader since 1845

Who was Joseph Smith?

The Mormon leader from 1827-45

What did Joseph Smith claim?

An angel had told him God had buried two golden plates in his back garden, he translated them and this became the ‘Book of Mormon’

What happened in Kirtland, Ohio?

The Mormons were successful in Kirtland, but during the 1837 Depression the Mormon bank collapsed and many lost their savings

What happened in Independence, Missouri?

The Mormons moved to Independence but were very unpopular as they were anti-slavery in a slave owning state. They were forced to leave in 1838 after riots began

What happened in Nauvoo, Illinois?

There were over 35,000 Mormons settled there, but after Smith proclaimed that man could have more than 1 wife, it led to criticism and outrage, Smith was arrested and murdered the same year

What happened in New York?

Mormons were chased out by angry Christians because the Mormons believed they were the ‘chosen ones’ and said any non-Mormon would go to hell

What was the book of Mormon?

A book based on Joseph Smith’s alleged translations from the gold plates he found

What was Deseret?

The original name for Utah, chosen by Young once it was again US territory, which translates to ‘land of the honey bee’ but was rejected by the US government

When was the mountain meadow massacre?

7th September 1857

What was the mountain meadow massacre?

A Mormon attack on a wagon train of families who were camped at Mountain Meadows. All were killed on the orders of the local Mormon militia leader, John Lee except for 17 children under the age of 7. News of the massacre inflamed public opinion against the Mormons once again

What was the Nauvoo Legion?

The Mormons defence force

How many members did the Mormon church have in 1831?

1000+

What problems did the harsh winter of 1846 cause for the migrating Mormons?

Several hundred died at the winter quarters due to the poor weather and lack of defences against the wind, rain and snow

How many Mormons had reached Salt Lake Valley by 1847?

2,000

Who murdered Joseph Smith?

an angry mob

What aims did Brigham Young have for the Mormons?

He wanted them to become completely self sufficient, especially in food supplies, this was mostly unsuccessful due to small population

What were some of Brigham Young’s initiatives?

He planned to build irrigation ditches leading down from the snowy mountains surrounding the Great Salt Lake and emphasised cooperative working by forbidding private ownership of land

What is a gentile?

a non-Mormon

Where did Young and Mormon settlers stay to avoid the dangers of travelling in winter?

The winter quarters in Omaha

Which trails did the advance party, led by Brigham Young use to get to Salt Lake Valley?

the Donner Trail and Oregon Trail

How many Mormons were in the 1847 advance party?

150

When did the advance party, led by Brigham Young set out for Salt Lake Valley?

April 1847

When did Young arrive in Salt Lake Valley?

July 1847

How many Mormons were in the second group to arrive at Salt Lake Valley?

1,500

When did the second group of Mormons arrive at Salt Lake Valley?

August 1847

How many more Mormons followed the route to Salt Lake Valley from 1847-69

70,000

What was Young’s plan of migration?

1. Ensure safe journey to the West

2. Farm an arid landscape and provide fresh water

3. Allocate land for each family

4. Become self-sufficient and free to worship

5. Encourage mass-Mormon settlement

6. Keep order with no conflict

What 5 things did Brigham Young do to ensure safe travel to the Great Salt Lake?

1. Spoke with trail guides and explorers to research Salt Lake Valley to prepare

2. organised a count of 3200 and 2500 wagons to plan logistics and what each person would need to survive

3. built the winter quarters for winter of 1846

4. supply and provide well for the advance party, making sure to signpost the trail for future parties and highlighting water sources

5. divided migrants into manageable groups with their own leaders who new the plan and were prepared, encouraging rests and repairs.

What was an effect of the Civil War?

freed slaves and ex-soldiers were looking to start a new life in the west

How many Americans died in the civil war?

600,000

Who was fighting in the civil war?

Northern (union) and Southern (confederate) states

Which two acts were passed during the civil war?

The homestead act (1862) and the pacific railroad act (1862)

What did the homestead act do?

promoted settlement in the west by providing incentives for people to take unclaimed land

What was the homestead act?

• Settlers could buy 160 acre plots of land called Homesteads, enough for a house and farmland

• It cost $10 for a claim but only 1 per person

• After 5 years if they’ve proved they had farmed the land, they could purchase it for $30

• Anyone could purchase the land as long as they were over 21, women, ex-soldiers, ex-slaves but no Native Americans

Why was the homestead act important?

• It encouraged settlement in the west and on the Great Plains

• It allowed the homeless and landless to buy their own farm for a cheap price

• By 1867, over 6 million acres of land had been claimed, this later increased to 80 million and over half of Nebraska was claimed