American West 1840-1895

What was the significance of the Indian Removal Act of ..insert date..?

Passed by president Andrew Jackson, in 1830, it forced eastern Native American tribes west of the Mississppi River, creating the concept of the “permanent Indian Frontier” and setting a precedent for federal displacement that escalated conflict.

Who coined “Manifest Destiny” and what did it mean for the West?

Journalised by John L. O' Sullivan, it was the ideological belief that God-given expansion across the North American continent was inevitable and righteous. It justified the dispossession of Native Americans and Mexican territories.

Why did the Mormons migrate to the Great Salt Lake and who led them?

Led by Brigham Young following the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844. They fled religious persecution to the isolated Salt Lake Valley, using coorperative irrigation to turn an arid desert into a thriving, self-sufficient state.

What were the broader consequences of the 1849 California Gold Rush?

In 1849, it brought over 90,000 “forty-niners” west, accelerated California's statehood, marginalised indigenous populations through violence and disease, and proved that migration routes like the Oregon/Calofornia trails were viable for mass travel.

What was the …. Homestead Act and why did it have limited success on the Plains?

In 1862, it offered 160 acres of public land free after 5 years of residence. 160 acres was insufficient for viable-dry farming on the arid Great Plains, leading to high failure rates and eventual reliance on mechanized solutions.

How did the …. Pacific Railroad Act transform the West?

In 1862, it commissioned the Union Pacific and Central Pacific to build the First Transcontinental Railroad. It provided massive land grants to companies, accelerated white settlement, destroyed the buffalo herds, and crushed the traditional nomadic lifestyle of Plain Indians.

Promontory Point, Utah (1869)- What was its economic and social significance?

Linked the Atlantic and Pacific economies, lowered travel times from months to days, allowed Plains farmers to ship crops East, and catalysed the destruction of the open Plains ecosystem.

What happened at the Sand Creek Massacre and what was its impact?

• What year?

• 1864

Colorado US volunteers led by Colonel John Chivington brutally slaughtered over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho (mostly women and children). It permanently destroyed trust in federal diplomacy and escalated the Colorado War.

Why is the Battle of the Little Bighorn a turning point in the Indian Wars?

What year?

• 1876

Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse united Lakota Sioux and Cheyenne to annihilate Custer's 7th cavalry. Paradoxically a Native victory, it triggered a massive vengeful US military response and accelerated forced confinement to small reservations.

What was the objective of the Dawes General Allotment Act of …..?

In 1887, it aimed to forcefully assimilate Native Americans by breaking up tribal reservation land into individual family plots. It destroyed communal tribal structures and led to speculators buying up millions of acres of surplus Native land.

Why does the Wounded Knee Massacre mark the “closing of the frontier” ?

What year?

• 1890

The US 7th Cavalry killed around 300 Lakota Miniconjou following panic over the Ghost Dance movement. It symbolised the brutal, final military subjugation of independent Plains Indian resistance and the end of the Indian frontier.